Notes
1: Gnr JG COWIE
The Regiment’s history, On Target, describes an incident at Tobruk: ‘A 155mm shell hit the edge of the dugout in which Gunner Ince and Scottish driver Jock Rodgers were lying and partly buried them. They were pulled out, covered in dust and blood, but not too badly injured. Gunner Jim Cowie who drove them through heavy shellfire to the Casualty Clearing Station was mentioned in despatches for his effort’ (p. 185).
Gnr Cowie is not listed as being Mention in Despatches (MID) in either the London Gazette nor the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, nor is it found at the Australian War Memorial’s awards database. We have not been able to find any other record of this award so assume that the On Target reference is incorrect. It is possible that Gr Cowie was recommended for the MID, but the recommendation was rejected by more senior officers.
COWIE, James Gordon, Gnr, VX33224, 8 Bty, killed in action at Tobruk 25 Sep 1941, just two days before the Battery was evacuated.
2: Maj JE PAGAN
The Australian War Memorial’s online Honours and Awards data base erroneously lists Maj John Ernest PAGAN NX12402 as a member of the 2/3 LAA Regt. He was actually the OC of the 2/3 LAA Bty, a sub-unit of the 2/1 LAA Regt, and was awarded an MBE for ‘Meritorious leadership at FINSCHHAFEN & SCARLET BCH.’
3: Capt TJ HARRIS
VX14643 Captain Thomas Jackson Harris was a member of 8 Battery of the 2/3rd LAA Regiment. He was transferred to the 2/4th LAA Regiment when it was raised in the Middle East in 1942. He was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for ‘Distinguished Service & devotion SCARLET BEACH’. This was a 9 Division landing in Sept. 1943 in which the 2/4th LAA Regiment played an important role.
4: GNR MA AMPT
VX25419 Gnr Maxwell Albert Ampt served in the Regiment, allocated to RHQ, from the unit’s inception in 1940 to its disbandment in July 1943. With many other RHQ men based in Western Australia, he was then transferred to the 109 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment for a short period, and then to the 102 Composite Anti-Aircraft Regiment (AIF). While serving in that unit he was awarded the Commander-in-Chief’s Card for gallantry, with the award authorised personally by Lt. Gen. H. Gordon Bennett, Commander, 3 Aust. Corps, on 13 Dec. 1943. The citation reads:
‘At Guilford West Australia 2 Oct 43 after Boomerang Aircraft A 46-22 had crashed and was burning fiercely Gnr. AMPT with the assistance of an unidentified person, dragged the body of the pilot the late Flight Sgt McDONALD from the burning aircraft, thereby exposing himself to a grave risk of being burnt and injured by exploding ammunition.’
(See https://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/wa25.htm)
Interestingly, the Card was mailed to Gnr Ampt’s wife, Elsie May Ampt, on 8 Feb. 1944, ‘for safe-keeping’. (One source states that only 1,400 C-in-C Cards were awarded, compared with 6,200 Mention in Despatches (MID).)