John Peter Lewis Rymer

John Peter Lewis Rymer

Personal Information
Date of Birth	9 May 1920
Place of Birth	Cue, Western Australia
Death	14 Mar 2001
Place of Death	City Beach, Western Australia
Address	Byford, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father , Mr John Rymer
Military Information
Reg Number	W6621
Date of Enlistment	19 Jul 1940
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	2/28th Australian Infantry Battalion
Return to Australia
Journey Dates	24 Jan 1943 ‒ 18 Feb 1943
Transport Details	HMT L1 Queen Mary Port Tewfik to Fremantle via Massawa & the Maldive Islands
Post War Details
Fate	Wounded in action 27 Jul 1942 Ruin Ridge Libya Returned to Australia

War Service

Enlisted at the Claremont camp

The 2/28th reached the Alamein front on 10 July and the division attacked a week later. Just after midnight on 27 July, the 2/28th attacked Ruin Ridge and by 1:00 am they were on the feature. But things were starting to go wrong: the Germans were attacking the Australians from rear positions; three company commanders were wounded; and many of the vehicles that should have brought forward ammunition were destroyed or damaged. Increasingly cut off, an attempt by British tanks to relieve the battalion was abandoned after 22 vehicles were destroyed. Shortly before 10:00am enemy tanks began moving in on the Australians from three directions. 'A' company was overrun and the battalion's commander had little choice but to surrender. John was one of those who survived. Because of his injury he had been evacuated from the battle field ahead of the circumstances that saw more than 500 of his comrades taken prisoner.

Prior to leaving Egypt for Australia, John on a whim decided to visit the battlefield. He had participated in the ill fated attack on Ruin Ridge on the night of 26/27 Jul 1942 as a crew member of a carrier that had been blown up on 27 Jul 1942 while trying to take out an anti tank gun that was holding up their advance. John borrowed a motor cycle and sought to visit the site and came away affected by the silence and the array of skeletons strewn around the battlefield.

On arrival back in Australia the 2/28th Battalion was housed in the Melville Camp and the men granted 3 weeks leave before they proceeded by train to Adelaide in March 1943. After a long delay in Adelaide the battalion moved to the Atherton Tablelands in north Queensland. As the battalion was preparing for jungle service its carrier crew would no longer be needed, and many, including John left to join other units.

Discharged on 10 Oct 1944

Post War

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