YORK ENLISTMENTS 2/4TH MACHINE GUN BATTALION
YORK ENLISTMENTS WW2 – 2/4TH MGB
Above: Memorial to the men of WW1
Below: The York men who died in WW2 – the honor board is hung in the Town Hall
WX16375 HUNT, JOHN ‘JACK’ WILLIAM b. York 1918 to William Thomas and Amy Hunt of York.
Jack was killed during an enemy artillery barrage at Buona Vista on 15 Feb 1942, the last day of a week’s fighting to save Singapore falling to Japan. Jack was 23 years old.
As an 18 year old he enlisted with 10th Light Horse Regiment before joining AIF.
Other Enlistments from York
WX3483 LT. BOYLE, KEVIN CHARLES b. York 1911 to Thomas William and Bertha Anne Boyle of York.
He enlisted AIF Dec 1940 joining 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion becoming CO to ‘C’ Coy 11 Platoon. Boyle was WIA at Ulu Pandan on 12 Feb 1941 while on reconnaissance of that area. It was here that 2/4th suffered heavy loss of lives and many wounded. Please read further. He was admitted to 2/13th AGH with bayonet wounds to right leg and arm. Discharged to unit 22 Feb 1942.
As a POW of the Japanese at Singapore Boyle left with the first work party to leave Singapore during 1942 of 3,000 men to work at the Burma end of the Railway. Sailing to the south west coast the POWs would first repair and enlarge three airfields left by the British.
He then joined Williams No. 1 Mobile Force working from Thailand to Nikhe area. When the rail was completed he was sent to recover at Tamarkan and Kanchanaburi Officer’s Group 7 from where he was recovered at the end of war.
The men above were enlisted with the 10th Light Horse Regiment, York.
It is quite possible Jesse Ovens from 2/4th has been included in the above list. The Ovens family resided in York until they sold their property in 1928.
