Eastick, Thomas Charles (Brigadier Sir, b.1900 - d.1988) KT, CMG, DSO, ED, CSS

Collection relating to the Second World War service of Brigadier Sir Thomas Charles Eastick, KT, CMG, DSO, ED, CSS, Borneo, 1945. This collection contains service documents, official records, correspondence and military reports relating to Borneo and Sarawak during Eastick's command of Kuching Force. It also includes post-war correspondence relating to official and personal meetings in Kuching. There are two manuscripts boxes containing 18 separate files.

Wallet 1: contains documents relating to the Battle of the Coral Sea; military correspondence; minutes from General Officer Commanding's conference, and documents relating to Kuching Force.

Wallet 2: contains documents created on or around 3 September 1945, and relates to Operational Orders for Kuching and a summary of Major-General Yamamura's Command.

Wallets 3 to 5: contain notes on Kuching Force and arrangements for the Japanese surrender. They include award recommendations for Kuching Force; a report on Eastick's visit to Pontianak; Joint Allied Victory and Chinese National Day celebrations; Kuching price controls and instructions for the Japanese surrender.

Wallet 6: contains documents including a report on Specimens of Metals; a report on the work of the AMF in British Borneo and a report on the Netherlands East Indies (NEI).

Wallet 7: contains operational documents from April and May 1945 relating to Operation Oboe (a series of amphibious assaults) between May and July 1945.

Wallet 8: comprises the joint American Australian Naval Gunfire Support Plan May 20, 1945.

Wallets 9 to 11: continue with instructions and orders for Operation Oboe and Landing Attack Orders.

Wallet 12: contains the Action Report - Fire Support in Operation Oboe One, Tarakan Island.

Wallet 13: is compiled notes on the NEI and Mandated Territory of New Guinea, dated 1942.

Wallets 14 to 16: contain detailed reports on Operation Oboe Tarakan Borneo 1 May 1945.

Wallet 17: contains various correspondence; dated documents including a list of civilian internees at Batu Lintang Prisoner of War camp at Kuching; letters of thanks to local communities of Sarawak; correspondence and invitations from the All India Muslim League; letter from the local Chinese community petitioning for vengeance. There is also one folder of undated correspondence including a welcome to Brigadier Eastick from His Highness the Rajah of Sarawak, and a letter to Major Sommerville from (Japanese) Captain Nada, including one page of Japanese script.

Wallet 18, the final folder: contains letters of thanks from the Kuching community; invitations and greeting cards from Kuching officials from 1945 and from the 1960s and 70s. There is also an annotated 1941 German driving logbook; an Italian Army identity card from 1941; and Eastick's Road Traffic regulations booklet from Palestine.

There are two further components of this collection: one silk scroll painting, and a large wallet of publications. The painting is a copy of one made in the Sung Dynasty by Li With and depicts two birds. It is stamped with an inscription 'To Brigadier Eastick. With best wishes from the Chinese Daily News, Kuching, Sarawak, 15 December 1945.'

The wallet of publications contains the following: an Officer's Record Card binder for the Royal Australian Artillery 9th Division; Eastick's Field Service Pocket Book 1932. Additionally there are a number of Australian Military Forces Publications; Military Board Instructions 1947; The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) Middle East Staff and Regimental Lists of Officers No 2, 1 August 1940; The AIF Middle East Staff and Regimental Lists of Officers No 2, 6 September 1941; The AIF Middle East Staff and Regimental Lists of Officers No 4, 11 July 1942; The AIF Middle East Staff and Regimental Lists of Officers No 5, 17 October 1942.

Sir Thomas Charles (Tom) Eastick (1900-1988), engineer and army officer, was born on 3 May 1900 at Hyde Park, Adelaide. Tom was educated at Goodwood Public School but left at the age of 12½ to look after his sick mother and his younger brothers and sisters while his father struggled to support the family. He became a junior purchasing officer with a hardware firm, where he developed the managerial skills which were a feature of his later life. He married Ruby Sybil Bruce, a saleswoman, on 31 October 1925.

In 1927 Eastick was invited to manage an engineering company in Adelaide for twelve months. This career change was so successful that he co-founded a small engineering business, with a friend who was a first-class mechanic. Business prospered until the Depression but thereafter times became progressively harder.

Having served four years in the senior cadets, Eastick had enlisted in the Australian Field Artillery, Militia, in 1918. Commissioned as a lieutenant in 1922, he set about his duties in the 13th Field Brigade with energy and efficiency and quickly developed a reputation as a sound trainer of men. He was given command of the 50th Battery in 1924 and promoted to captain in 1926. That year he demonstrated for the first time in Australia the use of survey procedures to predict gun data to engage targets without ranging. A second innovation with which he was associated was the control of artillery fire from aircraft: in 1927 a Royal Australian Air Force pilot adjusted the fire of Eastick’s battery during field firing. Eastick rose to major in 1930 and in 1938 his battery was awarded the Mount Schanck trophy for being the most efficient Militia field battery in Australia. In 1939 he was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel and appointed commanding officer of the brigade.

Early in 1940, after the outbreak of World War II, Eastick embarked on a rigorous three-month training regime with his brigade. In April he was selected to raise and command the 2/7th Field Regiment, Australian Imperial Force, as a substantive lieutenant colonel. His unit was ultimately allotted to the 9th Division and embarked for the Middle East in November. Deployment on operations in North Africa followed from May to October 1941, after which the 2/7th became depot regiment at the British Army’s Middle East School of Artillery at Almaza near Cairo for three months. This honour was in recognition of the efficiency which Eastick had brought to his regiment and for which he was mentioned in despatches (1942). In February-June 1942 the regiment performed defensive duties in Syria and Lebanon.

For the `forcefulness’ and `determination’ with which he commanded his regiment in Egypt, first at Tel el Eisa in July and then during the battle of El Alamein in October-November, Eastick was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He returned to Australia in February 1943. In June he was promoted to temporary brigadier and posted as commander, Royal Australian Artillery, 7th Division. From August 1943 to April 1944 he served in Papua and New Guinea.

Appointed to command the 9th Division’s artillery in June 1944, Eastick served in Australia, Morotai and Borneo. During his command of Kuching Force (September-December 1945), he took the surrender of Japanese forces in southern Sarawak. He administered command of the 9th Division from December 1945 until February 1946. On 28 February he transferred to the Reserve of Officers with the honorary rank of brigadier. He was appointed a companion of the Order of the Star of Sarawak (1946).

On 28 January 1950 Eastick was recalled to the army as a brigadier and appointed commander, Headquarters Group, Central Command. Additionally, he was an honorary aide-de-camp to the governor-general Sir William McKell in 1950-53. From 1955 to 1960 he was a colonel commandant of the Royal Australian Artillery. Having been appointed CMG in 1953, he was knighted in 1970.

He died on 16 December 1988.