Eckert Family History - Eckert

John David "Jack" Eckert & Evelyn Gray

Pre-WWII

Jack was born 24Nov1906. The birth was registered ar Barraba, NSW.

Jack had an older half-brother/brother - George Eric Browning (b. 22Feb1903). George was born before Jack's parents married 3Aug1905; his birth certificate does not have his father listed. George's WWII enlistment papers give his next of kin as Jack.

Jack's sister Mary Augustus "Gus" was born in 1907.

He probably worked on his parents property.

In 1928, on his 22rd birthday, he married Evelyn Gray, who was 25. The marriage was at St Nicholas Catholic Church in Tamworth.

Evelyn was born 14Aug1903, in Singapore. She was the fourth of nine children to Benjamin Charles Thomas Gray and Annie Gertrude Millington. Her father was born in England, and was an accountant who had travelled and worked in various Asian countries before moving to Australia in 1910. Her mother was born in Singapore, and was the daughter of a sea captain who apparently lived in Singapore.

Download marriage certificate [628Kb PDF]

Children of Jack and Evelyn

Edward John "Ted", 28Sep1929 - Jun1999; married Annette Rae Page.

Reginald, 5Oct1933 - 1995; married Nola Beale.

Lionel Rex, 7May1936 - living; married: 1. Helen Davis, 2.?

Residential Data

Electoral Rolls

1928: Evelyn Grey - "Killara", - school teacher. Note different spelling of Gray; "Killara" was an Eckert property at Woods Reef. Was Evelyn teaching at Woods Reef School and boarding at "Killara"? If so, this is probably how Jack and Evelyn met.
1928: John David Eckert - Woods Reef - labourer
1928: Evelyn Eckert - "Iona", Barraba - home duties
1930: JDE - Woods Reef - labourer
1930: EE - "Iona" - home duties
1936: JDE - Woods Reef - labourer
1936: EE - "Iona" - home duties
1937: JDE - Woods Reef - labourer
1937: EE - "Iona" - home duties
1943: JDE - "Karinga", Barraba - auctioneer [nb Jack was in the Army at this time, this entry may have been carried over from previous electoral rolls]
1943: EE - Rodney St, Barraba

Timeline 1896 - 1938

1896 - Evelyn's parents marry, probably in Singapore;
1897 - Evelyn's brother, Lionel, born, probably in Singapore;
1898 - Evelyn's sister, Sadie, born, probably in Singapore;
1900 - Evelyn's brother, Debonnaire, born, Singapore;
1903 - 14Aug - Evelyn born, Singapore;
1904 - Evelyn's brother, Reginald, born, Singapore;
1905 - 3Aug - Jack's parents marry, Barraba;
1905 - 24Nov - Jack born, Barraba
1907 - Jack's sister, Gus, born, Barraba;
1909 - Evelyn's sister, Doreen, born, England;
1910 - 9Dec - Evelyn's sister, Felicia, born, Tamworth;
1913 - Evelyn's sister, Portia, born, Tamworth;
1916 - Evelyn's sister, Flavia, born;
1917 - 21Jul - Jack's uncle, Martin Eckert, 35, killed during WW1;
1918 - Jack's aunt, Sophia Eckert, 22, married James Gray Alexander;
1919 - Jack's aunt, Matilda Eckert, 20, married Chester Currell, 25;
1920 - Jack's uncle, George Eckert, 32, married Henriette Koerstz;
1922 - 27May - Evelyn's sister, Portia, died aged 9;
1923 - Jack's uncle, Harold Eckert, 29, married Margaret Rodger, 35;
1923 - Jack's uncle, Charles Philip Eckert, 40, married Vera Adams;
1925 - 14May - Evelyn's sister, Doreen, 16, married Donald Johnson, 18;
1926 - Feb - Evelyn's sister, Doreen, died aged 16;her baby, survived;
1927 - Jack's uncle, Albert Eckert, 37, married Olive Jurd, 28;
1927 - Jack's maternal grandmother, Mary Ann Johnston, died aged 72;
1927 - 17Sep - Evelyn's sister, Felicia, 16, married William Thorsby, 20;
1927 - 13Apr - Evelyn's brother, Reginald, 23 married Ellen Johnson, 19;
1928 - 24Nov - Jack, 23, & Evelyn, 25, married, Tamworth;
1929 - 19Feb - Evelyn's brother, Debonnnaire, died aged 29;
1929 - 28Sep - Son, Edward John Eckert born, Barraba;
1930 - Jack's aunt, Mary Eckert, 29, married Gilbert Anderson, 31;
1930 - 27Aug - Evelyn's father, Benjamnin Charles Thomas Gray, died aged 72;
1931 - Jack's uncle, William Eckert, 44, married Ethel Masterton, 22;
1931 - 15Sep - Jack's aunt, Rose Crowley (nee Eckert), died aged 45;
1933 - 5Oct - Son, Reginald Eckert born, Barraba;
1934 - 22Jun - Jack's mother, Edith May Eckert (nee Browning), died aged 50;
1934 - 4Nov - Jack's paternal grandfather, Charles Henry Eckert, died aged 84;
1936 - 7May - Son, Lionel Rex Eckert born, Barraba;
1938 - 21Aug - Jack's paternal grandmother, Mary Lucy Eckert (nee Post), died aged 78;

WWII

{add photo of Pop's medals}

Jack applied to join the Army on 1Jul1940, and signed the oath of enlistment on 29Aug1940; he was just a few months short of his 35th birthday.

Jack served with 2/12 Field Ambulance.

Whilst undergoing training at Cowra he spent 2 weeks (30Dec40 - 13Jan41)in hospital with acute bronchitis and sinusitis.

After Cowra, during March and April 1941, 2/12 travelled by train to Alice Springs, then by road to Darwin, an arduous journey on the unsealed road at the end of wet season.

Over the next few months they were camped near the Darwin RAAF base at Winellie.

In December 1941 he was one of a small group from 2/12 to be sent to Ambon Island in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), as part of "Gull Force".

From 6 January 1942 the Japanese began air raids on Ambon. In late January 1942, Japanese land forces attacked Ambon; and after a few days the battle was over and Ambon had fallen.

He was held as a prisoner-of-war on Ambon until 25Oct1942 when a lot of the men were transferred to a camp on Hainan Island, off China.

At the end of the war the POW's on Hainan were liberated by the Americans. They were evacuated to Hong Kong on the Royal Navy Hospital ship Gerusalemme, then to Sydney aboard the carrier HMS Striker to Sydney, arriving there on 9Oct1945.

He was finally discharged from the army on 7Dec1945.

SMH 21sep1945
Sydney Morning Herald - 21Sep1945.

Photo donated by Tom Pledger to AWM, [photo copyright expired, photo public domain].
Photo description from AWM:

ex POWs on Gerusalemme At sea. September 1945.
Group portrait of recently released Prisoners of War (POWs) outside the x-ray darkroom on board the Royal Navy Hospital ship Gerusalemme.
The POWs had been held in a camp on Hainan Island near China, and were released by United States soldiers.
The Gerusalemme was transporting 139 released POWs, 56 of them Australian, from Hong Kong to Australia, and was scheduled to rendezvous with the Hospital Ship Maunganui in Manila, when it was ordered to return to Hong Kong.
VX39777 Private James W. Adams died of illness, while the ship was anchored in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong.
Most of the other Australians returned home from Hong Kong on board HMS Striker.
Identified, back row, left to right:
Neil McKellar, Charlie Woodward, H J Bransdon, Bill Petrie, unknown, Dalley Griffin, I R Fishwick, Vince Hubbard.
Middle row: Frank Beddiscombe, unknown, Ken Alder, unknown, W D (David) Harries, C R (Clarry) O'Bryan,
J D (Jack) Eckert, Clement James Righetti.
Front row: Jack Craig, Bill Knuckey, J E McDougall, ? McDonald, T M (Tom) Phillips, unknown, Alan Brownley.

ANZAC day 1980

Jack's Army records [6Mb PDF]
"Gull Force - Survival and leadership in captivity 1941-1945" by Joan Beaumont; ISBN 0 04 302008 9. [biblioz search].
"Ambon - Island of Mist" by Courtney T Harrison; ISBN 0 7316 4751 3. [Review], [biblioz search].
Tom Pledgers Prisoner of War Diary 1940-45" by Athol "Tom" Pledger - orignal held at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra,
Extracts, commentary and links at Paul Pledger's website. (Link no longer works - PDF snapshot of site is available below)
PDF of Paul Pledgers website [650Kb PDF].
History of 2/12th Australian Field Ambulance [369Kb PDF].
2/12 Field Ambulance - history, photo's.
Wikipedia 2/12 Field Ambulance.
Australian War Memorial search results for 2/12 Field Ambulance.
Fall of Ambon.
Blood Oath, movie, a fictionalised account of the trial of the Japanese officers responsible for the executions of Australians on Ambon.
AWM POW record

Timeline 1939 - 1945

1939 - 3Sep - Britain declares war on Germany;
1939 -12Nov - Jack's father, John Eckert, died aged 55;
1940 - 1Jul - Jack applies to join the AIF;
1940 - 29Aug - Jack signs Oath of Enlistment;
1940 - 6Sep - Jack taken on strength with 3IT Bn at Tamworth;
1940 - 6 - 14Sep - Jack hospitalised;
1940 - 27Sep - Jack taken on strength with AAMC at Tamworth;
1940 - 9Oct - Jack taken on strength with AAMC at S/ground;
1940 - 16 - 23Oct - Jack hospitalised with measels;
1940 - 30Dec - 13Jan1941 - Jack hospitalised with acute bronchitis and sinusitis;
1941 - 12Mar - Jack departed Sydney by train for Darwin;
1941 - 9Apr - Jack arrived Darwin;
1941 - 14Apr - Evelyn's address changed to Rodney St, Barraba (change in Jack's Army documents);
1941 - 9Jun - Evelyn's mother, Annie Gertrude Gray (nee Millington), died aged 61.
1941 - 7Dec - War in the Pacific begins when Japanese bomb Pearl Harbour and the Phillipines;
1941 - 13Dec - Jack embarks for overseas service;
1941 - 17Dec - Jack disembarks in Ambon;
1942 - 6Jan - Japanese begin air-raids on Ambon;
1942 - late Jan - Japanese invade Ambon;
1942 - 2Feb - Jack listed as "Missing";
1942 - 17Feb - Jack listed as "Prisoner of War";
1942 - 25Oct - 4Nov - Taiko Maru transports Jack and about 500 other POW's from Ambon to Hainan;
1945 - 8May - Germany surrenders;
1945 - 6Aug - Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima;
1945 - 9Aug - Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki;
1945 - 14Aug - Japan surrenders;
1945 - 20Sep - Jack leaves Hainan Is. aboard Gerusalemme;
1945 - 27Sep - Jack leaves Hong Kong aboard HMS Stiker;
1945 - 9Oct - Jack arrives Sydney;
1945 - 7Dec - Jack discharged from AIF.

Post WWII

Although the 1965 Electoral roll shows Jack & Evelyn still living at Rodney St, Barraba, an Air Force document of Ted's dated 24May1956 shows them living at "Glencoe" near Manilla. They were still at Rodney St, Barraba in 1948 when Ted Enlisted in the RAAF.

Jack Eckert

Jack and Evelyn
Evelyn and Jack at Ted's wedding, 1962.

Jack Eckert
Jack at Rex's wedding.? and Norm Davis

Rex and Helen.

Jack Eckert
Jack and ? Davis?

Evelyn passed away 28Mar1967, and was buried at Manila.

Sometime in the 70's Jack sold "Glencoe" and retired. He lived with various family members, sometimes in his caravan. He lived at a caravan park in Tuncurry for a while. He had a flat in Gloucester, lived with Vicki and Peter Ball in Medowie, and finally spent his final years at Gloucester.

He died 19Dec1996 at Gloucester, was cremated at Beresfield, and his remains interred at Barraba.

Jack Eckert grave