Richard Beauchamp Digby (1912 - 1992)

Ancestors

Biography

Richard Beauchamp Digby was born on 14th January 1912 in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia. He was the eldest child of William Digby and Agnes Conlin. ^[1] Younger siblings were born at Dora Creek (1914), Sydney (1916) and Kiama (1918), New South Wales.

Richard married Ethel McGeorge in 1936 in Sydney's eastern suburbs, New South Wales. ^[2] The couple had at least one child, daughter Janice. ^[3]

After graduating from Royal Military College, Duntroon, Richard was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Commonwealth Military Force. On 23rd October 1939 he transferred his commission to the Second Australian Imperial Force, his nation's all-volunteer expeditionary force for the recently declared Second World War. He was allocated to the 2/1st Infantry Battalion as Mortars Platoon commander. ^[4] In this role he took part in the successful attacks on Bardia and Tobruk in January 1941 and in the disastrous defence of Greece and Crete in April-May that year. As the 6th Division was part of the New Zealand and Australian Corps during the latter campaign, Richard is a true-blue ANZAC. ^[5]

He became a prisoner-of-war in the Greek Campaign and was subsequently held in Offizerlager (Oflag) X-C at Lübeck, Northern Germany, Oflag VI-B at Dössel, Germany, and Oflag IX-A/H in Spangenberg Castle, Hesse. ^[6] After repatriation to Australia he continued to serve, being demobilised on 17th December 1946. For his war service he was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, Africa Star, War Medal 1939-1945 and Australia Service Medal 1939-1945.

Aged eighty years, Richard passed away in 1992 in New South Wales. ^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #10787/1912; registered at Walgett
2. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #20275/1936; registered at Randwick
3. ↑ unsubstantiated family records
4. ↑ Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: NX72 Captain Richard Beauchamp Digby; accessed 26 May 2021
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial unit record: 2/1st Infantry Battalion; accessed 15 Jan 2024
6. ↑ POW Memorial Ballarat; accessed 14 Jan 2022
7. ↑ New South Wales Death Index #100951/1992

See also

• Givney, Edwyn. The First at War: The Story of the 2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion 1939-45 The City of Sydney Regiment. The Association of First Infantry Battalions. Earlwood, 1987. ISBN 1 86252 965 5.
• Smith, Graham J. The Making of Warriors. Rosenberg, Dural, 2020. ISBN 978 0 6484466 6 8.