Born to John Henry and Agnes (nee Cox) Taylor in Dungog in 1899 John Albert was the 6th of their 8 children.
Working as a stockman at Nowendoc John enlisted at Walcha, NSW on the 27th of August 1940. On his enlistment papers John gave his date of birth as the 30th of January 1903 and being single, gave his father as next of kin (NOK).
On the 6th of September John was transferred from the 7th Recruit Receiving (RR) Battalion to the 3rd Initial Training (IT) Battalion in Tamworth. Having served about 12 months as a Trooper with the 16th Light Horse known as the Hunter River Lancers in 1928, John would have been very familiar with the training.
After Christmas, John went AWL from 23.59 on the 27th of December to 16.00 on the 5th of January 1941. He was fined £5/- and awarded 14 days C.B. on the 7th of January.
John was transferred to 5th I.T. Btn, A. Tng Bgde in Tamworth on the 18th of February before embarking on Overseas Convoy US 10 from Sydney on the 9th of April. Having disembarked in the Middle East on the 4th of May he was taken on strength with the 25th ITB on the 31st of May. John was destined for the 2/33rd Battalion.
The 2/33rd Battalion was raised in England when the fall of France raised fears of Germany’s invasion of the UK. As the invasion did not eventuate the Battalion was sent to the Middle East reaching Egypt in early March 1941 where, as part of the 25th Brigade, they were assigned to the 7th Division.
Moving to a camp in Palestine, the battalion’s fourth rifle company – designated ‘D’ Company – was taken on strength, having previously been formed at Beit Jirja in September 1940 from excess reinforcements from the 6th Division. At the time, the 7th Division was preparing to go to Greece, to follow in the wake of the 6th Division; however, the entry of the Afrika Korps into the fighting in the Western Desert and early German successes prompted their movement to the fortress at Mersa Metruh, to guard against a possible German advance into Egypt from Libya.
The 2/33rd remained at Mersa Metruh, undertaking defensive duties, until May 1941, but did not see combat. It was during this time John joined his Battalion.
The defensive duties, the 7th Division began to prepare for an invasion of Vichy French-held Syria and Lebanon. A short-lived campaign, from early June until mid-July, the 2/33rd took part in the fighting around Merdjayoun – attacking Fort Khiam in the early stages of the campaign – and Jezzine, fighting mainly in disparate company groups. Following the French capitulation, the battalion undertook garrison duties in Lebanon as part of the Allied occupation force established there to defend against a possible German invasion through Turkey; in September the battalion occupied a position around the port of Tripoli.
They remained there until early 1942 when the Australian government requested the return of the 7th Division to Australia, following Japan’s entry into the war.
Embarking on the Mt Vernon in Port Tewfik, Egypt on the 9th of February 1942 the battalion arrived in Adelaide, South Australia, on the 10th of March. After this, the battalion camped at Woodside, in the Adelaide Hills, where a period of re-conditioning and exercises followed until mid-April when the majority of its personnel were sent on home leave.
On the 15th of April John was evacuated to 101 General Hospital with Pharyngitis, an inflammation of the throat and was transferred to ‘X’ list. On the 17th he was discharged to 108 Convalescent Hospital and having been struck off the ‘X’ list, he returned to his unit the same day.
At the end of April, those that remained undertook a five-day train journey to Casino, New South Wales. Limited training was undertaken until mid-May, around which time orders were received for another move, this time to Caboolture, Queensland. By the end of the month, the battalion returned to almost full strength when the final leave draft returned.
At the time, the strategic situation in the Pacific was in the balance; the Japanese were advancing south and due to concerns about a possible Japanese invasion, the 25th Brigade was tasked with defending the coastal area north of Brisbane.
In late August 1942, the 2/33rd were to deploy to New Guinea, where the Kokoda Trail campaign was reaching its climax as the Japanese advanced on Port Moresby. Embarking on the Katoomba at Brisbane on the 31st of August, they landed at Port Moresby on the 9th of September.
Four days later the battalion was thrown into battle against the Japanese around Ioribaiwa, leading the 25th Brigade forward. As the Japanese advance continued, the Australians withdrew back to Imita Ridge. As the 25th Brigade withdrew, the 2/33rd formed a rearguard, covering the withdrawal. After completing the movement rearwards, the battalion subsequently assumed a position in depth on the right. The Japanese then began to withdraw, having reached the limits of their supply line, and the Australians pursued them back to the beachheads on the northern coast where the Japanese had originally landed in July.
Throughout October and November, the battalion fought significant engagements at Myola and Gorari, before being thrown into further fighting around Gona in late November and early December. Casualties were heavy, and by the time the Japanese beachhead had been destroyed, the battalion was withdrawn to Port Moresby, the battalion had been reduced to only two companies
Total casualties sustained by the 2/33rd during this period had included 46 dead and 121 wounded. John was one of the 46 when on the 10th of November he was ‘Killed in Action’ aged 43 years. On the 12th he was buried at Buna SE however six months later on the 11th of May 1943, he was reburied at Kokoda War Cemetery.
Records show John’s mother Agnes Taylor of Church Street Gloucester was his beneficiary.
