Stan Bisset
Encyclopedia
Stan Bisset MC
, OAM
, (27 August 1912 – 5 October 2010) was an Australia
n national representative
rugby union
player and military officer who saw active service in the Second World War.
on 27 August 1912. He was a promising Australian Rules football ruckman before being persuaded to play rugby.
. He was one of four Victorians who were selected for the ill fated 1939 Wallaby tour of Great Britain that was captained by Vay Wilson
. The team docked at Southampton
on the day when England declared war and after a couple of weeks spent filling sandbags to start the war effort, the squad set sail for Australia having not played a game. Of the unlucky tourists, only Bill McLean
, Keith Windon and Len Smith
would return to footballing success after the war.
joining his older brother Hal, known as Butch. Stan was a lieutenant in charge of an intelligence section while Butch was a platoon commander. Both men saw service in the Middle East
before Australian forces returned to the South West Pacific
in 1942 to defend Australia against the Japanese push through Papua New Guinea
on the Kokoda Track
.
After arriving in Papua New Guinea, Stan and Butch were sent up the Kokoda Track
to relieve the 39th Battalion who were holding out the Japanese at Isurava
. During the battle Stan was wounded by a bullet which grazed an eyebrow, and Butch was wounded in action on the Kokoda Track and passed away in Stan's arms in 1942. Butch was buried on the Track.
Stan was awarded the Military Cross
for actions during the attack on Palliers Hill in the Markham and Ramu valleys in September 1943.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, OAM
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, (27 August 1912 – 5 October 2010) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n national representative
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player and military officer who saw active service in the Second World War.
Early life
Bisset was born in St Kilda, VictoriaSt Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
on 27 August 1912. He was a promising Australian Rules football ruckman before being persuaded to play rugby.
Rugby union career
A back-rower, Bisset played with the St Kilda Rugby Club in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. He was one of four Victorians who were selected for the ill fated 1939 Wallaby tour of Great Britain that was captained by Vay Wilson
Vay Wilson
Vayro Wilson DSC was an Australian World War II naval combatant and a state and national representative rugby union player who captained the Wallabies in three Test matches immediately prior to World War II.-Rugby career:...
. The team docked at Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
on the day when England declared war and after a couple of weeks spent filling sandbags to start the war effort, the squad set sail for Australia having not played a game. Of the unlucky tourists, only Bill McLean
Bill McLean
William Malcolm McLean was an Australian soldier and a state and national representative rugby union player who captained the Wallabies in five Test matches immediately after World War II.-Pre-war rugby:...
, Keith Windon and Len Smith
Len Smith
Len Smith was an Australian representative rugby union and rugby league footballer of the 1930s and 40s. He captained the Kangaroos in two Tests 1948 and was controversially omitted from the 1948-49 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain....
would return to footballing success after the war.
Second World War
Stan and the team returned home where he joined the 2/14th Battalion2/14th Battalion (Australia)
The 2/14th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army, which served during World War II. Part of the 21st Brigade, 7th Division, the battalion saw action against the Vichy French in Syria in 1941 before returning to Australia in early 1942. They subsequently fought against the...
joining his older brother Hal, known as Butch. Stan was a lieutenant in charge of an intelligence section while Butch was a platoon commander. Both men saw service in the Middle East
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
before Australian forces returned to the South West Pacific
South West Pacific Area
South West Pacific Area was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific theatres of World War II, during 1942–45...
in 1942 to defend Australia against the Japanese push through Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
on the Kokoda Track
Kokoda Track campaign
The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between Japanese and Allied—primarily Australian—forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua...
.
After arriving in Papua New Guinea, Stan and Butch were sent up the Kokoda Track
Kokoda Track
The Kokoda Trail or Track is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland — in a straight line — through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea...
to relieve the 39th Battalion who were holding out the Japanese at Isurava
Isurava, Papua New Guinea
Isurava is a small town in Papua New Guinea, located on the Kokoda Track. It is the site of the Isurava Memorial.On 11 August 2009 Airlines PNG Flight 4684 crashed into a mountain on the opposite side of the valley from Isurava, high above Misima village. It was attempting to go around at Kokoda...
. During the battle Stan was wounded by a bullet which grazed an eyebrow, and Butch was wounded in action on the Kokoda Track and passed away in Stan's arms in 1942. Butch was buried on the Track.
Stan was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
for actions during the attack on Palliers Hill in the Markham and Ramu valleys in September 1943.