Jack Ellis (1912 - 1979)

Ancestors

Biography

Jack Ellis was born on 11th May 1912 at Ararat, Victoria, Australia. He was a son of Edgar Ellis and Eleanor Johnson.^[1] The family moved to New South Wales to live.

He married Elizabeth Smith on 24th December 1939 at Canterbury, New South Wales.^[2]

On 4th November 1939, Jack enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force for service overseas during the Second World War.^[3] He was allocated to the 2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion, with whom he embarked for the Middle East in January 1940. He saw action in North Africa at Bardia, Tobruk in January 1941 against the Italians before the division was re-deployed to Greece. There the Australians fought valiantly against far greater numbers and more advanced weaponry, falling back to Crete when the Greek government surrendered.^[4] On Crete during May 1941, they met the might of German paratroopers and once more were defeated. Jack, now a Corporal, was severely wounded by a sniper; a bullet passing through his knee and then shattered his right hand. In a German field hospital half his hand was amputated.^[5]

Together with thousands of his compatriots (there had been insufficient transport ships to evacuate everybody), Jack was now a prisoner of war of the Germans. When he was well enough to travel he was shipped to Stalag VIIIB at Dusseldorf, Germany.^[4]

Several Australians who obviously would not again particiapte in battle, like Jack, were repatriated home in December 1943. Following further surgery and rehabilitation, Jack was discharged from the AIF on 12th April 1944. Jack and Betty made their way to Beaudesert, in south east Queensland's Scenic Rim region, where his parents had moved in 1938. There they settled.^[4]

Jack built a house in Tubber Street, Beaudesert that became known as 'the House that Jack Built'.^[4]

Jack passed away, aged 67 years, on 13th October 1979 at Beaudesert, Queensland and is buried in the Beaudesert Cemetery.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Birth Index #16801/1912
2. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #2119/1940
3. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: NX7677 Jack Ellis; accessed 18 Sep 2019
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Rolley, Ailsa. Australia Remembers 1945-1995: The Beaudesert Experience. ISBN 0-959-8193-1-2.
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial unit record: 2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion; accessed 18 Sep 2019
6. ↑ Queensland Death Index #B99770/1979