Africa Star with 8th Army clasp : Private R G McGregor, 2/2 Machine Gun Battalion

Africa Star with 8th Army clasp. Unnamed as issued.

NX27134 Private Ronald George McGregor was born on 5 September 1916 at Ganmain, New South Wales. He enlisted on 26 June 1940. After training at Wallgrove and Dubbo, NSW, he embarked from Sydney on 9 April 1941 for the Middle East, arriving on 3 May. He was marched into 2/2nd Machine Gun Battalion (MG Bn) on 23 July. He suffered with a case of the mumps in January 1942 and spent some time in hospital, before rejoining his unit in March. He was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery in action on 22 July 1942 at Tel El Eisa. Four days later he received a gunshot wound to his left shoulder, which became infected. He spent time in hospital again, before rejoining his unit on 23 September. In January 1943 he left the Middle East for Australia, arriving in Sydney on 27 February. After a foot operation in May, he embarked with the 2/2nd MG Bn on board the ship Howell Cobb, from Cairns in Queensland for Milne Bay in New Guinea, arriving on 18 August. He served in New Guinea until 25 February, when he embarked from Finschhafen on board Sea Snipe, disembarking Brisbane 4 March. In May McGregor was hospitalised for a month with malaria, and again for two weeks in July. He was attached to the Australian Army Service Corps in August for a month and then transferred to a staging camp. McGregor was discharged on 7 April 1945, being required for employment in an essential occupation.