Ernie Roberts ~ just one of the Rats of Tobruk (part 1)

 

Ernest Lister Roberts
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VX20637
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(1914 - 1943)

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The 2/43rd Infantry Battalion was formed on 17 July 1940 at Woodside camp, near Adelaide in South Australia.

On 1st June 1940 Ernest ROBERTS enlisted in the Australian Army and was soon dispatched to the 2/43 AIF, as seen marked in blue pen on the top RH corner of the following image ...
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Ernest Lister ROBERTS - or Ernie, as he was known - was born in Melbourne on 24th May 1914 to William George ROBERTS and Charlotte Elizabeth WALKEDEN. He had eight siblings.

Just four weeks after he enlisted, he married Beryl Millicent JOHNSTON at Prahran (Victoria, Australia) on 29th June 1940.

During WW11 he served in the Middle East and in New Guinea where he was KIA .... but more about that later.  Here I am just perusing his life during the second world war, while serving in the Middle East with the 2/43 Bn.

The battalion was initially raised as part of the 8th Division’s 24th Brigade and was transferred to the newly formed 9th Division in December. The 2/43rd left South Australia and moved to Melbourne, where it joined the convoy taking the brigade to the Middle East.

On 20th October 1940, Ernie, along with the rest of the Battalion, departed Melbourne on board the R.M.S. Mauretania for the long trip to the Middle East.
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(above: R.M.S. Mauretania.)

The battalion arrived in Egypt at the end of January 1941. Disembarking at Port Tewfik, the port of Suez, it travelled by train to Palestine, arriving there in February 1941. Southern Palestine was being used as a base for the Australians, where they could complete their training. The 2/43rd went into camp at Khassa, north of Gaza.

(above: from Port Tewfik, the port of Suez, to Gaza. Feb 1941)
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By early 1941 the British advance in the Western Desert had reached El Agheila. In March the 9th Division was brought to Libya, to garrison the area east of Tobruk. The division did not have enough vehicles to bring all its units forward towards Benghazi. Consequently, the 24th Brigade (comprising the 2/43rd, 2/28th, and 2/32nd Battalions) remained in Tobruk.

The situation quickly changed in April. The German Afrika Korps, leading the Axis counter-attack, pushed the British from El Agheila and the 9th Division withdrew to Tobruk. The division and the 18th Brigade defended the “fortress” for the next six months. The 2/43rd participated in the usual pattern of defensive duties, manning parts of the Red Line, working on the Blue Line, and aggressively patrolling no man’s land. The Red Line was a series of concrete pillboxes forming a semi-circle around Tobruk. It was the town’s outer line of defence, while the Blue Line was the second line.
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(above: the Italian post at El Aghelia, note the arid landscape!)

Its well worth looking at this LINK as it will give a detailed description of the Lybian landscape at this time along with many images.
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(above: image of a field ambulance in Tobruk taken 17 Sep 1941)

The above image is of a field ambulance in Tobruk, driving past the wreckage of an Italian plane in September 1941. It is 'possible' that Ernie Roberts would have been driving ambulances such as this, even possibly this one!

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In Tobruk, on the 9th Sept 1941, Owen Thomas Cosgriff wrote in his diary:

Worst night for months – planes over all night.

In September and October the majority of the Australian force was evacuated by sea. The 2/43rd evacuated Tobruk in the early hours of 17 October and sailed to Alexandria, from where it was transferred to the camp at Kilo 89 in Palestine. It later moved to Syria and Lebanon for rest, training, and garrison duties.

(above: shows the reader where Tobruk is located on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea)

It was during this time that Owen Thomas Cosgriff was writing his diary on events around Tobruk etc .... he often mentions someone named "Roberts", but to whom he is referring I have no idea! 
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On 12 Dec 1941, Ernie was evacuated to 1 AGH (Australian General Hospital) and in his war records it often mentions "post concussion headaches" - being an Ambulance Driver can only assume he specialized in driving these patients suffering from "shell shock" and other head related injuries.
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(above: 1 AGH - Gaza)

Then in January 1942 he was evacuated from 1 AGH to 4 AGH, where the following images were taken:

it seems that Lyel BRITTON was a great pal of Ernie's as he is often mentioned in letters and on photos.

BRITTON LYEL WALTER :
Service Number - VX22213 : Date of birth - 10 Aug 1914 : Place of birth - BALLARAT VIC :  Next of Kin - BRITTON WALTER

(above: Group of soldiers of the 6th A.G.H. - 6th Feb 1942)


By July 1942 the war in North Africa had become critical for the British forces. The Germans and Italians had reached El Alamein in Egypt, about seventy miles from Alexandra. Consequently, the 9th Division was rushed to the Alamein “box” and held the northern sector for almost four months as the 8th Army was reinforced for a new offensive. 
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The 2/43rd reached the Alamein front on 5 July and two days later conducted a highly successful night raid. The division attacked ten days later. On 17 July the 2/43rd and 2/32nd (comprising the 24th Brigade) moved inland, fighting along the ridgeline from Trig 22 to Ruin Ridge. The 2/32nd led the attack, advancing from Trig 22 to the Qattara Track. The 2/43rd then followed towards Ruin Ridge, which was briefly captured by the ill-fated 2/28th later that month.

In El Alamein, an obscure railway stop west of Alexandria that in the course of a few days became known around the world, it was a battle that turned the fortunes of war. In November 1942, the Allied Eighth Army broke German and Italian lines to push Rommel's Axis troops back to Tunisia and defeat in Africa.
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(above: the 'A' is to show the reader where El Alamein is located, just west of Alexandria)

In the midst of "the blue" was the Australian 9th Division, famous throughout the British Empire a year earlier for its defence of Tobruk. Now they dug into slit trenches on low ridges in open ground to hold a line scratched in the stony sands of Egypt.

Alamein was a great, although bloody, success for the Allies and by 6 November Axis forces were retreating. But the 9th Division was needed elsewhere. In December the 2/43rd went to Gaza, participating in the 9th Division parade on 22 December.

In January 1943 the battalion left for the Suez Canal and boarded troopships to Australia. The battalion reached Sydney on 27 February 1943.

the 2/43rd were home

But not for long, for just 6 months later they embark for New Guinea. Next blog post will be about Ernie and his posting in New Guinea and subsequent death in October 1943

They laid down their lives - That we may live in peace.
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with grateful thanks to the

Australian War Memorial
and the 
National Archives of Australia

for the valuable information they provide 
on their website's and for which 
I have used in the above blog post.

including images, data and parts of the diary

of Rev. Owen Thomas Cosgriff.
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as I write this particular blog post on 12 October 2012, I note that it is exactly 71 years to the day that Rev. Owen Thomas Cosgriff wrote the following in his diary, and so a little about Owen Cosgriff::

Cosgriff’s diary:  Sunday 12th October 1941

Blitz again – severe but did not last long… Could not say 2nd Mass as I had to go back to bed.  Evacuating 320 of us tonight – me on a stretcher.  Farewell to Crouch today.  Eyeties attacked last night.  Poles cleaned them up.  Ear much better today.  Send off with Red Cross beer etc at 4 pm.  To No 6 wharf at 5:30 by ambulance – crowded with stretchers and very hot.   I felt dizzy and perspired all the time.  Slept at 10 pm.  Carried out at 11:30 and left under the stars.  Plane over dropping flares.  Rush to get us aboard.  I was nearly last on.  Destroyer crammed full and I slept as soon as I was put down.  Vale Tobruk.  Our advance party on board…

Owen Thomas Cosgriff was born 21 December 1907 in Korumburra, Victoria. In his adult years he moved to Brunswick, Victoria, where he lived until his enlistment with the 2/4th Australian General Hospital (A.G.H), AIF, (Australian General Hospital) in Caulfield. In December 1940, Cosgriff left Melbourne aboard the Maurentania bound for North Africa.

Rev. Owen Thomas Cosgriff’s diary finished on 16 November 1941.  He was discharged from the Army on 13 July 1944 and soon returned to Australia.

and on 23 Oct 2012 ....

Vets and ADF members at the 9th Division Memorial in El Alamein, Egypt for the 70th Anniversary of El Alamein ...
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Lest We Forget
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there are three blog posts on Ernie Roberts

part one

part two

part three


<<>>

Ernie Roberts - in New Guinea (part 2)

the continuing story of Ernie Roberts ....

HEADING HOME
In December 1942 the 2/43rd Battalion participated in the 9th Division parade in Gaza, Egypt (see above image) before departing for home the following month. The battalion left for the Suez Canal in January and boarded troopships back to Australia. They were fairly well entertained with concerts on board, singalongs, playing cards and the 'local' newspaper titled "The Troops Tatler" which kept them up to date on events happening back home or on the war front.

according to the 2/43 Bn War Diary, they passed through the Sydney Heads at 1255hrs and dropped anchor at 1330hrs. Disembarkation of troops started at 1400hrs and their train journey - back to camp - was at 1800hrs.

The Battalion was given three weeks leave, after which units of the division marched through the mainland capitals and received just acclaim from huge crowds ; it re-formed in the Kairi area of the Atherton Tableland in April.

A.W.O.L.
Ernie was anxious to get back to his extended family in St Kilda and Prahran and to his wife - Beryl Millicent Johnston - whom he had married in June 1940.  Unfortunately Beryl had decided that she wanted a better life and had taken up with another man. This infuriated Ernie, who was beside himself with grief.  He was AWOL many times over the next few weeks as he tried everything to 'get her back', but to no avail. He told the family that he no longer had anything to live for and would go back to the front line as soon as he could.

The family were devastated and at a loss as to what to do next. They were of course furious with Beryl and could not believe that she could do that to their "Ernie".  From that time on, they had no further contact with her.

BACK WITH THE 2/43rd
Ernie was soon back at training camp in the Gordonvale District of Queensland where he stayed for just on three months for "jungle training".

By the 7th of August the 2/43 Battalion were clearing their camp at Trinity Beach - north of Cairns - where they had been for the past few days. They were to get ready to depart the following morning.

At 0935 they had arrived at the wharf in Cairns and by 1000hrs loading and embarkation had started. The MANORA left the Cairns Wharf by 1500 and they were on their way to New Guinea.....

above image:

Cairns, Queensland.  8th Aug 1943 Troops of the 2/43rd Infantry Battalion, Embarking for overseas. 

ARRIVING IN NEW GUINEA.

Two days later they had arrived at Milne Bay in New Guinea and immediately started setting up camp, clearing of the area and digging drains. Once that was done they started practicing embarking and debarking LCI (Landing Craft - Infantry).

image above: LCI - Landing craft of the Australian Army. From the State Library of Victoria


and by 15th August they had moved onto the Turnbull Airfield for embarkation on LCI. With loading continuing throughout the day. Then with a convoy of 6 LCI under protection of cruiser and destroyer, moved on towards Buna.

They were soon clearing the area, establishing beach patrols and organizing their lives in Boreo as best they could under the circumstances.

above image: location of Boreo and Samboga River in New Guinea.
 
Two weeks later they were crossing the Samboga River, on their way to Lae. Distance to be covered is approx 250klms.

OPERATION POSTERN.
D Day for Operation Postern - 4th September 1943

The Landing at Lae was an amphibious landing, as part of (Operation POSTERN), to the east of Lae in the Salamaua-Lae campaign of World War II between 4–6 September 1943.





4th Sept. 7:00AM - D DAY FOR POSTERN OPERATIONS.
Made unopposed landing at RED BEACH.
5th Sept. 07:00AM - embarked at BUNA at approx 1000 hrs
2/43 Bn having four LCI proceeded to BUSO VILLAGE. 
6th Sept. 00:00 - disembarked without incident at RED BEACH,
proceeded to BUSO VILLAGE. 
6th Oct. 07:00AM - Bn moved to ALUKI ........

The landing sites identified were Red Beach to the east of the mouth of the Buso River and Yellow Beach near Hopoi.
The Australian 9th Division quickly established a beachhead and began a pincer advance on Lae. The amphibious landing was unopposed by Imperial Japanese land forces. Japanese bombers staged an air attack on the second wave of amphibious landings, and killed about 100 Allied naval and army personnel.

A pincer advance is a military maneuver. The flanks of the opponent are attacked simultaneously in a pinching motion after the opponent has advanced towards the center of an army which is responding by moving its outside forces to the enemy's flanks, in order to surround it. At the same time, a second layer of pincers attacks on the more extreme flanks, so as to prevent any attempts to reinforce the target unit. Most infantry combat, on every scale, is based in some fashion on this military tactic and it is commonly used by aircraft as well.


The Fall of Lae.
Between Red Beach and Lae, 16 miles away, the advancing division would have to cross five rivers and a large number of small streams. Swollen by the daily downpours of the rainy season 5 of the rivers were now fast-flowing, but, except for the Busu, which might present a problem, they were narrow with shallow banks and stony bottoms.

There were no roads in the area, only native paths. The two landing beaches were about 20 yards wide and of firm black sand, but behind them was a swamp through which were few exits.

The following shows just some of the conditions they had to deal with in this area:




One of the unit’s historians described the next 11 days as the battalion’s most difficult, with the men crossing rivers, drenched with rain and sweat, and “Hacking their way through jungle and swamp”.

Little resistance in the early stages soon intensified after the battalion crossed the Busu River, at which point the Japanese “contested every step of the way”. The 2/43rd reached the Butibum River on the outskirts of Lae on 16 September.

Following the fall of Lae (16th Sept 1943), the Australians continued their advance north along the New Guinea coast towards the Huon Peninsula, with the aim of securing Finschhafen, where large scale air and naval facilities could be constructed for operations that were planned to be launched in New Britain.

Battle of Scarlet Beach.
On 22 September 1943, less than a week after Lae had been captured, they landed at Scarlet Beach (north of Siki Cove), south of the Song River and about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the north of Finschhafen.

above image:  Australian soldiers and U.S. Navy landing craft at Scarlet Beach on 22 September 1943.


The landing was only lightly opposed and following this, the Australians began to advance south towards Katika where Japanese resistance was stronger, but was nevertheless overcome by the early afternoon.

On 14th Oct 1943, the following orders came through:
2/43 Bn will enlarge its operations in BONGA AREA C Coy remain for present at ZAC protecting SATELBERG L. of C

they then advance further north towards Bonga and Pino Hill.

Ernest Lister ROBERTS was KIA on 27 Oct 1943

with grateful thanks to the Australian War Memorial

and the Australian National Archives for the information they provide on their websites and for which I have used most images and data in the above blog post.

there are three blog posts on Ernie Roberts

part one

part two

part three

further URL's that maybe of interest:

• Jumping into History 
• The Bloody Ridges - Wau - Salamaua
• Markham Valley and Huon Peninsula 
• Battle of Sattleberg

Lest We Forget
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'the last post' for Ernie Roberts (part 3)

* PART THREE *

have now updated this post to include the name of Ernest Lister Roberts as seen on the Remembrance Wall at the Australian War Memorial in October 2013.



Ernest Lister ROBERTS
born 24 May 1914
died 27 Oct 1943
enlisted: 01 Jun 1940

2/43 Australian Infantry Battalion
service # VX20637

Departed for the Middle East 20 Oct 1940
Arrived back in Australia: 27 Feb 1943
Departed for New Guinea: 08 Aug 1943
Killed in Action: 27 Oct 1943

In September 1943, Australian forces launched the first phase of Operation Cartwheel, General Douglas MacArthur's advance on the main Japanese base at Rabaul.

Lae fell on 16 September, and having advanced north along the coast towards the Huon Peninsula, the Australians had the Japanese forces on the back foot. On 22 September, the Australian 9th Division, commanded by Major General George Wootten, landed at Scarlet Beach from where they began to fan out to the south and west to capture Finschhafen and to begin the advance towards Sio, further around the coast on the northern side of the Huon Peninsula, with the 2/43rd moving to Scarlet Beach early on 30 Sept and the rest of the brigade in early October.

   BONGA ...                

above: Bonga area is north of Scarlet Beach, where the 'pin' is located.

The Battalion soon arrived in the Bonga area and according to orders issued on 14th October (see below) the 2/43rd were to enlarge their operations in the Bonga area.

The operation orders on 17th October state that the enemy was NOT greater than 100 and believed to be NOT less than 30 in the vicinity.

..... but they were in far greater numbers.

In fact a force of over 5,000 Japanese troops was in the general Finschhafen-Mongi River area when the 20th Brigade landed behind them at Scarlet Beach.

 
<sup>In late September, they began to patrol the area north of there towards Bonga and Gusika. Several key tracks and junctions were located by troops from the 2/43rd Infantry Battalion, who named them "Imperial", "Oriental", "Norfolk" and "Exchange", after Adelaide pubs.

Through the use of aerial reconnaissance evidence was found that the Japanese were using these tracks to traverse the area and to move supplies west towards Sattelberg. Observation posts were established and it became apparent to the Australians that one hill in particular, a feature later dubbed "Pabu" by the Australians after one of their native scouts, was the key terrain in the area.

Part of an area that later became known as "Horace the Horse" to the Australians due to its shape as viewed from the air, it was within artillery range of the Australian forward positions at North Hill and as such could be occupied and held by a small party who could then disrupt the Japanese supply line. In October, the Japanese had launched a counter-attack in the region and as the Australians had been forced back, they were forced to abandon Pabu.</sup>

^{above image: Kunai grass in New Guinea}

They spotted the kunai grass moving as the Japanese came into their line of fire. The agreed signal to attack would come when the Bren gun in the centre of the section fired. They waited as the moving kunai signalled the approach. When the enemy was about ten yards away, the Bren started, followed by the rest of the section. The sound in the grass was deafening as the remaining Japanese returned fire.

Suddenly, a streak of flame leapt towards the defenders, scorching some of the wet grass. Laurie had a grenade with the pin out in his hand. He let go of the handle, then counted to four and yelled, ‘Grenade,’ as he threw it at the source of the flamethrower. The explosion silenced the enemy. The Japanese withdrew through the kunai. Laurie heard the occasional burst from Owen guns as the Australians came across Japanese. They found five enemy bodies in the grass

The rest of the battalion moved into the North Hill area and completed the defences around Scarlet Beach with the rest of the 24^th Brigade. The Japanese counter attack had failed and now after the capture of Lae and Finschhafen the Australian’s objective was to capture Sattelburg and drive the Japanese completely from the Huon Peninsula.

^{the above is - in part - from the article titled   "Horace the Horse"  in Cheers magazine}

<sup>By the 19th October the PIB (Papuan Infantry Battalion) to Bonga returned to the Battalion Headquarters. They had reached the Imperial NMS, three boys then went into Bonga Village and saw 20 Japanese apparently recently arrived, dug in on the bank of the creek just north of Bonga.

Most of the 'action' around this time was confined to patrolling, that "patrolling has revealed the use by enemy of certain tracks on the high ground inland from Bonga some 1,500 yards. . . .The enemy may be withdrawing by this route, or may be supplying and reinforcing Sattelberg area from a point on the coast further north .

On 26th October a strong fighting patrol from the 2/43rd and the Papuan Battalion led by Sergeant Joy 3 found Pino Hill, Exchange and Oriental unoccupied . Near by a few Japanese who were foraging in a native garden were attacked, but the patrol itself was attacked from the rear by a band of Japanese . Next day a patrol about three miles up the
Song found a newly-occupied Japanese position. Four Papuans dressed as local natives reached a position overlooking Bonga and hid in the jungle .</sup>

according to the Battalion Diary:

On the 27th At 1920 hrs another member of the patrol approached 5 pl posn and was injured by exploding one of our booby traps. Sjt and three came into five pls posn at 0730 hrs 28th Oct, four of our patrol still missing.

^{The Battalion diarist wrote on 28th October:}

28th OCT at 0900hrs: a patrol was sent out to look for the FOUR MISSING MEN....route: via western edge of kunia (wild grass) to the vicinity of PINO HILL. (see map) Enemy still in occupation in this area. No sign of missing men found up to this point.

KIA I do believe that Ernest Lister Roberts was one of the four missing men and was killed between the Exchange Track and Pino Hill, they were attacked from the rear by a band of Japanese.

According to Army Records, he was MIA (missing in action) and later found to have been KIA (killed in action) on 27 October 1943.

Original burial site we believe to be at Finschafen War Cemetery. Later exhumed and now at peace in the Lae War Cemetery.

LAE WAR CEMETERY was commenced in 1944 by the Australian Army Graves Service and handed over to the Commission in 1947. It contains the graves of men who lost their lives during the New Guinea campaign whose graves were brought here from the temporary military cemeteries in areas where the fighting took place.

ROBERTS, Private, ERNEST LISTER, VX20637. A.I.F. 2/43 Bn. Australian Infantry. 27th October 1943. Age 29. Son of William George and Charlotte Elizabeth Roberts; husband of Beryl Millicent Roberts, of East Prahran, Victoria. AA. A. 13.

10 DEC 1943
Family were notified of his death and issued with the following "certificate of death"

The following memorial plaque is in the Baptist Church, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia.

Erected by his loving parents, brothers and sisters.

His parents:
William George ROBERTS [1870 - 1952]
Charlotte Elizabeth WALKEDEN [1872 - 1946]

His brothers:
Frederick William James ROBERTS [1900 - 1972]
Norman George ROBERTS [1902 - 1985]
Arthur Alexander ROBERTS [1910 - 1970]
Hector Malcolm ROBERTS [1912 - 1966]
Edward George WALKEDEN [1896 - 1973]

His sisters:
Isabel Mary ROBERTS [1905 - 1988]
Hilda May ROBERTS [1907 - 1998]
Gwendoline Minnie ROBERTS [1918 - 2001]

Ernie Roberts received the following:

The 1939/45 Star
The Africa Star
The Africa Star with 8th clasp
The Pacific Star
The Defence Medal
The War Medal
The ASM

all awards were posted on 30 July 1951 to:
Mrs Beryl Roberts
23 Banole Ave
East Prahran.

with grateful thanks to the Australian War Memorial and the Australian National Archives for the information they provide on their websites and for which I have used most images and data in the above blog post.

there are three blog posts on Ernie Roberts

part one

part two

part three

further URL's that maybe of interest:

• Jumping into History 
• The Bloody Ridges - Wau - Salamaua
• Markham Valley and Huon Peninsula 
• Battle of Sattleberg
  
• The 2/43rd Battalion
• The Capture of Lae
• Lae War Cemetery

the following image of the Red Poppy was taken by myself when visiting Turkey a couple of years ago, it seems appropriate to be placed here in memory of "Uncle Ernie".
 

Lest We Forget

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