Clarence Malarkey

Clarence Malarkey

Personal Information
Date of Birth	7 Jul 1906
Place of Birth	Pingelly, Western Australia
Death	4 Sep 1984
Age at Enlistment	23 years, 9 months
Description	; blue eyes ; dark hair
Occupation	Farm hand
Religion	Roman Catholic
Address	PO Byford, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father , Mr Henry Malarkey
Military Information
Date of Enlistment	24 Apr 1940

War Service

Enlisted on 20 Apr 1940 after having health issues attended to and was sent to the Northam camp for training. He was granted pre-embarkation leave from 9 - 22 Jun 1940 and on 9 Sep 1940 he was drafted to the 4th reinforcements for the 2/11 Battalion. A week later he was transferred to the 2/16 Battalion at Northam, and was granted a second Pre-embarkation leave from 26 Sep to 3 Oct 1940.

On 25 Oct 1940 he embarked on the HMT Aquitania for the middle East, disembarking in Bombay, India on 4 Nov 1940. Transported to camps, they remained ashore for up to 5 days before boarding much smaller ships for Kantara in Egypt. The records for all members of the 2/16 Battalion only record embarkation and disembarkation, no names of ships are provided, nor mention of their transfer in Bombay. On 25 Nov 1940 they arrived at Kantara on one of the following four steamers: Christian Huygens, Lancashire, Dilwarra and Rhona.<ref. Across the Sea to War, Peter Plowman, Rosenberg, 2003 pp 155-160</ref>

On 14 Jun 1941 Clarence was admitted to [[1st Australian General Hospital] with Anxiety Neurosis and on 29 Jun 1941 he was transferred to the 21st Australian training Battalion, returning to 2/16 battalion on 14 Jul 1941. On 6 Dec 1941 he was detached to the 2/3 Machine Gun Battalion until 10 Jan 1942 when he returned to his battalion. On 30 Jan 1942 he embarked on SS Île de France which was a part of the Operation Pamphlet Convoy. On the way home records show that men were transhipped in Bombay. However an authoritive source "Across the Sea to War" by Peter Plowman describes the convoy as sailing well to the south of India to the Addu Atoll, the southernmost of the Maldive Islands, known as Port T, a secret port not known to the Japanese. It would have been here that Francis and his colleagues transferred on 11 Feb 1942 to the SS Kosciusko which disembarked in Adelaide on 23 Mar 1942.

Given the rapid advances achieved by the Japanese Army in South east Asia and through the Pacific, the battalion was hurriedly relocated to Queensland and on 6 Aug 1942 they boarded [[ ]] for Port Moresby, arriving there on 13 Aug 1942. On arrival in PPNG they were sent to the Kokoda track to reinforce two Militia Battalions which were at that time being forced back towards Port Moresby. On 11 Oct 1942 Clarence was evacuated to the 2/2 Australian Casualty Clearing Station with Asthma, returning to the battalion on 16 Oct 1942. Eight days later he was sent to the 46th Camp Hospital, again with asthma, and on 12 Nov 1942 he was sent to the 1st Australian Corps Reception Camp before returning to the battalion again on 7 Dec 1942.

On 12 Jan 1943 Clarence boarded the SS Cleveland Abbe

Post War

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