The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (VX47528) Corporal Alfred John Cock, 2/22nd Battalion, Second World War.

Places
Accession Number AWM2019.1.1.170
Collection type Film
Object type Last Post film
Physical description 16:9
Maker Australian War Memorial
Place made Australia: Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Campbell
Date made 19 June 2019
Access Open
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
Creative Commons License This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
Copying Provisions Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction.
Description

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 (VX47528) Corporal Alfred John Cock, 2/22nd Battalion, Second World War.

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Speech transcript

VX47528 Corporal Alfred John Cock, 2/22nd Battalion
Died at Sea (Montevideo Maru) 1 July 1942

Today we remember and pay tribute to Corporal Alfred John Cock.

Alfred Cock was born to Alfred and Isabella Cock in the Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows on 1 October 1916. He grew up alongside his siblings Cliff, Girlie, and Jean in Melbourne, was educated at Essendon High School, and went on to work at head office of the Commonwealth Bank in Melbourne.

When Australia entered the Second World War in September 1939, recruitment for the Second Australian Imperial Force was initially slow. But with the fall of France in June 1940 came a surge of volunteers, many of whom felt a sense of duty to defend Australia and the British Empire. Among their numbers was Alfred Cock, who enlisted in late July that year.

Cock was allotted to the 2/22nd Infantry Battalion, which had been raised earlier in the month, and began training in Trawool in central Victoria. In late September the 2/22nd began to move to Bonegilla, near Wodonga on the New South Wales–Victoria border, before leaving for Sydney, bound for New Britain.

The 2/22nd arrived at Rabaul, the administrative centre of New Britain, in late April 1941. Here it joined the local unit of the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, coastal defence and anti-aircraft batteries, and elements of the 2/10th Field Ambulance and 17th Anti-tank Battery – to form Lark Force. Despite being ill-equipped to withstand an enemy attack, the 2/22nd began constructing defences and training for operation in a tropical environment. They were joined by No. 24 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, in early December 1941, after Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor and Malaya, launching the Pacific war.

Japanese bombing of New Britain began in early January 1942, and increased in intensity. By 22 January, 24 Squadron was virtually destroyed and its three remaining aircraft were withdrawn. With no use for the airstrips, they were destroyed and Lark Force withdrew from Rabaul, waiting on the western shores of Blanche Bay for the inevitable Japanese landings.

These began in the early hours of the next day. By 9 am that morning, in the face of communication failures and overwhelming Japanese strength, the Australian defence had lost cohesion and Colonel Scanlan ordered a withdrawal on the basis of “every man for himself”. Unprepared for retreat, chaos ensued, and Lark Force disintegrated.

Over the following days, groups ranging from company-strength down to pairs and individuals sought escape along the north and south coasts. Some found small boats and escaped, others were picked up by larger vessels operating from New Guinea. Around 400 members of Lark Force made it to Australia, but about 160 Australians captured by the Japanese while trying to escape were massacred at Tol Plantation. Another 836 were interned as prisoners of war.

Early in the morning of 22 June 1942, members of the 2/22nd Battalion, including Cock, and civilian prisoners captured in New Britain, were ordered to board the Montevideo Maru, which sailed unescorted for Hainan Island, keeping to the east of the Philippines in an effort to avoid Allied submarines.

Eight days into the voyage, the Montevideo Maru was spotted by the American submarine USS Sturgeon which manoeuvred into a position to fire its four stern torpedoes. Survivors from the Japanese crew reported two torpedoes striking the vessel followed by an explosion in the oil tank in the aft hold.

The ship sank in as little as 11 minutes. Although the Japanese crew were ordered to abandon ship, it does not appear they made any attempt to assist the prisoners to do likewise. The ship’s lifeboats were launched, but all capsized and one suffered severe damage.

While the exact number and identity of the more than 1,000 men aboard the Montevideo Maru has never been confirmed, an estimated 845 military personnel and up to 208 civilians lost their lives in the tragedy.

Alfred Cock was among the dead. He was 28 years old.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among almost 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 Corporal Alfred John Cock, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Duncan Beard
Editor, Military History Section

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