Bernard Sydney Smailes

Bernard Sydney Smailes

Personal Information
Date of Birth	6 Mar 1920
Place of Birth	Perth, Western Australia
Death	22 Nov 1943
Place of Death	Pabu, near Finschafen, New Guinea
Age at Enlistment	20 years, 9 months
Occupation	Timber worker
Religion	Church of England
Address	Karragullen, Western Australia
Next of Kin	, Mrs Bernice Smailes
Military Information
Reg Number	WX9705
Date of Enlistment	6 Dec 1940
Rank	Corporal
Unit/Formation	2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion
Post War Details
Monument(s)	Karragullen
Australian War Memorial	Australian War Memorial
Medals	1939-45 Star Pacific Star Defence Medal War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45

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War Service

Bernard enlistd in the 2nd AIF on 6 Dec 1940 at the Claremont Showgrounds.

Bernard married Bernice Eileen HNbury on 22 Mar 1943.

Re-organised for jungle operations, the 2/32nd participated in the 9th Division's amphibious landing at Red Beach, north-west of Lae. While the division's other brigades had landed on 4 September, the 24th Brigade came ashore during the night of 5 September. The 2/28th and 2/43rd went into the fighting around Lae but the 2/32nd, which had been the divisional reserve, did not take part in the fighting until 14 September.

Following the fall of Lae, the 20th Brigade landed at Scarlet Beach, north of Finschhafen, on 22 September. On 11 October the 24th Brigade moved to Scarlet Beach and successfully defended the area when the Japanese counter-attacked later that month. By the end of the month the main Japanese offensive had withdrawn to Sattelberg but large numbers of troops were still north of Scarlet Beach on Pino Hill and at Nongora. Advancing along the coast the 2/28th captured Guiska and the 2/32nd, further inland, captured Pino and then Pabu on 20 November. Between 22 to 25 November the Japanese launched a series of unsuccessful attacks against Pabu. The 2/32nd held on - "an Australian island in a Japanese sea" - and suffered 25 men killed and 51 wounded. It counted 195 dead Japanese.

Bernard was one of those 25 men who lost their life defending the Japanese attack on Pabu.

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  Lae War Cemetery
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  Bernard's grave site