Ian Duncan Gordon McIntrye
Ian Duncan Gordon McIntrye

In Memory of

Trooper

Ian Duncan Gordon McIntrye

QX5580 2nd/5th Cavalry Commando Squadron
who died age 23
on 01 July 1945

Son of Duncan Gordon McIntyre and Marian Wilhelmina McIntyre, of Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia

Remembered with honour
Labuan War Cemetery, Borneo

Ian Duncan Gordon McIntrye

Trooper Ian Duncan Gordon McIntyre, the son of Duncan Gordon McIntyre and Marian Wilhelmina McIntyre (nee Morison), was born at Sydney in New South Wales on 8th June 1922.  He was educated at the Toowoomba Grammar School.  At the age of 19 years and 6 months he voluntarily enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Toowoomba on 19th December 1941 after swearing the statutory oath that he would serve for the duration of the war and an additional twelve months.  Prior to his enlistment, he was single and employed as a Bank Clerk.  He had no previous military experience.  He gave his next of kin as his mother, Marian Wilhelmina McIntyre, residing at 25 Llewellyn Street in Toowoomba.  His mother’s address was later changed to Flag Staff Hill, Tweed Heads, New South Wales.  His physical description at the time of his enlistment was that he was five feet nine inches in height and weighed 168 pounds.  He had a fair complexion, grey eyes and fair hair.  He stated that he was of the Presbyterian religion.  He was allotted the regimental number of QX25804.

Trooper Ian McIntyre joined the General Recruit Camp at the Exhibition Grounds in Brisbane on 19th December 1941.  He was allocated to the 41st Field Training Battery at the Grovely Camp on 22nd December 1941.  He was promoted to the rank of Lance Bombardier on 29th January 1942.  He was transferred to the 17th Field Regiment at Grovely on 23rd March 1942.  He was promoted to the rank of Lance Sergeant on 26th March 1942.  He attended a training course at the School of Artillery at Holsworthy Camp in New South Wales on 26th April 1942.  He was attached to the 5th/11th Training Battery at Goondiwindi in Queensland on 22nd July 1942.  He joined 17th Field Regiment on 8th August 1942 and was promoted to the rank of Bombardier on 24th August 1942.  (His previous rank of Lance Sergeant may have been given whilst he undertook instructional duties at the Artillery School at Holsworthy.  On 6th August 1943 he joined the 2nd Australian Corps Recruit Camp for re-allocation.

Trooper Ian McIntyre joined the 2nd/5th Independent Company (2nd/5th Commando Squadron) on 11th August 1943 and reverted to the rank of Trooper at his own request.  He transferred to the Australian Army Medical Corps as a Nursing Orderly (Training Group 3) on 25th October 1944.  Upon completion of his nursing orderly training he rejoined the 2nd/5th Commando Squadron on 4th December 1944.  He embarked for overseas service in the Australian Imperial Force from Cairns in Queensland on Landing Ship Tank No. 1017 on 27th May 1945 and he disembarked from the ship at Morotai on 13th June 1945.  He embarked from Morotai on the sea transport “Manoora” for service in British North Borneo on 21st June 1945.

Australian War Memorial photograph 089724
Troopers of a Commando Squadron in a Bren Gun pit covering a track in Borneo.

Trooper Ian McIntyre was killed in action at Balikpapan, Borneo, on 1st July 1945.  At the time of his death Ian McIntyre was 23 years of age.  He is buried in the Balikpapan Australian Beach Group Cemetery on 2nd July 1945.  His remains were later exhumed and reburied in the Labuan War Cemetery, Malaysia, on 21st August 1945.  A family inscription of “Till the daybreak and shadows flee away” is recorded on his headstone.  Ian McIntyre’s name is commemorated on Panel No. 13 at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and locally on the Toowoomba Grammar School World War 2 Roll of Honour.

Australian War Memorial photograph 119353
View of the Balikpapan War Cemetery overlooking Balikpapan Bay in 1945.

Detailed Map of Balikpapan, Borneo from 1945  Map of the Week

 Toowoomba Grammar School archive records show that he enrolled as a student on 1st January 1936 and left the school on 30th June 1938.

 

External Links

CWGC

Australian War Memorial

NAA Miltiary Records


Download as PDF