Basil Catterns

Basil Wilfred Thomas Catterns, MC (11 August 1917 – 30 March 2007) was an Australian businessman, citizen soldier and amateur yachtsman.

Basil Catterns
Basil Catterns (left) in action in New Guinea, 1944
Born(1917-08-11)11 August 1917
Balmain, New South Wales
Died30 March 2007(2007-03-30) (aged 89)
AllegianceAustralia
Service/branchAustralian Army
RankMajor
Unit2/1st Battalion
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsMilitary Cross
Mentioned in Despatches
RelationsBasil G. Catterns (uncle)
Angela Catterns (daughter)

Early years

Catterns was born in Balmain, Sydney,[1] on 11 August 1917, the son of an English merchant seaman, Wilfred Catterns, and Emily (née Greenwell). An uncle, Basil G. Catterns, for whom he was named, later became the Chief Cashier of the Bank of England.

Educated at Fort Street Boys' High School, Catterns joined the staff of the (now defunct) Sydney afternoon daily newspaper, The Sun.

Second World War

On the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 he volunteered for military service and served with the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) in the Middle East and North Africa, including Siege of Tobruk. When the 2nd AIF was brought back to Australia in 1942, he met Nina McKnight and later married her in 1943.

In September 1942, Catterns, by now a captain, was sent to New Guinea with the 2/1st Battalion where he saw action on the Kokoda Track, winning a Military Cross[2] 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".[3] Catterns served in New Guinea for the rest of the war, eventually attaining the rank of major.

Post-war

After the war Catterns pursued a career in advertising. He produced a film of the Melbourne Olympic Games; sailed the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on six occasions; founded Offshore Yachting, the magazine of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia; and was one of the longest-serving members of the Sydney Maritime Museum.[4]

Catterns and his wife lived in suburban Sydney where they raised three children: David, a barrister; Diana, an artist; and Angela, a well-known radio broadcaster and co-presenter of 'Film First' Sunday movie premieres on The World Movies Channel.

Basil Catterns died at age 89 of undisclosed causes.

Media

The Catterns's story was a major thread in the documentary series Kokoda[5] which was originally aired on ABC1 in late April 2010.

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References
  1. Australia, World War II Military Service Records, 1939–1945
  2. "It's an Honour database". It's an Honour. Australian Government (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet). Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  3. Ham, Paul (19 April 2007). "A romantic hero in war and peace". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  4. Kiernan, Ian (2004). "James Craig's 130th Birthday – A summary of the speeches". "Scuttlebut" Archive. Sydney Maritime Museum. Archived from the original on 26 September 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  5. "Kokoda". Featherstone Productions. Featherstone Productions. 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2018. (Kokoda is produced by Pericles Films in association with Featherstone Productions, Screen Australia, Film Victoria, Veterans Affairs and ABC TV)
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