WAR SERVICE (1940-1945) OF WILLIAM GEORGE EAST QX10337 George East (who was often known by the nickname "Kitch," an abbreviation of Kitchener) enlisted at Toowoomba on 30th June 1940. He volunteered for overseas service in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force and was posted to Redbank Camp (near Ipswich) for training. The New Recruit, 1940
Before the war, George had driven a truck for his father's drapery business in Helidon, so he was assigned as a driver to the 1st Australian Corps Troops Supply Column, C Section. This photo of his unit was taken at Redbank in October 1940. He is in the second row from the back, sixth from the right. His lifelong friend, Mick Gillespie, is in the row in front of him, slightly to the left. Keith Eason and Ken Sullivan are in front of George and just to the right. Football team, Redbank Camp, 1940 George (as captain) is in the front row, holding the ball.
In November 1940, George made a visit to his family in Helidon on pre-embarkation leave. Les, James, Frazer, Annie (holding Max), Jack, George Outside the East home, 23 Station Street, Helidon On Boxing Day 1940, his unit left Redbank to travel by train to Sydney. On the following day they embarked on the Cunard liner the Queen Mary, which had been converted to serve as a troop carrier for the duration of the war. The Queen Mary in 1945 They sailed via Ceylon (Sri Lanka), where they transferred to the Rajula, which took them to El Kantara, a port on the Suez Canal in Egypt, where they disembarked on 2nd February 1941. They were then taken to the military camp at Hill 69, near Gaza, in what was then the British mandated territory of Palestine. Soon after arrival, George and some of the other members of his section were posted to Ikingi Maryut, west of Alexandria. Here they were involved in convoy work in the western desert of Egypt and along the coastal road into Libya, as far as Tobruk.
Café, Tel Aviv, March 1941 (George is on the right) George was one of a group of about fifty men from his unit who embarked at Alexandria on 4th April 1941 to take part in the disastrous campaign in Greece. The Allied troops were soon overwhelmed by the superior airpower of the German forces, and they were in complete disarray when the command to retreat was given. George joined a group under the leadership of a Scottish captain, and they made their way down to the coast. There they were able to escape by swimming out to a British vessel, which took them to the island of Crete. This photo shows George (on the right) and other members of his unit on Crete after the evacuation of Greece. His note on the back of the photo says "with all our worldly possessions." Like most other drivers and support staff, George was stationed at Suda Bay, on the north side of Crete, which was the site of the Allied military headquarters. Crete was another military disaster. The German invasion began on 20th May 1941. The German troops quickly gained control of the crucial airfield at Maleme, west of Suda Bay, and also landed paratroopers near Suda Bay. A Greek officer described Suda Bay on 23rd May as "a melancholy sight," with many ships disabled by German bombers. Antony Beevor, in his history of the campaign on Crete, records that the support troops based at Suda Bay suffered from "continual bombing without an esprit de corps to sustain them or the capacity to strike back." Their nerves were badly strained, morale was low, and discipline was breaking down.
British ships under attack at Suda Bay, May 1941 British merchant ships were still arriving at Suda Bay, bringing supplies. It was decided to evacuate the support troops on these ships. About 25th May, George was embarked on one of the very last ships to leave Suda Bay before the Germans arrived. The ship was being bombed by German Stukas, but the captain delayed sailing because retreating troops were still coming down to the harbour. The demoralised troops on the ship became increasingly impatient for departure and the captain realised that a mutiny was imminent. As the vessel was a merchant ship, the captain had no troops at his disposal. Most of the evacuees had abandoned their weapons, but the captain was able to find a few, like George, who still had their rifles and bandoliers. He lined them up on the bridge and told them to shoot anyone who attempted to enter. When the mutiny finally broke out, George was forced to fire upon Australian and other Allied troops to suppress the mutiny. As he later said, "it was me or them." It was an incident that haunted him for the rest of his life.
The ship eventually departed safely and made its way to Alexandria. During the campaigns in Greece and Crete, ten men in George's unit were killed in action and twenty were taken prisoner of war. Some of the survivors are shown in the preceding photo, reading mail from home. (George is in the middle, in a sleeveless jumper.) George returned to the camp at Hill 69 near Gaza, and was based there for much of the rest of 1941. He seems to have been involved in extensive transport work, not only in Palestine, but also west across the Sinai Desert into Egypt, and east across the Jordan River. It was a peaceful interlude, with plenty of opportunities for sightseeing. And the local Jewish women were well disposed towards Allied soldiers. On the Tel Aviv to Haifa Road (George second from left) In Jerusalem (George on far right)
At Mount Carmel, September 1941 The photo below shows George (on the right) in Bedouin costume at Beersheba, site of a famous Australian victory during the First World War. Mick Gillespie is in the middle. On the left is another good friend of George's, Ken Sullivan. Sullivan's brother, Vic, was a Queensland cabinet minister and presented the McDonnell Medal to George's daughter in 1969. At the Sphinx George is second from the right. On the far left is his good friend, Keith Eason. At the Dead Sea George is in the centre at the back
Cairo, Christmas 1941 George has a black eye after a "stoush" the previous night. When the Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin, defied the British prime minister, Winston Churchill, and recalled Australian troops for the defence of Australia, George was among those to return. His unit embarked on the Empire Pintail on 16th February 1942 and disembarked in Australia on 22nd March. The following photo shows him on leave in Adelaide shortly after returning to Australia. Keith Eason is on the left.
For the following year George's unit was engaged in transport duties around Brisbane, which was now the command centre for the Allied campaign in the Pacific. He received a temporary promotion to corporal in October 1942, and that rank was confirmed in February 1943. In early 1943 his unit was restructured as the 2/34th Australian General Transport Company. In July 1943 George and his unit were posted to New Guinea. They departed Brisbane on 16th July on the Henry T. Allen, and reached Port Moresby four days later. A week later they left Port Moresby to be transported up the Lakekamu River by barge to Bulldog, from where they were engaged across the Owen Stanley Range to Wau. In February 1944 George suffered a severe facial wound, which was successfully treated at the military hospital in Port Moresby. In June 1944 George was repatriated to Australia, departing Lae on 23rd June on the Taroona, and reaching Townsville four days later. By this time there was considerable political pressure for the repatriation of long-serving servicemen, and George spent the remainder of the war engaged in training and garrison duties on the Atherton Tableland and elsewhere in North Queensland. He was demobilised on 13th September 1945. On leave in Helidon
Photo sent by Annie East to George when overseas, with a message on the back
George East was awarded the following medals as a result of his active service and his involvement in specific campaigns. Africa Star Pacific Star 1939-1945 Star Australia Service Medal 1939-1945 War Medal 1939-1945 Defence Medal
Greek War Medal, 1940-41 (awarded by the Greek Government)