The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (SX21753) Lieutenant Colin Douglas Simper, 2/48th Battalion, AIF, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Craig Berelle, the story for this day was on (SX21753) Lieutenant Colin Douglas Simper, 2/48th Battalion, AIF, Second World War.

SX21753 Lieutenant Colin Douglas Simper, 2/48th Battalion, AIF
DOW 9 June 1945
Photograph: P03039.001

Story delivered 29 October 2015

Today we remember and pay tribute to Lieutenant Colin Simper.

Colin Douglas Simper was born on 28 April 1919 in Clarendon, South Australia, to Sydney and Sylvia Simper. He was the last of seven children born to the couple.

Simper attended school in the suburb of Rosewater Gardens, and in 1935 he enrolled as a senior cadet in detachment associated with 43rd/48th Battalion. On leaving school he went to work as an assistant for his father, who was a well-regarded local blacksmith and Boer War veteran. He was mobilised for war service in December 1939 with the 43rd Battalion, and by March 1941 he had been promoted to sergeant.

Next month Simper attended a Sunday night dance, where he met Irene Bean and the two began a courtship. Simper knew very early on that he had met his future wife; he began writing Irene letters telling her how much he cared for her.

Simper’s army service kept him busy, but on 12 December he and Irene were married at her family home at Blackwood. They were given a two-day honeymoon before Simper returned to the 43rd Battalion. He entrained for Darwin, arriving on Christmas Day. On 19 February 1942 Japanese aircraft bombed the city, and the 43rd Battalion was involved in trying to stop the Japanese attacks on the town and its port.

In July Simper transferred to the AIF and was sent to the officer training school at Bonegilla in Victoria. He passed the course and returned to Darwin in November. The following April his battalion went back to South Australia and the men were sent on an extended period of leave; Simper spent his time with Irene, who was pregnant with their first child. He returned to the battalion in early May, and at the end of the month entrained for Queensland.

That August Irene gave birth to a baby girl, Eleanor.

Simper gained the rank of lieutenant and was transferred to an infantry training battalion, spending several months at a jungle warfare school. In mid-1944 he was posted to the 2/48th Battalion as pioneer platoon commander, and later attended a junior leaders’ course as a trainee weapons instructor. He was considered a “good, intelligent and vigorous instructor”, with “good bearing and pleasing personality”. His weapons handling was also praised, and he passed the course with distinction.

In November Simper attended a pioneer course, during which he again impressed his assessors. He passed the course on 7 December, the same day his son, Douglas, was born.

The men of the 2/48th Battalion sailed for Morotai in April 1945 to prepare for the operation to retake Borneo, and in May took part in the landing at Tarakan. The rest of the month was spent repairing bomb-cratered roads and bridges, unloading stores, building service facilities, and serving as stretcher-bearers.

In early June Simper and three of his men were involved in a patrol clash with Japanese troops during which the enemy was forced to retreat. Six days later Simper led a patrol of six men to lay booby traps in the area. They encountered a Japanese patrol, and in the ensuing action one Australian was mortally wounded. Simper tried to bring in his wounded man, but in the attempt was
shot in the lower back.

Disengaging from the Japanese patrol, Simper took himself to a casualty clearing station. After surgery he was listed as dangerously ill, and he never recovered. He died on 9 June 1945. He was 26 years old.

Simper’s body was initially laid to rest in the Tarakan War Cemetery, but after the war he was re-interred in the Labuan War Cemetery.

Colin Simper’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among some 40,000 others from the Second World War. His photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Lieutenant Colin Douglas Simper, and all Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.

Michael Kelly
Historian, Military History Section