Edward Arthur Sewell

Edward Arthur Sewell

Personal Information
Date of Birth	15 May 1912
Place of Birth	Williams, Western Australia
Death	5 May 1980, aged 67
Place of Death	Willagee, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	28 years, 2 months
Occupation	Station hand
Religion	Church of England
Address	Armadale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Step Brother , Mr Charlie Mitchell
Military Information
Reg Number	WX4979
Date of Enlistment	23 Jul 1940
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	2/28th Australian Infantry Battalion
Military Movement
1st Departure from Australia
Journey Dates	10 Feb 1941 ‒ 22 Feb 1941
Transport Details	HMT Aquitania Fremantle to Bombay (Mumbai)
Transfers
Journey Dates	21 Apr 1941 ‒ 3 May 1941
Transport Details	unknown Bombay to Egypt
Return to Australia
Journey Dates	24 Jan 1943 ‒ 18 Feb 1943
Transport Details	HMT Queen Mary Port Tewfik to Fremantle
2nd Departure from Australia
Journey Dates	4 Aug 1943 ‒ 11 Aug 1943
Transport Details	USAT Van der Lijn Cairns to Milne Bay
Return to Australia
Journey Dates	19 Jan 1944 ‒ 28 Jan 1944
Transport Details	SS Van Heutsz Finschhafen, New Guinea to Townsville
3rd Departure from Australia
Journey Dates	23 Apr 1945 ‒ 1 May 1945
Transport Details	USS General J.H. McRae (AP - 149) Townsville to Morotai
Return to Australia
Journey Dates	28 Sep 1945 ‒ 16 Oct 1945
Transport Details	SS River Clarence Labuan, North Borneo to Brisbane
Post War Details
Fate	WIA 23 Jul 1942 Egypt Returned to Australia
Medals	1939-45 Star Africa Star Pacific Star War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45

Pre War

Electoral roll entries: 1943 Williams, station hand.

War Service

Edward enlisted at Claremont on 23 Jul 1940, and was sent to the Melville camp. On 1 Sep 1940 he was admitted to 110th Australian Base Hospital with influenza, before being released to resume training at Northam on 6 Nov 1940. On 19 Nov 1940 he was admitted to 38th Australian Camp Hospital until 30 Nov 1942. Edward was granted pre-embarkation leave from 21 - 30 Dec 1940, but still in training, on 6 Jan 1941 he was allocated to the 2nd reinforcement draft for the 2/16th Battalion, before being transferred to the 13th Australian Infantry Training Battalion on 14 January.

On 10 Feb 1941 Edward boarded HMT Aquitania for Egypt via Bombay in India. Unlike most, for whom Bombay was just a stop over, Edward disembarked on 22 Feb 1941 and was transferred to the Bombay (Mumbai) General Hospital. He was discharged from hospital on 1 Mar 1941, but on the 5th he was admitted to the British General Hospital at Poona (Pune) before being released on 24 Mar 1941 to the Colaba Reinforcement Camp (Mumbai) and held on the strength of AIF Details, India. On 21 Apr 1941 Edward embarked in Bombay for Egypt where he disembarked on 3 May 1941. On arrival he was sent to the 21st Australian Infantry Training Battalion, and then on 20 May 1941 he was taken on strength by the 2/16th Australian Infantry Battalion. On 28 Jun 1941 Edward was again hospitalised, this time in the 2/7th Australian General Hospital with nervous exhaustion. On 1 July he transferred back to the 21st Australian Infantry Training Battalion until 5 July when he rejoined the 2/16th Battalion. However on 26 Jul 1941 he was again sent to the 2/7th Australian General Hospital, which on 2 Aug 1941 transferred him to the 2/1st Australian Convalescent Depot to recover from bronchitis. On 18 Aug 1941 he was released back to the 21st Australian Infantry Training Battalion. On 12 Sep 1941 he transferred to the 2/1st Australian General Hospital who re-diagnosed his issue as Neurosis and held him until 6 Nov 1941 when he was released (records don't indicate where). On 18 Jan 1942 he was taken on strength by the AIF (ME) Reinforcement Depot for two days before joining the HQ AIF (ME) Base Area. On 2 May 1942 he was transferred to the 24th Australian Infantry Training Battalion who three days later transferred him to the 2/28th Australian Infantry Battalion.

On 23 Jul 1942 Edward was wounded in action, receiving a shell wound to his neck. It is likely that he received the wound on the 22nd during the battalion's abortive first attack on Ruin Ridge. On 25 Jul 1942 he was transferred to the 27th British General Hospital who on 30 July released him to the 2/1st Australian Convalescent Depot. On 20 Aug 1942 he was well enough to be sent to the Australian Infantry Training Battalion for 5 days before moving on to the AIF (ME) Staging Camp. On 28 Aug 1942 Edward was admitted to the 64th British General Hospital until 3 Sep 1942 when he was released to the 2/4th Australian Convalescent Depot. However, Edward was sent back to the 2/7th Australian General Hospital from 7 - 14 Sep 1942 before rejoining the 2/4th Australian Convalescent Depot. They, on 19 Sep 1942 sent him back to the 2/7th Australian General Hospital, which in turn passed him on to the 2/6th Australian General Hospital suffering with persistent headaches, relapsing fever and anxiety. On 20 Oct 1942 he was released to the 2/1st Australian Convalescent Depot and then on 12 Nov 1942 he was back with the 24th Australian Infantry Training Battalion. On 16 Dec 1942 Edward was admitted to the 2/6th Australian General Hospital with mumps and rheumatic pain. On 7 Jan 1943 he returned to the 2/28th Australian Infantry Battalion and with them he boarded HMT Queen Mary on 24 Jan 1943. On 18 Feb 1943 Edward disembarked in Fremantle and proceeded on leave.

On 7 Apr 1943 Edward was charged with having been AWOL from 8:30am on 3 Apr until noon on 5 Apr 1943. Admonished, he forfeited 3 days pay. On 16 Apr 1943 he entrained for South Australia where the battalion was gathering before moving to Queensland. From 2 - 10 Jun 1943 he was under the care of the 2/3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station, but on 4 Aug 1943 he was well enough to join his unit aboard the USAT Van der Lijn in Cairns for Milne Bay in New Guinea where they disembarked on 11 Aug 1943. On 20 Oct 1943 Edward was admitted to the 2/8th Australian Field Ambulance who passed him on the same day to the 2/3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station. He returned to his unit on 25 Oct 1943. On 27 Nov 1943 he was back with the 2/3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station and on 30 November they passed him to the 2/8th Australian Field Ambulance. On 6 Dec 1943 he was released to the 9th Division's Rest Camp, returning to the battalion on 8 Jan 1944. On 19 Jan 1944 the battalion boarded the SS Van Heutsz in Finschhafen for Townsville, disembarking on 28 Jan 1944. Soon after returning to WA on leave he married (23 Feb 1944) Doris Winifred Weston.

While in WA he was admitted to the Beverley Hospital on 24 Jun 1944, and on 27 June he was transferred to the 118th Australian General Hospital in Northam until 10 Jul 1944. On 21 Aug 1944 he was back with the 2/28th Battalion which was training in Queensland for a role in the recapture of Borneo. On 23 Apr 1945 they boarded the USS General J.H. McRae (AP - 149) in Townsville for Morotai, disembarking there on 1 May 1945. From there they embarked on USS LST 640 on 31 May 1945 for Labuan in British North Borneo. Edward was admitted to the 2/6th Australian General Hospital on 2 Sep 1945 until 12 Sep 1945 with acute Bronchitis. On 28 Sep 1945 in Labuan he boarded SS River Clarence for Brisbane where he disembarked on 16 Oct 1945 and was transferred back to Western Australia where he was transferred to the Western Command Recruit Reception & General Details Depot for discharge which took place on 2 Nov 1945.

Post War

Doris Winifred Weston was born on 30 Nov 1911 and died on 9 Aug 2005, aged 94 in Willagee. On discharge it is recorded that he had 1 child under 16. Electoral Roll entries: 1949 Kojonup, farmer with Doris; 1954 Woodanilling, farmer; 1958 Willyung road King River, farmer; 1963 'Mount Pleasant', East Pingelly, farmer; 1968 'Hillview' Brookton, farmer; 1972 at 12 Cudliss street Eaton, retired; 1977 at 109 Currie street Warnbro.