Tasker, Henry McKean (Lieutenant Colonel, b.1900 - d.1958)

Collection relating to the Second World War service of VX47925 Lieutenant Colonel Henry McKean 'Harry' Tasker, 2/24 Australian Infantry Battalion, 26 Infantry Training Battalion and British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit, Second Australian Imperial Force, Palestine, Egypt, Libya and Borneo, 1941-1945.

Wallet 1 of 1 – Contains two folders of material relating to the service of Lieutenant Colonel Henry McKean Tasker.

Folder 1 of 2 consists of one diary of Lieutenant Colonel Tasker, containing brief entries dated between 1 January and 28 September 1941. This diary was used by Lieutenant Colonel Tasker during his service with 2/24 Australian Infantry Battalion and 26 Australian Infantry Training Battalion, in Palestine, Egypt and Libya. In his diary, Lieutenant Colonel Tasker writes about preparing training programs, attending Courts of Inquiry, sightseeing, meeting officers, sending and receiving letters, censoring letters, attending artillery demonstrations, seeing concerts and shows, attending lectures, playing Bridge with friends, travelling to Libya, giving orders to units, visiting troops, experiencing artillery shell explosions and machine gun fire at Tobruk, delivering training to troops in Palestine, participating in route marches, and seeing films.

Folder 2 of 2 consists of one report and one letter relating to Lieutenant Colonel Tasker. The report is titled “Report by Acting C.O. 2/24 Battalion, Battalion Operations between 13 March 1941 to 21 April 1941”. The report was written by Lieutenant Colonel Tasker during his service with 2/24 Australian Infantry Battalion in Egypt and Libya, and covers the movement of the battalion from Egypt to Tocra, Libya, and the withdrawal to Tobruk. The letter, dated 2 December 1945, was sent by a Chinese naturalised American performer, Wong Tong Quong, to Lieutenant Colonel Tasker during his service in Borneo with the British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit after the Second World War. In his letter, Mr Quong introduces himself, shares his experiences of living in Borneo during the Japanese occupation, and requests assistance to return to the United States.

Lieutenant Colonel Henry McKean ‘Harry’ Tasker enlisted to the Second Australian Imperial Force on 22 July 1940. He embarked for overseas service in late 1940. Lieutenant Colonel Tasker served as commanding officer of 2/24 Australian Infantry Battalion between February and June 1941, while the unit was serving in Egypt and Libya. He commanded the unit during the commencement of the siege of Tobruk. In June 1941, Lieutenant Colonel Tasker was attached to 26 Infantry Training Battalion in Palestine, where he assisted in the training of staff and troops. In mid-1942, Lieutenant Colonel Tasker returned to Australia. He served in a Headquarters unit in New Guinea in 1943, but became ill with malaria and was required to return to serve in Australia. In 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Tasker attending training in the United States before being assigned to the British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit. He remained with this unit until his discharge on 15 July 1946.