🇦🇺WWII uncovered: Anzac Day 2023: Honouring Ernie Chester Walker the Last Surviving Member of the Rats of Tobruk of New South Wales.

🇦🇺WWII uncovered: Anzac Day 2023: Honouring Ernie Chester Walker the Last Surviving Member of the Rats of Tobruk of New South Wales

Please join us in honouring Ernie Chester Walker (OAM), the last surviving member of the Rats of Tobruk in New South Wales who passed peacefully in his sleep on 22 November 2022 at his Southern Highlands home in Penrose. Ernie was 106 years old.

Ernie served in the Middle East as a member of the 2/1st Pioneer Battalion. According to the Australian War Memorial: "For eight long months, surrounded by German and Italian forces, the men of the Tobruk garrison, mostly Australians, withstood tank attacks, artillery barrages, and daily bombings. They endured the desert’s searing heat, the bitterly cold nights, and hellish dust storms. They lived in dug-outs, caves, and crevasses."

"The defenders of Tobruk did not surrender, they did not retreat. Their determination, bravery, and humour, combined with the aggressive tactics of their commanders, became a source of inspiration during some of the war’s darkest days. In so doing, they achieved lasting fame as the “Rats of Tobruk” - Australian War Memorial (18 February 2020)

“The name was meant to be a dig at the fact that we were trapped like rats and living in holes, but Australians quickly adopted it as a badge of honour, a title that exemplifies courageous and resourceful virtues of the Digger.” - Ernie Walker 2021 interview The New York Daily Paper

Walker would go on to serve during the Kokoda Campaign in Papua New Guinea. Pictured below, the 25-Pounder gun of B Troop, 14th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, is being pulled through dense jungle in the vicinity of Uberi on the Kokoda Trail. Members of the regiment are being assisted by 2/1 Australian Pioneer Battalion. Ernie is identified third in line on the left wearing a hat, shorts and belt.

A funeral service was held on Thursday, 1 December 2022 at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Bundanoon, Australia.

Rest in peace Ernie - You are truly a member of the Greatest Generation. Lest We Forget.

WWII uncovered description and photos sourced by the Australian War Memorial/Australian Institute of Professional Photography, The Sydney Morning Herald, The New York Daily Paper (2021 interview) and The Australian War Memorial Collection/026855. (Fair Use Photos) don't forget to comment on the comment section.

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