Obituary. — Private John Donaldson Neill, whose death from wounds has been reported in Libya, was well known in this district. Prior to being called up he was manager for Messrs A. Horne and Son, Middlemarch, in conjunction with which business he ran the rural delivery. Mr Neill is the first Strath Taieri boy who has given his life for his country in the present struggle, and much regret has been expressed at his death. -Otago Daily Times, 21/1/1942.
-Evening Star, 12/1/1942.
John Neill was with the 23rd Infantry Battalion when it made its advance on Italian positions at Gazala at the end of 1941. News had arrived that Japan and the USA had entered the war and the prevailing attitude was to "get on with it." And so they did. Sergeant J Harper described the charge of the Italian trenches:
"…So steady was the advance that the (Italian) gunners could not range quickly enough with the result that the shells were bursting behind our line, though to me it seemed that several direct hits were made on the right flank but the boys came out of the smoke and dust still in line, never faltering. It was a magnificent sight to see that thin line moving steadily forward into a hail of lead, with shells of all sizes…bursting all around….the fact that the ground was sandy saved more casualties….One more dash brought us to within bayonet reach. We crossed the ground swiftly, some of the boys shouting encouragement to each other. From my position on the left flank, I could see our line, straight enough to bring joy to any bayonet instructor, stretching away to the right flank. Roaring “Forward!”, I came up ready for the final dash. It made the blood sing to see the boys leap forward, a steady line of gleaming steel backed by grim faces. Nothing short of death could stop them now."
The 23rd consolidated their position and faced off an Italian counter-attack, which was described in the diary of Private Len Diamond:
"A slight pause and then the counter-attack, shot and shell, mortar and Breda make the ridge a red hot hell, a very determined counter-attack it seemed. Eyeties 50 or 60 yards off as thick as flies, and no support in sight for little old C Company. We grabbed their Bredas and used them. We give them everything, and then the unexplainable happened, they chucked it in, simply left their guns and hopped it towards Derna. There's no accounting for them. Through the action of aggressive, high spirited men, a mere company of us put to flight at least a battalion of sawdust cæsars. We captured two hundred odd prisoners, a large number of Bredas, Fiats, mortars, etc. But you ought to have seen the Eyeties that got away.
"Our fellows marched in 11 Italians including an officer. Nearly got a Hun, too. This is dinkum. When our fellows approached them, the 'Hun' wanted to have a crack at us, with the help of the 'Eyeties' of course, but the Italians didn't agree with the Hun, so to ease the situation they shot the Hun."
For the23rd, the day was a contrast to their recent experience on the island of Crete - facing Italian troops instead of the crack German paratroops and the skies full of British aircraft instead of the Luftwaffe.
Their relatively light casualties included 25 dead, including John Neill.
FOR THE EMPIRE’S CAUSE
In Memoriam
NEILL. — In fond remembrance of Private John Donaldson Neill, died of wounds, Libya, December 11, 1941.
Gone from us that smiling face, Those kind and pleasing ways,
The heart that won so many friends In happy, bygone days.
— Inserted by Bill and Helen. -Otago Daily Times, 11/12/1945.
Port Chalmers Cemetery.
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