The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (QX61028) Private Gordon Edward Corrie, 27th Battalion, 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 Melanie Cassar, the story for this day was on (QX61028) Private Gordon Edward Corrie, 27th Battalion, AIF, Second World War.

QX61028 Private Gordon Edward Corrie, 27th Battalion, AIF
KIA 1 August 1945

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Gordon Edward Corrie.

Gordon Edward Corrie was born on 17 April 1922, the third of five children born to Joseph and Ada Corrie of West End in Brisbane. After his schooling, Corrie worked as a spreader and a baker and lived in Hill End.

On 24 March 1942, Corrie enlisted to serve in the Second World War at Kairi, in the Tablelands Region near Cairns. He followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Leslie, who had enlisted in 1940 and served in the army.

After a brief period of training, Corrie transferred to East Command and began serving with the 1st Australian Armoured Division in Tamworth. Not long after transferring to this unit, in April 1942 Corrie was reported as “away without leave”, and a month later a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Two months later, however, Corrie enlisted again, this time in Brisbane. On this occasion he enlisted using his middle name, Edward, and gave his birthdate incorrectly as 1924, stating that he was two years younger. The reason for this is not known.

Between 1942 and 1944 Corrie served with various units in Australia, including a brief period in a butchering company. His service was, however, marked by frequent and lengthy periods recorded as “away without leave” which caused a number of warrants to be issued for his arrest and a court martial.

In March 1944, having returned to the authorities, Corrie adjusted his official records by statutory declaration and provided his full name and correct birthdate. This change saw him transferred from the Citizen Military Forces militia to the Australian Imperial Force.

In July 1944, now part of the AIF, he sailed from Townsville in Queensland to Lae in New Guinea, and began serving with the 27th Battalion which was performing patrol and garrison duties across the Pacific theatre. They conducted searches for pockets of Japanese resistance and protected Allied airstrips and other infrastructure. The men of the 27th Battalion became the first Australians to land on the Solomon Islands when they took over patrol and surveillance duties on Nissen Island.

Corrie served in this unit with his friend, Private Ronald Weston, also from Brisbane. Weston would marry Corrie’s younger sister Sylvia after the war.

In 1945 Corrie and the 27th Battalion transferred for service on Bougainville, where they conducted dangerous patrols against Japanese forces in the centre of the island. Later, they moved north to the Bonis Peninsula, an area known for its strong Japanese presence.

In late July and early August 1945, Corrie took part in a routine patrol of the Base 3 area of the Bonis Peninsula. This patrol successfully established the location of suspected Japanese forces, and at one point was responsible for killing five Japanese soldiers who unwittingly entered the patrol’s perimeter.

On 1 August 1945, as the patrol returned back to base, Corrie stepped on a self-detonating mine and was killed. He died in front of his friend and future brother-in-law, Ronald Weston.

He died just weeks before the Japanese surrender and the end of the Second World War. He was 23 years old.

Today, his remains lie buried in the Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery in Papua New Guinea, where over 3,800 Commonwealth casualties of the Second World War now lie. His grave reads: “He died an Australian hero, the noblest death of all.”

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 Private Gordon Edward Corrie, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

David Sutton
Historian, Military History Section