Sergeant Ian Allister McGregor CAMERON
1 Nov 1907 – 18 Jun 1943
Ian Allister McGregor CAMERON was born on 1st November 1907, the youngest son of Donald and Annie Cameron at Hyde Park, South Australia. He was educated at schools in Unley and Goodwood with his brothers and sisters.
Ian was known as “Dick” to all his friends and family. Dick played football, playing very well as a ruckman. He was a well admired player in the leagues and clubs he played at including Goodwood, the Hills and the Waikerie Football Club.
He was married to Violet Cameron and they had three children, Heather, Jim and Jennifer. They had moved to Bradbury and Dick was employed at the Adelaide Silicate Company when he enlisted in the 2nd Australian Infantry Force, attesting on 9th March 1940.
Dick completed his training and, as part of the 70th Battalion (and later the 2/31st battalion) he was given pre embarkation leave from 11th June 1940, leaving his wife and children for the last time on 19th June, 1940. One week earlier he had been made a Temporary Sergeant.
On 22nd June 1940 Dick embarked on the “SS Strathmore”.. It left Britain on 4 January 1941 and disembarked in Egypt on 9 March. On 11 April, they moved to Egypt to bolster the defences along the Libyan frontier against an expected German attack. In late May 1941, the 2/31st returned to Palestine to take part in the 25th Brigade’s first offensive operation – the invasion of Syria and Lebanon. The 2/31st’s first major engagement in eastern Lebanon was around Khirbe between 8 and 11 June.
It was subsequently ordered to capture the town of Jezzine, which controlled routes to the coast. Jezzine fell to the 2/31st on 14 June but was heavily counter-attacked by the Vichy French on the 16th. The terrain around Jezzine was steep and rugged and the fighting exhausting; it was still in progress when the armistice was declared on 12 July. Unfortunately Dick was killed in action on 18th June 1941, almost a year to the day he had last seen his family.
Ian “Dick” CAMERON is interred in the Beirut War Cemetery and is commemorated on the Australian War Memorial on the Roll of Honour.
CAMERON Street at SUNLANDS is named after him. Dick is also commemorated with a tree and plaque here in the WAIKERIE War Memorial Gardens.
