What an incredibly interesting read, and we haven't even got into the main body of the book yet.
I found it quite special to start with MAJGEN Eather reflecting on his time with the 2/33 Bn. The General speaks very highly of the 2/33 and especially that they were formed in England, whereas most other battalions had trained in Australia together. I always wondered what it must have been like for 'career men' that stayed on in the Army after the war and were transferred to other battalions. It would seem for MAJGEN Eather that there was always that bond with the men of the 2/33 Australian Infantry Battalion AIF.
As I prepare for Kokoda in September 2017, I was alarmed to read the comments of LTCOL Cotton. One such comment he refers to the "Owen Stanleys as being infinitely more severe than Gallipoli". This had been said to him by a very senior officer that had served in both campaigns. Absolutely fascinating to read about "an officer on first promotion must be posted to a unit other than that from which he had previously served". I had seen this happen in the mini-series 'Band of Brothers' where they promote a fantastic young (newly appointed) officer in order to get him out of the battalion as the war draws to an end. This account from LTCOL Cotton is particularly important to me because of what I read next.......
When reading the Introduction from Bill Crooks, a paragraph from P2 jumped out at me and I think I know who he is talking about...
In the Australian Army, as in all armies, the unit or sub-unit is only as good as the man who leads it. When ill-led, then failures - or disaster - must occur. Australian units from the Boer to World War II, although raised in war, for war, owe their organisation and principles of training for war to the Citizen Army or Militia, as it was called pre-1939, backed up by the few regular cadres that could be spared. Many of the 2/33 leaders, both officers and N.C.O.s had spent years in the Citizen Army prior to the war. These men, were the link with the traditions of the old A.I.F. of 1914-1918, having been trained by men who had served in that war. As time went by of course, there were less of these people. Some of the 2/33rd leaders, senior and junior, who joined as recruits and rose in rank to company commanders, adjutants, and in our case, one who has joined the Army as a private and later was to command the unit, although possessed of exceptional leadership qualities, and displayed outstanding qualities in action, learned the military arts from their training at schools and from the many pre-war citizen and regular officers and N.C.O.s who served in the battalion. This was the system that operated in the A.I.F., and when time permitted, no doubt was a successful system.
I believe this officer to be my grandfather, SX1662 Jack Balfour-Ogilvy. Jack enlisted in 1940 as a Private and rose to the ranks of Captain prior to the beach assault in Balikpapan. Jack fought in every campaign the 2/33 Australian Infantry Battalion took part in, one of only 5 officers in the battalion to do so.
Referring back to the previous comments of LTCOL Cotton that I have already mentioned were important to me, I cannot help but wonder how Jack's war would have differed if he was transferred out of the 2/33rd upon receiving his commission. Having never faced a war myself, thanks to soldiers such as the men of the 2/33rd, I can only imagine that staying within the same battalion for the duration of the war would somehow make it slightly more bearable.
Already from the Forward, Appreciation, Preface and Introduction, three powerful and prestigious names of the battalion are giving their first-hand knowledge, Eather, Cotton, Crooks. You know this is going to be a very powerful read!!
I will be incredibly interested to see what each of you have taken from your own readings and whether anyone has any questions? The reading club has now begun!
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