What happened to Hugh Paterson banjo Paterson son?

Answer 1

I am not sure of the eventual fate of Hugh Patterson but during WW2 he served with the Australian Army (AIF). He was in fact a "Rat of Tobruk", and according to Robert Lyman in 'The Longest Siege', Private Hugh Patterson, was a driver in the 20th Brigade, AIF. Lyman cites Patterson as being responsible for writing a song at Tobruk which amounted to a humorous complaint about their lot there, the song being liberally spiced with the popular Australian swear word "bloody" and regularly sung as a morale booster by the Australian "Rats of Tobruk". Lyman does not mention the eventual fate of Patterson. My comments on the preceding passage are based on memory of my father's rare, short, random comments about Tobruk and NG, research of 20th Brigade's Battalion War Diaries, WW2 "The Australians at War" film archives of Alec Hill 2/13th Battalion and of Ray Rudkin 2/17th Battalion, "B" Company Second Seventeeth Infantry" by H.D.Wells 1984, ABC Film Desert War 2012, nx records and conversations with these veterans -Joseph Madeley 2/13th Battalion, Edward McEwan 2/15th Battalion, Gordon(Walter) Wallace 2/15th Battalion and Arthur Napper of the 2/32nd Battalion. The WW2 nominal roll lists a Hugh Barton PATERSON, son of the poet Banjo PATERSON, nx29475 AIF born 1906 would likely have been sent home from the Middle East in 1942 with the rest of the "old and bold". His relatives have not paid the $29.90 to open up Hugh's War Service Record at the WW2 army naa.gov.au site so Hugh's presence, serving in a Unit at Tobruk, can't be verified. Hugh was discharged as a lieutenant from the AA Amenities unit in 1945 and doubt an officer was driving a truck in the Middle East , maybe he got rapid promotions from private-unlikely. Certainly the poems distributed during the Siege heartened the defenders but I think that, when a Battalion was relieved from its defensive position, the scrounging of supplies were much appreciated by the various platoons of infantrymen as was the opportunity to swim and wash at the little Tobruk cove. The "borrowing" by individuals of chocolates, sausages, American potatoes, peaches, pineapple cubes, margarine, South African jams, cigarettes and beer, from the British Supply Dumps in Tobruk, were a welcome addition to their staple diet of tinned bull-beef. The legendary Rats of Tobruk comprised the 9th Division battalions , the 18th Brigade of the 7th Division together with Engineers, 2/12th Artillery and several Anti-Tank units - they were the sole,only Australians at the 8 month long "Defence of Tobruk". Months earlier the 6th Division battalions took Tobruk from Italian forces and garrisoned the town. The 6th division were relieved in the Western Desert by the 9th Division and sent to Syria some months BEFORE the Siege of Tobruk commenced. Now one private/corporal Walter PATTERSON aka BANJO of St.Peters,Sydney nx17978 served with my dad Paul McCann nx24332 both in the AIF 20th Brigade's NSW 2/17th Battalion(B Company) and at the 20th Brigade's 20AITB Palestine training base as instructors for reinforcements who were then led forward to the siege of Tobruk. In Libya on 3 March1941, Paul McCann and thirty one other temporary-promoted privates, sergeants and officers,including Capt. John Broadbent, B Company commander and later General,entrained from Mersa Matruh to help form the 20AITB back at the Reinforcement Depot with other men returning from hospital care like Walter and Joe Ahearn. All ranks rotationally manned the remote Training Battalion(AITB) while battles were on as the nucleus to reform AIF battalions(2/13,2/15,2/17) should a battalion be wiped out /captured. A few weeks later when the 20th Brigade had reached Tobruk, they were selected to defend El Adem Road; the British Commanding General enquired of Morshead as to "why do you want that lot if ill-disciplined and incorrigible troops to defend the expected first attack from Rommel?" And so over the 4 days of Easter 1941, the NSWers and QLDers of 20th Brigade, backed by Morshead "(because they will do the job, General)" won the Easter Battle over Rommel's champions of Europe, the historic first defeat of the German Army and the first VC for the AIF and to the 2/17ths Jack Edmondson. Walter an affable, always jovial, slim, shorter man was known to all in the 3 Battalions of 20 Brigade as BANJO. It has taken a long time to track down dad's oft-mentioned (only talked about the ones who returned) very fond, no doubt ever-grinning larrikin mate always recalled with a smile Banjo and his WW2 nominal army roll and matching Banjo's 8 photos in my album to the now FREE OPEN WW2 naa War Service Record nx17978. Besides the AIF infantry fellas MAIN duty of fighting/signals/manning Italian artillery guns, their other duties included being cook, orderly, sergeants mess,collecting the mail and pays,"intelligence" and driver. I believe that Banjo and other instructors from the 20AITB led reinforcements from the Egytian port of Mersa Matruh to the Siege on several hazardous "Tobruk Ferry" journeys on Australian destroyers. On the WW2 film archive tapes, Alec Hill confirms the presence of men from the 20AITB (who are actually soldiers of the 20th Brigade battalions) by crediting "the marvellous small chap Banjo" at an early stage of the siege, with bringing in the first German prisoner from Morshead's-directed nightly patrols , with his small platoon section night patrol maybe with green reinforcements that went into no-mans land outside Tobruk town. A large German soldier, one Karl Reichberger , wrapped in a greatcoat and carrying a little bag was spotted wandering and grabbed by Banjo. Karl waved his great foot at Major Hill and said " Ich bin ein fui"j1/2ballspieler"; that footballer sure wanted out of there. On reflection a good time to desert - he'd had enough. Obviously the 20AITB instructors returned to the Reinforcement Depot by hastily boarding the Australian destroyers that were taking out the sick and wounded, soldiers selected for training or transfer and POWS. My dad Paul was, as the "Rats of Tobruk Association member " former Major Philip Pike informed us at the farewell , also a B Company Corporal/Sergeant runner (like Gibson in Gallipoli). Paul brought the mail up with the pays and so the officers couldn't/wouldn't take his stripes when he was in trouble or maybe had been AWOL. So being the Company runner explains why Paul spoke several times about fatal incidents occurring near the B Company Staff Sergeant and I assume headquarters during the Battle of El Alamein in 1942 and afterwards in New Guinea; there was the leading up of reinforcements whilst trying to protect them from the sick,starving Japanese on the trails-"why do I have to do that asks the new private of the order from Paul?" (read Milne Bay Wikipedia reason); telling a new young lieutenant, going to the frontlines in NG, to lay down and avoid the incoming shelling rather than panic, run and die with shock showing a slight cut above his eyebrow. And then having to tell Paul's fellow West Wyalonger, General George Wootten what had happened to the lad from the grazier family. The 9th Division Commander in NG considered by Macarthur as Australia's best General then said "well I'll have to tell his family". George Wootten's Army service CV of both Wars described on Wikipedia is colossal.The following short recount from Paul about his mother confirms his presence in Tobruk as do photos with his mate "Fatty" Fred Peters of Kurri and 2 other men, the slim tall Philip Bodley and blonde James Edwards, the four soldiers of B Company 2/17th Battalion, all smiling, appearing relieved, haggard and jaded on the concourse of Tel Aviv Beach(near to the Club) in November of Autumn 1941- that means they've just been evacuated from Tobruk. My dad lost his mum, petite Sarah in mid-June 1941. On night patrol (recorded as acting corporal in the 20AITB), his reconnaissance patrol, maybe of green reinforcements getting experience, spotted German posts; around then 2/17th Battalion War Diary states the Germans outside Tobruk had started using random flares and powerful machine guns and so Paul,"the good soldier" laid down still overnight, the next day into the night until the enemy abandoned those forward post/s. He was reported MIA and the sick Sarah, mother of 10 fretted ,became gravely ill and was buried in Rookwood,Sydney. So how many times must this have happened to parents and wives during the absolute carnage of WW1? Banjo often took leave from the 20AITB with Paul and Joe Ahearn nx14503 sometimes beside the Bondi of Palestine, the AIF haunt, the Australian Soldiers Club overlooking Tel Aviv Beach or in Jerusalem; they drowned their sorrows. Joe's naa War Service Record is free and open; talk about depression, Joe and his late wife were together after Alamein but resting oceans apart. Very sad. The three mates in the 20AITB and the 2/17th.....Barry, February 2015.

Answer 2

Hugh Barton Paterson, known as Banjo Paterson's son, lived a troubled life marked by Alcoholism and financial difficulties. He struggled to live up to the expectations set by his famous father and experienced personal and professional setbacks before passing away in 1941. His life was overshadowed by his father's legacy as a renowned Australian bush poet.

Answer 3

I have been conducting intensive research into Australia's Oldest Pastoral Institution; The Australian Mercantile Land & Finance Company (AML&F). Hugh Paterson worked with the company if you want more contact me (Michael G.)