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MOIR Ross Newland

Information & photo courtesy of Rod Moir, Cherridup, Borden.

Ross was born in February 1913 at Albany. He enlisted at Claremont and was promoted to Corporal.
Ross was the eldest son of Mr & Mrs Gordon Moir of 'Cherridup', Borden.
He married Betty Winifred Bungey, second daughter of Mr & Mrs Ralph Bungey of 'Highdenup', Borden.
The speakers at the wedding stressed 'the popularity of the young couple, both of whom have lived most of their lives in the Borden District'.

(The Gnowangerup Star, 7 Sept 1940)
By early 1941 the British advance in the Western Desert had reached El Agheila.
In March the 9th Division was brought from Palestine to Libya to garrison the area east of Tobruk.
The division did not have enough vehicles to bring all of its units forward towards Benghazi and the 24th Brigade (composed of the 2/28th, 2/43rd, and 2/32nd Battalions) remained in Tobruk. This situation had quickly changed in April.
The German Afrika Korps led the Axis counter-attack, pushing the British from El Agheila. The 9th Division withdrew to Tobruk and, with the 18th Brigade, defended the "fortress" for the next six months.


ROSS NEWLAND MOIR                #1
 
The 2/28th participated in the usual pattern of defensive duties, manning parts of the Red Line, working on the Blue Line, and aggressively patrolling no man's land.
The Red Line was Tobruk's outer line of defence and was a series of concrete pillboxes forming a semicircle around the town. The Blue Line was the second line of defence.
In September and October the majority of Australians were evacuated by sea.
The 2/28th was evacuated on 23 September and sailed to Alexandria, from where it was transferred to the camp at Kilo 89 in Palestine. The brigade later moved to Syria and then Lebanon for rest, training, and garrison duties.
By July 1942 the war in North Africa had become critical for the British forces. The Germans and Italians had reached El Alamein in Egypt, about seventy miles from Alexandra.
Consequently, the 9th Division was rushed to the Alamein "box" and held the northern sector for almost four months, as the British Eighth Army was reinforced for a new offensive.
The 2/28th reached the Alamein front on 10 July and the division attacked a week later. On 17
July the 2/32nd and 2/43rd moved inland, fighting along the ridgeline from Trig 22 and approaching Ruin Ridge. The 2/32nd led the attack, advancing from Trig 22 to the Qattara Track. The 2/43rd then followed towards Ruin Ridge.
Ross was captured at Ruin Ridge on or about 22 July 1942, known as 'the 'First Battle of El Alamein'.
About 200 men were captured and became Prisoners of War aboard the Italian POW ship Nino Bixio which left from Benghazi bound for Italy.
Ross was killed on 17 August 1942 when the R.N. Submarine Turbulent torpedoed the ship. There were at least 237 casualties.
The Nino Bixio was towed to Southern Greece. All of those aboard who were killed had surnames that began with the letters L-Z as they were loaded on the ship in alphabetical order.
The torpedo was fired from the British ship H.M.S. Trident. The Trident was later sunk and all crew were lost.

Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.

 

References:                 Article:       Rod Moir

 

                                  Image:      1         Rod Moir

 


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