The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (NX6074) Private Gordon Maxwell Charles Donaldson, 2/4th Battalion, 2nd AIF, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (NX6074) Private Gordon Maxwell Charles Donaldson, 2/4th Battalion, 2nd AIF, Second World War.

NX6074 Private Gordon Maxwell Charles Donaldson, 2/4th Battalion, 2nd AIF
KIA 26 April 1941
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 6 April 2016

Today we pay tribute to Private Gordon Maxwell Charles Donaldson, who was killed on active service during the Second World War.

Born on 7 July 1916 in Temora, New South Wales, Gordon Donaldson was the son of Les and Emily Donaldson. Growing up, he attended the local school in Temora, before working as farm labourer assisting his father on the farm “Bartondale”.

Popularly known as “Curly”, Donaldson was reported to have been one of the first two or three in his district to enlist when he volunteered for the Second Australian Imperial Force on 13 October 1939. His brother, George, and cousin Herbert also enlisted. Both were members of the 8th Division and were captured at Singapore. George was sent to a prison in Burma, and Herbert to Japan. Both survived the war.

Donaldson spent some time training before embarking for overseas service to the Middle East in January 1940. There he served with the 2/4th Battalion in Libya during the Western Desert campaign from January to March 1941 and again during the campaign in Greece in April 1941.

While in Greece Donaldson was Mentioned in Despatches for his bravery and unselfish devotion in assisting wounded colleagues during the evacuation. It was while performing this task that he was wounded in the back and sent to hospital for treatment. When the hospital was evacuated Donaldson was last seen been loaded into the back of an ambulance. Nothing else was seen or heard, although one report stated that the ambulance suffered a direct hit a few minutes later.

Gordon Donaldson was presumed killed on 26 April 1941. He was 24 years old.

His name is commemorated on the Athens Memorial, which lists those soldiers from the Greece campaign with no known grave.

He is also listed here on the Roll of Honour on my left, among some 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Gordon Maxwell Charles Donaldson, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Dr Lachlan Grant
Historian, Military History Section