The Last Man Standing: Herb Ashby and the Battle of El Alamein

242 Pages·2006·2.76 MB·English

by  Peter Dornan

Last Man Standing PAGES 9/6/06 1:57 PM Page i
THE LAST MAN STANDING
Last Man Standing PAGES 9/6/06 1:57 PM Page ii
Peter Dornan has for 40 years been a physiotherapist in the fields of
sporting injuries and manipulative therapy, working with many inter-
national sporting teams, including the Queensland rugby team, the
Wallabies and the Kangaroos. He has also been an Olympic Games
Advisor and Commonwealth Games physiotherapist, covering many
different sports.
He is a Fellow of Sports Medicine Australia, and has written two
successful books on sporting injuries as well as designing and market-
ing a video exercise program. For his achievements in sport he was
awarded the Commemorative 2000 Australian Sports Medal.
Peter has studied classical sculpture for 30 years and his works are
displayed in many prominent Queensland and national institutions, as
well as private collections.
In 1997, Peter created a forum for men and their partners to gain
support and be better informed in matters relating to prostate cancer.
He documented the experience in his 2003 book Conquering Inconti-
nence.
Peter has also been freelance writing for some years and has
written two factional books, The Silent Men, an account of the Kokoda
Trail Campaign, and Nicky Barr, An Australian Air Ace.
In 2002 Peter was appointed as a Member of the General Division
of the Order of Australia (AM).
Peter has been married to Dimity, a speech pathologist, for
39 years. They have two adult children, Melissa and Roderick.
Last Man Standing PAGES 9/6/06 1:57 PM Page iii
THE LAST MAN
STANDING
Herb Ashby and the Battle of El Alamein
P D
ETER ORNAN
Last Man Standing PAGES 9/6/06 1:57 PM Page iv
First published in 2006
Copyright © Peter Dornan 2006
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the
publisher. The Australian Copyright Act1968(the Act) allows a
maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is
the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its
educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or
body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to
Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.
Allen & Unwin
83 Alexander Street
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Australia
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.allenandunwin.com
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:
Dornan, Peter.
The last man standing: Herb Ashby and the Battle of
El Alamein.
Bibliography.
ISBN 978 1 74114 989 0.
ISBN 1 74114 989 4.
1. Ashby, Herb. 2. Australia. Army. Division, 9th.
3. El Alamein, Battle of, Egypt, 1942. I. Title.
940.5423
Set in 12/14 pt Granjon by Midland Typesetters, Australia.
Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Last Man Standing PAGES 9/6/06 1:57 PM Page v
I dedicate this book to my granddaughter, Matilda Alice Bruijn, and to
the memory of her great-grandfather, Captain Dick Crist,
2/2nd Machine-Gun Battalion, 9th Division AIF, a member of
Monty’s Desert Eighth Army—QX6275.
Last Man Standing PAGES 9/6/06 1:57 PM Page vi
A Letter from Palestine
A letter from ‘The East’ it came today,
And all the house is lightened of its gloom:
A sun-browned desert wind through every room
Eddies that bring strange scents of old bazaar:
Of orange-groves beneath the dreaming stars
O’er far Jerusalem. Through these ordered rooms
Where poppies glow; and pale narcissi blooms
Nod in tall vases, sings the desert breeze
Telling of brown battalions overseas.
Khaki-clad soldiers, singing as they go
Along the road to Gaza, and we know,
The very breath of freedom’s in the air
With their gay boast, ‘Australia will be there’,
Mateship and courage, loyalty and truth
The very essence of Australian youth!
We have no fears! Serene in faith we pray
For those dear gallant lads so far way.
AND ONE SMALL WOMAN WALKS WITH EYES A-SHINE
BECAUSE A LETTER CAME—FROM PALESTINE!
Alice Guerin Crist
(Alice wrote this poem while her son Dick Crist was fighting in the
Middle East. Sadly, Alice died before Dick finally returned to
Australia after serving in the Battle of El Alamein. Dick Crist is Peter
Dornan’s father-in-law.)
Last Man Standing PAGES 9/6/06 1:57 PM Page vii
Contents
Acknowledgements viii
Explanatory Note xii
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction xv
Prologue xvii
Part I—Tobruk
1 The Early Years 3
2 The Middle East 14
3 Tobruk 27
4 The Salient 45
5 Lebanon 53
Part II—Little El Alamein
6 Shammama 71
7 Hill of Jesus 93
8 Tel el Eisa 100
9 Prelude to El Alamein 127
Part III—El Alamein
10 The First Punch 145
11 Trig 29 156
12 Consolidation 166
13 Pushing North 174
14 Precursor to Operation Supercharge 179
15 The Breakout 199
Epilogue: The Years After 211
Further Reading 214
Last Man Standing PAGES 9/6/06 1:57 PM Page viii
Acknowledgements
Iwish to express my gratitude to a number of special people
whose assistance in the preparation of this book was indispens-
able. First, I have relied heavily on the oral histories given to me by
those who lived through the events described.
I am particularly grateful for the personal communication
with Zac Isaksson whose advice and paper, ‘Key to El
Alamein—Trig 29’, were extremely important. I have also relied
heavily on the battalion history Tobruk to Tarakan by John
Glenn. Mark Johnston’s That Magnificent 9th was also very
useful, as was Johnston and Peter Stanley’s Alamein: The
Australian Story.
Thanks also to Richard Cameron from the 2/2nd Machine
Gun Battalion for his continuous encouragement and editing, as
well as Maurie Trigger from the same battalion.
I am also indebted to Murray Adams and David Ryan who
helped with editing. A special accolade goes to my patient
personal assistant, Carol Jackson, whose comments were always
welcome. I am particularly grateful to my wife, Dimity, who
was my chief support system and cheersquad when I felt the
problems were getting too large.
Thank you also to Ray Hellier for his assistance with maps,
and also to Jean Taylor, Doug Tanner and Thelma Hogan
for their advice on research. I am particularly grateful for the
viii
Last Man Standing PAGES 9/6/06 1:57 PM Page ix
Acknowledgements
encouragement of Allen & Unwin staff, especially my editor
Catherine Taylor.
Finally, I have to thank Herb Ashby for his patience, openness
and willingness to share his unique experiences, to relive all that
passed and allow it to be witnessed by succeeding generations.
It is well understood that emotions become more vibrant and
poignant when viewed through the prism of warfare. Herb’s
ability to describe a moment in time with breathless urgency and
unrivalled intimacy offers insights that are both timeless and
universal.
Peter Dornan
January 2006
ix
Last Man Standing PAGES 9/6/06 1:57 PM Page x
GREECE
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Barka Derna
Martuba Tmimi
Benghazi Gulf of Bomba
Gazala
Acroma Tobruk
Gulf
of El Adem Gambut
Sidra Sidi Rezegh Bardia
Msus Sidi Azeiz Gulf of SalSuimdi Barrani
Salum
Antelat
Es Sider Agedabia Halfaya Pass) ( Mersa Matruh
Sidi Omar LIBYAN PLATEAU
Knightsbridge
El Agheila Bir Hacheim LG 122
CYRENAICA
Fort Maddalena
Marada
Awjilah
Siwa
LIBYA LIBYAN
DESERT
Ain Dalla
Tazerbo Oasis
NORTH AFRICA
Kilometres
0 100 200
North Africa, circa Second World War