Souvenir powder compact : Private A S Gurney VC, 2/48 Battalion, AIF

Small souvenir powder compact with pull out drawer containing powder applicator and gauze bottomed dish to hold powder. The lid to the drawer is spring loaded and folds back to reveal a mirror when opened. Drawer is pulled out using a pale blue tassel connected to a lug on the drawer. Upper and lower faces of container are hand painted blue. Top surface has a hand painted blue, yellow, pink, red and green representation of the Mosque of Omar and '1942 Jerusalem' written in red paint surrounding the building. The compact is contained in a small cream flannel bag.

Souvenir powder compact purchased by WX9858 Private Arthur Stanley Gurney who enlisted in the 2nd AIF at Claremont, WA, on 6 December 1940. After training he embarked at Fremantle for the Middle East on 5 July 1941, joining D Company, 2/48 Battalion (2/48Bn) at Tobruk, Libya on 12 September. In October, the battalion moved to Palestine and in early 1942 to Syria. In June, as part of 9 Division (9Div) under Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, 2/48Bn was quickly moved to Egypt to meet Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's advance across Egypt. On 29 June, following a series of losses, the allied Eighth Army, of which 9 Div was a part, fell back to the Alamein Line, barely 100 kilometres from the British Naval Base at Alexandria.

On 9 July, 2/48Bn was moved forward to the Alamein Line. With 9Div, the battalion was to counter-attack the northern flank of Rommel's forces. 2/48Bn's objectives were the Hill of Jesus and Tel el Eisa Railway Station. Shortly before the action Gurney wrote home saying: 'I regret that up to date I have not had a chance of locking horns with [the enemy], but I hope we shan't be long now.' At about 3.40 am on 10 July the attack began. D and A Companies' objective of Point 23, north east of Tel El Eisa railway station was taken soon after dawn. D and C Companies then swung down and took the station itself. Counter attacks soon followed and fierce fighting continued for the next two weeks.

At dawn on 22 July, B and D Companies were deployed to take West Point 24, an enemy position south west of the railway cutting. The action had not long commenced when the companies came under concentrated fire and were halted less than 200 metres from the German strong posts. Attempts by the Australians to move forward was met with withering machine gun fire. Casualties quickly mounted to the point where D Company had lost all its officers. 17 Platoon, D Company, of which Gurney was a member, was now commanded by a private, Herb Ashby.

At this point Gurney, closely followed by Private Ivan Hanel, rushed the nearest enemy machine gun post, somehow evading the heavy fire. Nearing the post Gurney threw a grenade and bayoneted a German before he and Hanel jumped into the trench, taking the post. Gurney then turned his attention to the next post but Hanel was killed before he could follow. Gurney continued on alone to take the next machine gun pit, accounting for a further three enemy soldiers in the process. Without slacking he moved toward a third before he was momentarily stunned when a grenade knocked him to the ground. Recovering his senses, he launched forward and disappeared into the enemy trench. He was using his bayonet to effect when he was killed by enemy machine gun fire. His body was later recovered from the enemy trench. For his actions Gurney was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. He was later buried in plot XVI. H. 21. of El Alamein War Cemetery.