NUMBER:

VX48580

BATTALION / UNIT / SHIP:

2/14th Infantry Battalion

PLACE OF BIRTH:

Terang 14 July 1919. His family farmed at Ecklin South.

NEXT OF KIN:

Lily Anderson, his mother. 

DATE AND PLACE OF ENLISTMENT:

29 July 1940 at Caulfield

LOCATION ON ENLISTMENT:

Tarwin Meadows

OCCUPATION:

Farm labourer

DATE & PLACE OF DEATH:

28 November 1942 aged 23 at Gona in Papua New Guinea

LOCATION OF GRAVE/MEMORIAL:

He is buried in Port Moresby's Bomana War Cemetery in Papua New Guinea

RELATIONSHIP TO WOORAYL SHIRE:

He lived in, and was the son of dairy farmers Albert William and Lily Ann Anderson of Tarwin Lower 

MILITARY/OTHER HISTORY:

He was the foster brother of Robert Aitkin who was with the 2/23rd Battalion and died in the Middle East at Tobruk. After enlisting Stan trained in Victoria and travelled to Sydney where he embarked 

in the Aquitania on 18 October 1941.The 2/14th travelled via India to the Middle East 

where they trained in Palestine. In April 1942 they were moved to Tobruk and were relieved in late May. The 2/14th Battalion was then sent to Syria where they fought the Vichy French. The French had control of Syria and Lebanon after WW1 and after the defeat of France in 1940 a pro German government was in control of these countries. Between 7 June and 11July the battalion fought in Syria and eventually were part of the force that took control of the Syrian capital Damascus. The Australians then moved on to eventually take Beirut in Lebanon.   Next the battalion moved to the Western Desert of Egypt to fight the Germans. The Australian Government recalled their forces from the Middle East and the 2/14th returned via Bombay. The men were trained in jungle warfare in Australia before going to New Guinea to fight the Japanese. The Battalion suffered heavy losses at Kokoda in July before moving to Gona where Stan was killed in action.