COMMANDING OFFICERS

Kenneth William Eather was the first commanding officer of the 2/1 Infantry Battalion when it was established in October 1939 at Victoria Barracks, Sydney. He led the battalion during the attack on Bardia in January 1941 where he received the Distinguished Service Order, and the subsequent capture of Tobruk. After a period of acting commander of the 16th Brigade (6 Division), Eather was appointed to command the 25th Brigade, 7th Division in December 1941. During 1942-1943 Eather led his Brigade in Papua against the Japanese, and was awarded the US Distinguished Service Cross, "for extraordinary heroism in action in New Guinea, during the Papuan campaign”, and also the Commander of the Order of the British Empire “for gallant leadership, outstanding devotion to duty, sustained untiring effort and conspicuous skill and ability in the Owen Stanley Range, New Guinea, Campaign”. He later was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath, the citation stating “Brigadier Eather by his capacity to command, by his drive and by the skill with which he manoeuvred his brigades contributed in no small measure to the final defeat of the enemy at Balikpapan”. On 8th June 1946 Eather was head of the Australian contingent of servicemen and women in the London Victory march. At his funeral in 1993 at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney, 1,000 veterans lined George Street.

At the outbreak of WW2, Paul Alfred Cullen was appointed to the 2/2nd Infantry Battalion as Captain. He served in the Libyan campaign (Bardia and Tobruk), and in Greece, where he escaped with a group of around 100 servicemen who made their way to Crete. He was among the last to leave Crete, being in charge of the 16th Composite Battalion that was protecting the evacuation points from advancing Germans.  Lt Colonel Paul Cullen was transferred from the 2/2nd Bn to take command of the 2/1st Infantry Battalion when the Battalions were in Ceylon on 11th June 1942 before returning to Australia, and he then commanded the battalion through to the end of the war. He led the Battalion with distinction during the Kokoda campaign from September to December 1942, throughout the battles at Eora Creek, Gorari and Soputa. In 1943 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for "continuous distinguished service in New Guinea, South West Pacific". He was awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Service Order for gallant and distinguished service in the Aitape–Wewak campaign (New Guinea, 1945).

Basil Wilfred Thomas Catterns (1917-2007) served with the 2/1st Infantry Battalion in the Middle East and North Africa. In Papua in 1942, as Captain of B Company, Catterns saw action on the Kokoda Track, winning a Military Cross and being mentioned in despatches for acts of gallantry which his battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Cullen, was moved to declare "the bravest thing I'd ever seen a man do".  

At Eora Creek in October 1942, the citation for his Military Cross states “His company was in a position 30 yards from the enemy . He organised an attack on the enemy position. Subsequently his men were well forward but  below the enemy position on rising ground. Notwithstanding the unfavourable position, the company maintained an offensive for seven days. While visiting forward section positions he was frequently a target for snipers.  Throughout, Captain Catterns continued to show unusually outstanding qualities of leadership and determination.”

At Soputa near Sanananda in November 1942 Catterns volunteered to lead a force of 90 men to put out of action a Japanese mountain gun that was holding up the advance, and encountered a force of over 1,000 enemy against which his men held out for over 24 hours.

Major Basil Catterns became the acting commander in 1945 following the promotion of Lt Col. P.A. Cullen through to the end of the war.

On the 15th August 1945 a signal with the code word “War Ends” was received. At 1125 hrs the order to Cease Fire was given by Major Catterns, the acting battalion commander.