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
Age at Enlistment	20 years, 1 month
Description	5'7½" (1.71m) tall ; 160lbs 72.575 kg ; fair complexion ; blue eyes ; red hair
Occupation	Farmer
Religion	Church of England
Address	"Nanooma", Byford, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father , Mr John Bertram Rymer
Military Information
Reg Number	WX6621
Date of Enlistment	19 Jul 1940
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	2/28th Australian Infantry Battalion
Military Movement
1st Departure from Australia
Journey Dates	3 Jan 1940 ‒ 12 Jan 1940
Transport Details	HMT Aquitania Fremantle to Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
Transfers
Journey Dates	14 Jan 1941 ‒ 2 Feb 1942
Transport Details	HMT Nieuw Zeeland Colombo to El Kantara, Egypt
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
2nd Departure from Australia
Journey Dates	31 Jul 1943 ‒ 4 Aug 1943
Transport Details	SS William Ellery Channing Cairns to Milne Bay
Return to Australia
Journey Dates	19 Jan 1944 ‒ 28 Jan 1944
Transport Details	SS Van Heutsz Finschhafen to Townsville
Post War Details
Fate	Wounded in action 27 Jul 1942 Ruin Ridge Libya Returned to Australia
Medals	1939-45 Star Africa Star Pacific Star War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45

Pre War

John had joined the milita on 17 Jul 1938, serving with the 10th Light Horse Regiment.

War Service

John enlisted at the Claremont camp on 19 Jul 1940 and was sent to the Melville Training Depot on 26 Jul 1940. On 15 Aug 1940 he was posted to the 2/28th Australian Infantry Battalion forming at Northam. From 27 Nov - 5 Dec 1940 he was granted pre-embarkation leave before departing Fremantle with the battalion aboard HMT Aquitania on 3 Jan 1940. They disembarked in Colombo on 12 Jan 1941 and on 14 Jan 1941 they embarked aboard HMT Nieuw Zeeland for El Kantara in Egypt where they disembarked on 2 Feb 1941. The battalion moved to Khassa in Palestine to undertake training. On 11 Dec 1941 John was admitted to the 2/1st Australian General Hospital with Appendicitis, transferring to the 2/1st Australian Convalescent Depot on 28 Dec 1941. On 11 Jan 1942 John was admitted to the 2/7th Australian General Hospital with a Patellar Abscess. John was released to the 2/1st Australian Convalescent Depot on 20 Jan 1942 and then to the 24th Australian Infantry Training Battalion on 26 Jan 1942 where he rebuilt his strength before rejoining the 2/28th Battalion on 21 Feb 1942.

The 2/28th reached the Alamein front on 10 Jul 1942 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> He had sustained a GSW wound to his right forearm early in the battle, and had been evacuated from the battle field ahead of the circumstances that saw more than 500 of his comrades taken prisoner. On 28 Jul 1942 John was admitted to the 2nd British General Hospital and on 6 Aug 1942 he was transferred to the 2/6th Australian General Hospital who cared for him until he was released to the 2/1st Australian Convalescent Depot on 30 Aug 1942. John returned to the 2/6th Australian General Hospital on 3 Oct 1942, returning to the 24th Australian Infantry Training Battalion on 13 Oct 1942. On 24 Oct 1942 John was transferred to the AIF (ME) Staging Camp to await a ship.

Prior to leaving Egypt for Australia, John on a whim decided to visit the battlefield where he had participated in the ill fated attack on Ruin Ridge on the night of 26/27 Jul 1942. He had been 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.

Departing Egypt on 24 Jan 1942 John arrived back in Australia aboard HMT Queen Mary also known as HMT L1 on 18 Feb 1943. The 2/28th Battalion was housed in the Melville Camp and the men granted three weeks leave before they proceeded by train to Adelaide. John entrained on 13 Apr 1943 in March 1943, an 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.

On 24 May 1943 John joined the 2/7th Australian Field Company as a Trade Group III Driver/Mechanic and on 31 Jul 1943 John's new unit embarked on SS William Ellery Channing in Cairns and sailed the following morning for Milne Bay, arriving on 4 Aug 1943. On 20 Sep 1943 John was admitted tothe 2/5th Australian General Hospital with an infected finger, returning to his unit on 25 Oct 1943. On 8 Nov 1943 he rejoined the 2/28th Australian Infantry Battalion. On 19 Jan 1944 John embarked on SS Van Heutsz in Finschhafen for Townsville where he disembarked on 28 Jan 1944 and proceeded on 24 days leave.

On 6 Apr 1944 John was admitted to the 2/1st Casualty Clearing Station with Malaria, transferring the next day to the 2/6th Australian General Hospital. On 17 Apr 1944 he returned to duty with the battalion. Another bour of Malaria saw him hospitalised between 7 and 28 Jul 1944, and again on 4 Aug 1944 he was again admitted to the 2/1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station with Malaria. Next day he was moved to the 2/2nd Australian General Hospital before returning to the battalion on 16 Aug 1944. John was transferred to the Western Command Recruit Reception & General Details Depot for discharge proceedings on 21 Sep 1944, and this occurred on 10 Oct 1944.