Bombing of Darwin veteran Mervyn Ey passes away aged 99

One of the three surviving Bombing of Darwin heroes passed away earlier this week.

ONE of the three surviving Bombing of Darwin heroes, Mervyn Ey, passed away earlier this week.

Born in Adelaide on November 24, 1921, Mr Ey was just 19 years old when he enlisted in the Australian Defence Force with the 27th Infantry Battalion in October 1941.

He had just turned 20 when he found himself on a road train on the way up to Darwin in December, 1941.

When the first bombs dropped on Australia on February 19, 1942, Mr Ey was building infantry defences to the north of the city.

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His battalion was scattered along the foreshore between Nightcliff and Rapid Creek, working on barbed wire fences – defence against soldiers who may have been making their way up from the beach.

The battalion watched the planes fly overhead when they heard the bombs but they knew they were too far away to be hurt by the blast.

At commemorations gone by, Mr Ey spoke of how the troops held their nerve, and how the anti-aircraft, infantry battalions and artillery were all proud of their efforts.

World War II veteran Mervyn Ey, who spent time based in Darwin during the war, has passed away.

“No one was scared that much that they left their posts, they can be very proud of that,” he said in 2020.

“I like coming back each year to hear what veterans have to say and it’s something in your old life that you like doing.”

Mr Ey’s family, who still live in his home town of Athelstone, South Australia, said he would be remembered as a gentle soul, with Darwin holding a special place in his heart.

“He was just a gentle hero to us and he loved his trips to Darwin,” his children Len and Christine said on behalf of the family.

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“He appreciated the way he was so well looked after up there.”

Mr Ey was the only veteran who was able to make the trek to Darwin for the Bombing of Darwin Commemorations this year, with the uncertainty of border closure due to coronavirus pandemic keeping Brian Winspear and Basil Stahl in Tasmania and Queensland respectively.

Mervyn Ey passed away aged 99.

Originally published as Bombing of Darwin veteran Mervyn Ey passes away aged 99