MCEWAN, Donald Gordon

  1. Service Details
  2. Personal Details
  3. Unit and Rank Details
  4. Fate
  5. Commemoration
  6. Notes
  7. Sources

Service Details

Branch of Service
Army
Conflict
World War II (1939-1945)
Date of Enlistment
21/10/1941
Place of Enlistment
Canberra ACT

Personal Details

Gender
Male
Date of Birth
03/02/1922
Place of Birth
Collingwood, Victoria
Address (at enlistment)
27 Monaro Crescent, Griffith, Canberra ACT
School(s) Attended
Telopea Park Intermediate High School [original Canberra High School]
Occupation
Apprentice tiler, Australian War Memorial
Next of Kin
4th son of Alexander Stanley McEwan (predeceased son) and Mary Eileen McEwan, of 27 Monaro Crescent, Griffith, Canberra ACT. One of five brothers who served in the forces, including 66249 Corporal Alan McEwan RAAF, N243225 Corporal Keith McEwan AIF, NX81579 Corporal Robert McEwan AIF.
Burial Place

Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua-New Guinea: grave B7.D.9.

Unit and Rank Details

Service Number
N243354
Final Rank
Private
Final Unit
3 Infantry Battalion

Fate

Died 8 November 1942 aged 20 years, of wounds, in Papua.

Commemoration

AWM Roll of Honour, Canberra ACT: Panel 64.
St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Forrest, Canberra. Screen in Warriors' Chapel.
Canberra High School Memorial Tablet

Notes

Died 8 November 1942 aged 20 years, of wounds, in Papua-New Guinea. McEwan served with the 3rd Infantry Battalion and arrived in Port Moresby in May 1942. On 5 September 1942 they entered the Kokoda Track and took part in the Australian defence at Imita Ridge and Ioribaiwa. Thereafter 3 Battalion patrolled forward through Menari, Efogi and Templeton's Crossing where particularly bitter fighting took place. McEwan's final battle in the Kokoda campaign was at Oivi in November 1942. Oivi is the next village after Kokoda and it was near there that McEwan lost his life on 8 November 1942. According to McCarthy's official history, at Oivi Japanese sharp shooters would creep into position during the night and "when morning broke marksmen began to pick off some of the attackers from short range, and continued to harass them during the day." During the day the 3rd Battalion lost seven men killed and five wounded.

Before the war McEwan played Australian Rules football for Eastlake. His surname is spelt as "McEwen" in some references.

Sources

Australia. Department of Veterans' Affairs. World War 2 nominal roll. <http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/>
Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Debt of Honour Register. <http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/search/>
AWM Roll of Honour and Roll of Honour Circulars <http://www.awm.gov.au/database/roh.asp>
Presbyterian Church of Australia. Church of St Andrew, Canberra. Form and order for the dedication of the memorial window and memorials in the Warriors' Chapel, Sunday, 14th November, 1948. Canberra, 1948
The Echo [quarterly newsletter of the Presbyterian Canberra Parish of St Andrew]: no. 2, December 1942, p.3; Jan 1944 supplement.
Gibbney, Jim. Canberra 1913-1953. Canberra, Australian Government Publishing Service, 1988 (p.216)
Barbara Petersen. Acts of faith: the story of the Church of St Andrews, Canberra. Gundaroo, Brolga Press, 2001 (p.60)
Ross F. Rowe, 'The Building and Furnishing of the Presbyterian Church of St. Andrew's', 1992
Canberra High School. Roll of Honour 1939-1945. [Plaque in school]
Canberra High School. Albums compiled for student project researching names on School Roll of Honour, 1985.
Canberra High School. Unveiling of Memorial Tablet. Friday, 25th April 1947. [Programme]
Dudley McCarthy, 'South-west Pacific area - first year : Kokoda to Wau', AWM, 1959
The Canberra Times - 27 November 1934, 17 December 1942 (p.2), 12 April 1943, 26 April 1946

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