THE BOYS FROM GRASS PATCH (MALLEE)
& WW2 MEMORIAL
Memorial located on Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, Mallee Memorial Park, Grass Patch, 6446
Few Western Australian country towns or regions can claim to have a WW2 VC winner – however Grass Patch proudly has Tom Starcevich.
And what a hero Starcevich was
Small Plaque :
A Mallee tribute to Leslie Thomas Starcevitch,V.C.
`B` Company 2/43rd Australian Infantry Battalion.
2/4th soldiers who did not return include:
WX8376 SMITH, Robert (Bob) Leighton b Norseman 1908 to Thomas William and Sarah Jane Smith. KIA 11 February 1942 aged 33 years.
WX8731 SMITH, Thomas Ernest known as ‘Tom’ to the family and ‘Jerry’ by his mates in 2/4th mgb. Tom was b Norseman 1912 – brother to above Robert ‘Bob’ SMITH. Died Sandakan 11 Dec 1944 of Pulmonary Tuberculosis and beri beri aged 32 years.
Thomas Ernest born 1912 is younger brother to Robert (Bob) Leighton Smith WX8736 born 1908. The brothers enlisted 23 October 1940 and joined 2/4th’s ‘B’ Company, No. 8 Platoon.
Please read about Sandakan, North Borneo
2/4TH SOLDIERS FROM GRASS PATCH WHO RETURNED HOME:
WX8758 STARCEVICH Joseph Frederick b. Laverton 1915 to Joseph and Gertrude Starcevich. Taken POW Singapore 15 Feb 1942. Worked at POW Burma-Thailand Railway with ‘D’ Force Thailand Captain Fred Harris Party, then sailed to Japan to work with ‘Aramis’ Party. Sent to work at Omuta Camp. Please read further
Rescued from Omuta, Japan at the end of the war.
Also read about ‘Aramis’ Party
MEMBERS OF B COMPANY, 2/43RD INFANTRY BATTALION WHO HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM A PATROL IN THE AREA. PERSONNEL ARE: BACK ROW L – R: CORPORAL (CPL) J. M. BURT (MURRAY BRIDGE, SA); SX12481 CPL R. S. TEMPLE (ADELAIDE); VX108868 PRIVATE (PTE) J. R. MARR (HAMILTON, VIC); SX14834 PTE VERRALL (WILLUNGA, SA). FRONT ROW: CAPTAIN LANGFORD, OFFICER COMMANDING, B COMPANY; VX82337 PTE D. C. WASSELL (PRESTON, VIC); VX10749 PTE J. K. NEEDS (INGLEWOOD, VIC); QX28335 PTE F. MILLER (OAKEY, QLD); WX11519 PTE STARCEVICH (NORSEMAN, WA); VX136419 PTE S. J. BEGG.
Accession Number 114895 BEAUFORT, BORNEO. 1945-08-2
‘Tom Starcevich served with the 2/43rd Battalion in the North African campaign and was wounded in the thigh on 17 July 1942 at Ruin Ridge, Egypt during the First Battle of El Alamein. He also saw action the following year in the Huon Peninsula during the New Guinea campaign.
The 9th Division landed in Brunei Bay on 10 June 1945 with the 2/43rd Battalion landing at Labuan Island. Nine days later the battalion moved to the mainland and, on 28 June, during the capture of Beaufort, during fighting in North Borneo, the lead section of Starcevich’s company came under fire from two Japanese machine-gun positions and suffered casualties.[6] Starcevich, a Bren gunner, moved forward and assaulted each position in turn, killing five Japanese soldiers and causing the remainder of the machine guns’ crews to retreat. Later that day, when the company was again held up by two machine gun positions, Starcevich adopted similar tactics and single-handedly captured both positions, killing seven members of their crews. For his actions, Starcevich was awarded the Victoria Cross. The citation for the award was published in the London Gazette on 6 November 1945, reading:
For most conspicuous gallantry and extreme devotion to duty at Beaufort, North Borneo, 28th June, 1945.’
Above: Starcevich’s best mate Len ‘Spud’ Smith is younger brother to Bob Smith and Tom Smith of 2/4th who lost their lives.
Grass Patch Pioneer Memorial
The monument commemorates the pioneers of the Grass Patch District.
The town was named after a nearby farm of the same name that had been settled around 1896 and was renowned for bountiful crops and good grass. The townsite was proposed in 1910 when land in the area was being opened up, and as a watering spot for the planned Esperance to Norseman Railway, which was completed 15 years later. Although the area was already well known as “Grass Patch”, locals sought a more suitable name for the town when it was gazetted in 1923. Of the three nominated, “Warden” was chosen. However, objections were soon raised about this name and later the same year it was changed back to Grass Patch.
There’s no longer a team at Grass Patch but plenty of footy has been played in the little town 80km north of Esperance. In the 1920s Grass Patch was part of the Mallee Football Association with Dowak, Scaddan and Salmon Gums. At other times GP competed in the Esperance Football Association – in the early 1960s as part of a team called Mallee that was a combination of Grass Patch and Salmon Gums.