Jack North
From Our Contribution
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| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 25 Dec 1917 |
| Place of Birth | Mornington Mills, Western Australia |
| Death | 31 Dec 1942 |
| Place of Death | Tamworth, New South Wales |
| Age at Enlistment | 22 years, 11 mopnths |
| Description | 5'7" (1.70m) tall ; ; brown eyes ; brown hair ; birthmark on left arm |
| Occupation | Wood Cutter |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Byford, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr. Benjamin Coleman North |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | WX9664 |
| Date of Enlistment | 6 Dec 1940 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation | 2/16th Australian Infantry Battalion |
| Military Movement | |
| 1st Departure from Australia | |
| Journey Dates | 9 Jul 1941 ‒ 25 Jul 1941 |
| Transport Details | HMT Aquitania Fremantle to Port Tewfik, Egypt |
| Return to Australia | |
| Journey Dates | 29 Jan 1942 ‒ 5 Feb 1942 |
| Transport Details | SS Île de France Port Tewfik to Bombay |
| Journey Dates | 12 Feb 1942 ‒ 25 Mar 1942 |
| Transport Details | SS Kosciusko Bombay to Port Adelaide |
| 2nd Departure from Australia | |
| Journey Dates | 6 Aug 1942 ‒ 13 Aug 1942 |
| Transport Details | SS James Fenimore Cooper Brisbane to Port Moresby |
| Post War Details | |
| Fate | Died of Illness (Typhus) |
| Monument(s) |
Armadale War Memorial ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford) Byford WW2 Honour Roll WA State War Memorial |
| Australian War Memorial | Australian War Memorial |
| Medals |
1939-45 Star Pacific Star War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45 |
Pre War
War Service
Jack enlisted at Claremont and was initially sent to the Training Depot at Naval Base, before he was transferred to the No 1 Training Battalion at Northam on 21 Jan 1941. On 12 Feb 1941 he transferred to the 13th Australian Infantry Training Battalion, remaining with them until 24 Apr 1941 when he was granted pre-embarkation leave until 30 April. On 9 Jul 1941 Jack sailed from Fremantle aboard HMT Aquitania for Colombo in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) enroute to Port Tewfik where the troops disembarked on 25 Jul 1941.
Jack was sent to the 21st Australian Infantry Training Battalion to complete his training. On 1 Sep 1941 he was admitted to the 2/1st Australian General Hospital with Rubella, but was back with the training battalion on 4 Sep 1941. On 17 Sep 1941 Jack was posted to the 2/16th Australian Infantry Battalion. The battalion embarked on SS Île de France in Port Tewfik for Bombay on 29 Jan 1942, arriving there on 5 Feb 1943. After a period in barracks, they boarded SS Kosciusko in Bombay for Java. However, the rapid Japanese advance in Malaya caused them to ionstead be rerouted to Adelaide via Fremantle. Jack disembarked in Adelaide on 25 Mar 1942. Following leave the battalion re-assembled in Adelaide and then moved to Brisbane, where on 6 Aug 1942 they were rushed to New Guinea to join the forces on the kakoda Track resisting the Japanese advance. The battalion embarked on SS James Fenimore Cooper in Brisbane on 6 Aug 1942 and disembarked in Port Moresby on 13 Aug 1942 and within a very brief time they were in action.
On 5 Sep 1942 Jack was evacuated to the 46th Australian Camp Hospital at Kings Hollow for treatment for an infection. On 9 Sep 1942 he was transferred to the 113th Australian Convalescent Depot before rejoining his unit on 24 Sep 1942. On 13 Dec 1942 Jack was evacuated to the 2/9th Australian General Hospital to be treated for Tinea on his feet. On 17 Dec 1942 he was placed on AHS Manunda which carried him back to Brisbane where he was placed on the 2nd Australian Ambulance Train for the 102nd Australian General Hospital near Tamworth. Diagnosd as suffering with Scrub Typhus he was described as being dangewrously ill on 24 Dec 1942. Jack died from Typhus on 28 Dec 1942 and was buried in the Tamworth War Cemetery on 2 Jan 1943.
Notes
Jack is listed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as buried in the Tamworth War Cemetery. An Ancestry unsourced entry gives his place of death as Tamworth, New South Wales, but Death notices in the West Australian indicate that he died of illness in New Guinea. While his unit was in New Guinea at the time of his death, it would appear that he was evacuated to Australia to the (102nd Australian General Hospital) Tamworth, where he died of illness. He is buried in the Tamworth Cemetery Plot H, Row A, Grave No. 4.