The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (VX1042) Lieutenant Valentine Nagle, 2/2nd Cavalry (Commando) Squadron, Second World War.

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 Nathan Boyd, the story for this day was on (VX1042) Lieutenant Valentine Nagle, 2/2nd Cavalry (Commando) Squadron, Second World War.

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Speech transcript

VX1042 Lieutenant Valentine Nagle, 2/2nd Cavalry (Commando) Squadron
KIA 4 October 1943

Today we remember and pay tribute to Lieutenant Valentine Nagle.

Valentine Nagle was born on 15 April 1915 in Albury, New South Wales, the son of Valentine and Margaret Nagle. Valentine junior, known as “Val” was the eldest son in a family of nine children.

He grew up in Albury alongside his siblings Mary, Jack, Fred, Margaret, Mack, Nano, Pat and Frank. He attended the Christian Brothers School, and then studied law at Sydney University after he secured the Fred Blacklock scholarship. He was head prefect at St John’s College within Sydney University, and won the Reverend W.J. Dunne scholarship, the O’Connell and Lynch scholarship, and the Wigram-Allen scholarship in the Law School. He also as rowed in the college and eight and played in the cricket and football teams, and was the editor of the college magazine. He graduated with first-class honours at the age of 21 before going on to work as a solicitor in his father's legal practice.

In the lead-up to the Second World War, Nagle travelled through Europe with his brother-in-law Philip Atkin. Anticipating the onset of war, he returned home to join the army, enlisting on 5 November 1939.

Nagle was posted to the newly raised 2/2nd Field Regiment. One of the first artillery regiments raised as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force, it was assigned to the 6th Division.

Nagle’s training was undertaken in Seymour and Puckapunyal, where he was appointed temporary lance sergeant in late November, and then promoted to sergeant in early March 1940.

In April he joined a field artillery training battalion, and attended the school of artillery at Holsworthy. In July he was appointed a commission, gaining the rank of lieutenant before being transferred to the newly-raised 2/9th Field Regiment.

After a period of pre-embarkation leave in December 1940, Lieutenant Nagle and his regiment embarked for the Middle East in April 1941. After concentrating in Palestine in May, the regiment was redeployed to Egypt, where it supported British troops to defend against a possible German airborne invasion in the wake of Battle of Crete. The following month, the regiment was deployed to the Syria–Lebanon campaign. The campaign concluded with an armistice in July, and at about this time Nagle was detached to the 2/4th Field Regiment.

Nagle attended the Middle East School of Artillery in October. The following month he was struck with malaria, and spent time recovering before rejoining the 2/9th Field Regiment. The regiment moved to Palestine before returning to Australia in March 1942.

As the men landed in Adelaide before slowly moving east, Nagle was again afflicted with malaria. When his regiment was reassigned to the 3rd Division for defensive duties in south-east Queensland, Nagle joined a commando training battalion. After a series of transfers between various units, he joined the 2/2nd Commando Squadron, which had initially formed as the 2nd Independent Company. It was then renamed the 2/2nd Independent Company, before briefly becoming part of the 2/6th Cavalry (Commando) Regiment.

In June 1943, the 2/2nd sailed from Townsville to Port Moresby, where it was flown to Bena Bena in the Bismarck Ranges in New Guinea. Here, Nagle and his comrades supported the 2/7th Independent Company in patrolling around the Ramu River area. In mid-July, the 2/2nd moved into position in Bena Bena and by the end of the month their patrols were engaged in skirmishes with the Japanese.

In October the unit was renamed the 2/2nd Cavalry (Commando) Squadron and moved to Faita to patrol the western flank of the advance towards Madang.

The 2/2nd would remain in New Guinea for another year, but Lieutenant Nagle would not be returning to Australia with his men.

On 4 October 1943, Nagle was commanding a patrol that attacked an enemy position in a village alongside the main track from Kesawai to Yonapa. After inflicting eight casualties on the enemy force, the patrol was forced to withdraw. Nagle was reported missing, believed killed, in the action. A later patrol found Nagle’s body in a shallow grave nine days later.

Valentine Nagle was 28 years old.

Today, his remains lie buried in Lae War Cemetery under the simple inscription, “RIP”.

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 Lieutenant Valentine Nagle, 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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