Allan Bloomfield Jeans
Stephen LearmonthAllan was born at Nyah in north-west Victoria on the 12th of July 1909 to John Bloomfield (Jack) and Annie Paulina (née Haeusler) Jeans. Allan would have five other siblings, four brothers and a sister.
Three of his brothers, William, Samuel and Edward would all enlist. Samuel enlisted in the RAAF while the other two in the Army. Edward would be killed in action at Singapore while William would die from dysentery and Beri Beri as a POW on the Burma Railway.
Allan enlisted on the 2nd of August, 1941, as Swan Hill in Victoria’s north-west. At the time he was a single, 30 year-old carrier. He gave his mother as his next-of-kin. On the 13th of August he was taken on strength at the Recruitment Depot at Royal Park in Melbourne. He was allocated the Army Number VX61686. Three days he was granted leave without pay until the 30th of August.
In early September Allan was transferred to the 8th Armoured Regiment based at Puckapunyal in Victoria. The last week of October saw him admitted to the 107th Australian General Hospital on base at Puckapunyal, although the reason for being hospitalised is unknown. In amongst the training regime, Allan was granted 28 days leave without pay to help with fruit picking at Mildura. Like many other soldiers, Allan had his fair share of short absences without leave stints. The penalty for these were either a fine of up to 10 shillings or a forfeit of a number of days pay, usually 2.
The Regiment moved to Queensland in order to complete training. On the 17th of April, 1943, they embarked on the Katoomba, disembarking at Port Moresby two days later on the 19th. In December of 1943 he was sent back to Townsville in order to attend a variety of courses. Allan was transferred to the Australia Water Transport Training Centre followed by a move to the 43rd Australian Landing Craft Company, Royal Australian Engineers. On the 9th of September 1944 he embarked on the Taroona at Townsville and disembarked at Lae, Papua. Mid-October saw a transfer to the 55th Australian Port Landing Company followed by a promotion to Lance-corporal and then on the 1st of February to Corporal.
On the 18th of June 1945, a detachment of the 55th was sent to Kar Kar, an island approximately 60 kilometres north of Madang, which is on the north-eastern coast of Papua New Guinea. Their task was to transport supplies and copra from the island back to the mainland (see photograph below). By the 20th a small contingent from the Kar Kar group was working on Kranket Island; a small island across the strait from Madang. Allan was on duty here when, at 0945 hours, an explosion occurred. Unfortunately, he died of the injuries that he received, while a Corporal McArthur was admitted to the 102nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station with injuries to his right leg. A Court of Inquiry was unable to determine what had caused the explosion. Allan was buried the following day in the Lae War Cemetery.
He is remembered on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the Bandiana - 2/8th Armoured Regiment, the Nyah Memorial Gates, the Swan Hill War Memorial, and the Corryong War Memorial. For his service, he was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, the Pacific Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal 1939-1945 and the Australian Service Medal 1939-1945.
