Category: 2nd 17th Infantry Battalion, Australian Army, World War II

Categories: Australian Army, World War II | Rats of Tobruk, World War II

Part of the Second Australian Imperial Force, the 2/17th Australian Infantry Battalion was formed on 26th April 1940 at Ingleburn army camp, south-west of Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia, as part of the 20th Brigade of the newly formed 7th Division. The 2/17th did its basic training at Ingleburn, before marching to Bathurst army camp for sub-unit field training. In October 1940 the brigade sailed from Sydney Harbour, transferring to the newly formed 9th Division whilst en route to Egypt, arriving in the Middle East in November. The battalion was a unit of the now-famous Rats of Tobruk, as well as seeing action at El Alamein, Lae and Finschhafen, New Guinea, and at Brunei, on the island of Borneo. The 2/17th returned to Australia on 19th December 1945 and was disbanded at Ingleburn camp on 8th February 1946. The battalion had four commanding officers during the war:

1940-41 John Wilson Crawford DSO (later Brigadier and KIA 7 Mar 1943)
1942-42 Maurice Alfred Fergusson MC DSO (later Brigadier)
1942-44 Noel William 'Red Fox' Simpson (later Major General)
1944-46 Lieutenant Colonel John Raymond Broadbent (later Major General)

The following honours and awards were earned by battalion members: 1 Victoria Cross (VC) - Corporal Jack Edmondson; 3 Companions of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO); 1 DSO and bar; 3 Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE); 1 Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE); 1 British Empire Medal (BEM); 11 Military Crosses (MC); 3 Distinguished Conduct Medals (DCM); 11 Military Medals (MM); 46 Mentioned in Despatches.

[hide person profiles]

Person Profiles (26)

B

Theodore Bade 02 Sep 1911 Petersham, New South Wales, Australia - 30 Sep 1993

William Bartlett 10 Apr 1914 Narromine, New South Wales, Australia - 28 Oct 1943

John Broadbent 24 Jun 1914 Manly, New South Wales, Australia - 27 Oct 2006

C

Neville Crane 17 May 1923 Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia - 25 Oct 1942

John Crawford 08 Jul 1899 Paddington, New South Wales (Australia) - 07 Mar 1943

Charles Cutler 20 Apr 1918 Forbes, New South Wales, Australia - 23 Sep 2006

E

John Edmondson 08 Oct 1914 Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia - 14 Apr 1941

Stanley Engel 17 Sep 1918 Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia - 25 Feb 2003

F

Maurice Fergusson 05 Dec 1895 Caulfield, Victoria, Australia - 27 Sep 1975

H

Frederick Harris 11 Jan 1913 Caulfield, Victoria, Australia - May 1962

I

Leslie Ings 02 Oct 1917 Binalong, New South Wales, Australia - 02 Oct 1996

K

Robert Knights 24 Jun 1912 Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia - 04 Aug 1975

L

Edgar Lutherborrow 24 May 1914 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

M

Dudley McCarthy 24 Jul 1911 North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia - 03 Oct 1987

O

James Ochiltree 02 Apr 1918 Armadale, Victoria, Australia - 03 Mar 1987

Q

Archibald Quinn 23 Oct 1918 Scone, New South Wales, Australia - 22 Sep 2017

Victor Quinn 17 Aug 1916 Scone, New South Wales, Australia - 06 Jun 2000

R

Edward Rowling 28 Sep 1916 Springwood, New South Wales, Australia - 11 Jan 1959

S

Noel Simpson 22 Feb 1907 Balmain, New South Wales, Australia - 18 Nov 1971

S cont.

James Soorley 18 Dec 1920 Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia - 23 Oct 1942

T

George Throsby 28 May 1904 Moss Vale, New South Wales, Australia - 04 May 1970

Clement Trowse 09 Jul 1923 Broadview, South Australia, Australia - 15 Oct 1981

V

Crawford Verran 12 Aug 1912 South Australia, Australia

W

David Williams 10 Jun 1923 Wellington, New Zealand - 12 Jul 2006

Henry Windeyer 31 Mar 1914 Hunter's Hill, New South Wales, Australia - 17 Oct 1941

Alan Wright 22 May 1913 Summer Hill, New South Wales, Australia

This page was last modified 07:17, 14 January 2024. This page has been accessed 21 times.