MANJIMUP WW2 WAR MEMORIAL
The first European to settle in the Manjimup district was timber cutter Thomas Muir in 1856, followed by Charles Rose and Frank Hall in 1859.
Manjimup was part of the Warren road District formed 3 July 1908 and in June 1925 changed to Manjimup Road District.
Manjimup was declared a town in 1910 and the following year the railway from Perth arrived. The population increased greatly when Manjimup became part of the Group Settlement Scheme – WA Government Scheme which was never truly successful. The settlers known as ‘Groupies’ – immigrants were mostly from England daunted when they arrived by sub-standard housing – corrugated iron shacks which were freezing in winter and boiling in summer. By 1924, of the total of 3,399 who had arrived, 1,172 had given up and left.
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Manjimup is surrounded by huge stands of marri and jarrah timber.
There are two 2/4th Machine Gunner’s names included on the Manjimup WW2 Memorial.
Two young boys who migrated to Western Australia with their families and took up land under Government’s Group Settlement Scheme – enlisted as young men, fought together and died together 12 Feb 1942.
WX11584 CASE, William Cecil b 1915 London, England.
Enlisted AIF 9 Apr 1941, later joined 2/4th’s ‘C’ Company. He was KIA at Hill 200, Ulu Pandan 12 Feb 1942 His body was not recovered until 21 Dec 1942 when Japanese finally allowed 2/4th a search Party to look for our men. Many bodies were recovered and buried nearby. They were later moved to Kranji War Cemetery.
Bill Case came to WA in 1923 with his family from England. His parents William and Susan Case took up Group Settlement Farm 150 at Northcliffe. Later they moved to 100. Farming at Northcliffe proved to be especially challenging under this scheme. Bill was working at Manjimup for several years as a farmhand in the tobacco industry prior to enlisting. He was 27 years old when he died.
WX15829 RADBURN, Harold b 1919 Worcestershire, England enlisted AIF Aug 1941. He later joined 2/4th’s ‘A’ Coy, and like Case travelled with the Battalion to SA and NT for training before sailing for Singapore.
Harold came to WA with his family in 1923. They took up land with the Government Group Settlement Scheme at Manjimup.
Harold’s brother Ernest is recorded in the list below as well as Frank, sister Dorothy and father Charles. All returned home safely at the end of the war except Harold. Ernest Radburn who had recently married, tragically died 1946 in a motor cycle accident.
The Radburn family endured their share of tragedy, aside from the deaths of sons Ernie and Harold, their home burned down with everything they owned.
Familiar names of 2/4th Machine Gunners of the above list include:
WX6173. MORRIS, Owen (known affectionately as Romeo) returned home to Australia. Joined ‘B’ Coy 8 Platoon.
Five Morris sons enlisted: Owen, Frederick (b. England 1912), Norman Ernest, John and Leslie – the others were born Bridgetown. That would have been a lot of worrying and sleepless nights for the parents.
BORN IN MANJIMUP
WX10795 Hughes Ronald Edward (Ron) lost his life aged 24 years in the South China Sea when his Japanese transport ship was torpedoed by US submarines Sept 1944.
Ron Hughes was born 1920 at Manjimup to parents John Arthur and Jeanette Hughes.
The Hughes family left Manjimup – we know Hughes attended Como School.
