Macalister Adair Blain
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| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | unknown |
| Place of Birth | Inverell, New South Wales |
| Death | 28 Apr 1983 |
| Place of Death | unknown |
| Age at Enlistment | 21 years old |
| Description | none found |
| Occupation | chainman |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Address | NOK Maidenwell Post Office, Queensland |
| Next of Kin | Mother Mrs Katurah Anne Blain |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 2126 |
| Date of Enlistment | 13 Feb 1916 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit/Formation | 51st Battalion, 4th Reinforcement, transferred to 32nd Battalion / 13th Brigade, 4th Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 9 Aug 1916 - 25 Sep 1916 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A28 Miltiades |
| Date of Return | 6 Oct 1919 - 16 Nov 1919 |
| Ship Returned On | HMNZT Pakeha |
| Fate | Returned to Australia |
| Monument | Kelmscott |
| Medals |
British War Medal Victory Medal 1939-45 Star Pacific Star War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939045 |
Pre War
It is probable that he was living in Kelmscott while attending Perth Technical College.
WW1 War Service
WW1 records are filed with his WW2 records (NX56669) so no detail is yet available of his WW 1 war service.
389th Casualty List has Blain listed as ill.[1] Macalister is reported as returning on the "SS Pakeha".[2]
Post WW1
Returning from Europe, Blain worked as a surveyor in Northern Queensland before moving to the Northern Territory in 1929 to become the Darwin area surveyor. Blain's work took him throughout northern Australia, giving him the opportunity to gain a high profile, which he used at the 1934 Federal election, standing as an independent for the Division of Northern Territory.
WW2 War Service
After changing his year of birth to 1897,[3] Blain enrolled in the army during World War II and served as a Sergeant [NX56669] in the 2/12 Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers (8th Division) and was sent to Malaya.[4]
Captured by the Japanese following the fall of Singapore in 1942, Blain was a Prisoner of War, first in Singapore and later Borneo, until his release in September 1945.[5]
Blain remains the only serving member of the House of Representatives to have been a Prisoner of War.[6] Blain returned to Australia, and upon re-entering the House, wearing his uniform, was the subject of a standing ovation from his fellow members.[7] He was then ordered to return to hospital where he spent the next two months recovering before returning to parliament.[8]
While serving as a POW, Blain had been re-elected unopposed to his Northern Territory seat at the 1943 election,[9] and elected again in 1946 before losing his seat at the 1949 election.
- ↑ Western Mail Fri 3 May 1918
- ↑ The Daily News 7 November 1919
- ↑ Carment, D., Maynard, R. et al. (1990) Northern Territory Dictionary of Biography Vol. 1, Northern Territory University Press: Casuarina.
- ↑ World War II Nominal Roll, Accessed 2 April 2017.
- ↑ Lumb, M., Bennett, S. et al. (2007) Commonwealth Members of Parliament who have served in war, Research Brief, Australian Government Department of Parliamentary Services. 26 March 2007, no. 10, 2006–07
- ↑ Carment, D., Maynard, R. et al. (1990) Northern Territory Dictionary of Biography Vol. 1, Northern Territory University Press: Casuarina.
- ↑ Lumb, M., Bennett, S. et al. (2007) Commonwealth Members of Parliament who have served in war, Research Brief, Australian Government Department of Parliamentary Services. 26 March 2007, no. 10, 2006–07
- ↑ Kemp, R. & Stanton, M. (2004) Speaking for Australia: Parliamentary Speeches that Shaped Our Nation, Allen & Unwin: Sydney. ISBN 1-74114-430-2.
- ↑ 4. Lumb, M., Bennett, S. et al. (2007) Commonwealth Members of Parliament who have served in war, Research Brief, Australian Government Department of Parliamentary Services. 26 March 2007, no. 10, 2006–07