Harold Canton (1911)

Born 5 Jun 1911 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Biography

Harold George Canton was born on 5th June 1911 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. He was the son of Harold Canton. ^[1]

Harold Canton is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Second Australian Imperial Force 1940-1945
2/43rd Australian Infantry Battalion

On 19th June 1940 Harold enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force, his nation's volunteer overseas expeditionary force for the fast-escalating Second World War. ^[2] With the 2/43rd Battalion he would see action in the defence of Tobruk (the famous Rats of Tobruk) and El Alamein, Libya, and at Papua, New Guinea (then two separate Australian territories) and Borneo in the South West Pacific theatre.

The 2/43rd Infantry Battalion was formed on 17th July 1940 at Woodside camp, near Adelaide in South Australia. The battalion was initially raised as part of the 8th Division's 24th Brigade, but was transferred to the newly-formed 9th Division in December. The 2/43rd left South Australia at the end of December. Joining the brigade in Melbourne they embarked for the Middle East, arriving in Suez, Egypt in late January 1941. ^[3]

In March the 9th Division was brought to Libya, to garrison the area east of Tobruk; replacing the 6th Division (having pushed the Germans and Italians west as far as El Agheila) which was re-deployed to the disastrous Greece-Crete Campaign. In April the German Afrika Korps, led an Axis counter-attack. The 9th Division, together with the 7th Division's 18th Brigade, moved into Tobruk and defended the 'fortress' for the next six months; participating in the usual pattern of defensive duties, manning parts of the Red Line (a series of concrete pillboxes forming a semi-circle around Tobruk as the town's outer line of defence), working on the Blue Line (the town's inner line of defence), and aggressively patrolling 'no man's land'. They were to become known as the 'Rats of Tobruk'. ^[3]

The 2/43rd evacuated Tobruk by sea in the early hours of 17th October and sailed to Alexandria, from where it was transferred to Palestine and later moved to Syria and Lebanon for rest, training, and garrison duties. In July 1942 the 9th Division was rushed to El Alamein in Egypt, only about 110 kilometres (70 miles) from Alexandra, whereupon its units held the northern sector for almost four months. Alamein was a great, although bloody, success for the Allies, with the 2/43rd alone losing 100 men in a single day on 1st November. In December the 2/43rd went to Gaza and, in January 1943, left for the Suez Canal and boarded troopships to Australia. The battalion reached Sydney on 27th February. ^[3]

Re-organised for jungle operations, the 2/43rd participated in the 9th Division amphibious landing at Red Beach, north-west of Lae, during the night of 5th September 1943. The 2/43rd reached the Butibum River on the outskirts of Lae on 16th September during eleven days described as 'the battalion's most difficult, with the men crossing rivers, drenched with rain and sweat, and hacking their way through jungle and swamp'. The battalion moved to Scarlet Beach in the early hours of 30th September and successfully defended the area against Japanese counter-attack. Although the battalions of the brigade were seriously depleted by illness, they continued inland and to Christmas Hill by 10th December. The 2/43rd was relieved shortly afterwards and spent Christmas at a rest area near Scarlet Beach, returning to Australia at the end of January 1944. After some leave, the 2/43rd reformed at Ravenshoe on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland, for what proved to be an extensive period of training. ^[3]

Harold was demobilised on 26th January 1945, having completed four years seven months in the service of his country. He had attained the junior non-commissioned rank of Corporal. ^[2] For his war service Allan was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, Africa Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945 and Australia Service Medal 1939-1945.

Sources

1. ↑ South Australia Birth Index #866/148 1911; both father and son are listed as Harrold
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: SX5775 Corporal Harold Canton; accessed 18 Sep 2022
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Australian War Memorial unit record: 2/43rd Australian Infantry Battalion; accessed 17 Sep 2022