The cover image for WM issue 2 is one of George Silk’s most striking photographs of Australian soldiers during the siege of Tobruk in 1941.
Its near perfect composition draws the eye along the trench, past the Thompson sub-machine gun, to the smiling faces of Privates VX35964 William John Goodgame, VX36671 Gordon James Watkins and SX1412 Charles George Stening, all of whom were serving with the 2/10th Battalion.
Goodgame, from Ballarat, Victoria, enlisted in June 1940; Watkins, from Geelong, Victoria, enlisted the following month. Both men joined the 2/10th Battalion as reinforcements on the 3rd of April 1941, the battalion having only recently arrived at Tobruk. Stening, from Cowell, South Australia, enlisted in November 1939 and joined the 2/10th Battalion a month after its formation at Wayville Showgrounds in Adelaide. As his service record is not yet digitised, it’s likely he served with the battalion in the United Kingdom and was present when it arrived in Egypt in December 1940.
All three men survived the siege of Tobruk.
Australians standing by in a hot section of the front, 400 yards from the enemy, Tobruk 1941. Photographer: George Silk
The tank chaser platoon of the 2/10th Battalion prior to leaving Tobruk. Privates VX36671 Gordon James Watkins and VX35964 William John Goodgame are amongst the group. Photographer: George Silk
The same month Silk took this photograph, the battalion was withdrawn and sent to Syria. Returning briefly to Australia in March 1942, it next deployed to Milne Bay, landing in mid-August. The Japanese attacked at the end of the month and although the fighting was confusing and difficult, the assault was ultimately defeated.
The 2/10th Battalion’s next action was at Buna. The battle began on 23 December and the following day, the battalion took part in a poorly coordinated attack on the Buna airstrip, suffering heavy casualties. Among those killed were Goodgame and Watkins. Stening survived the battle and the war, returning home in October 1945.
According to the photograph’s caption, all three men were promoted to lance corporal during their service. Goodgame’s service record confirms his promotion in November 1942, just before his 23rd (and last) birthday. Watkins’ record shows no promotion and notes that he was 22 at the time of his death. Stening’s service record is not digitised, but the Department of Veterans’ Affairs nominal roll lists him as a corporal still serving with the 2/10th Battalion until his demobilisation.
Stening rejoined the permanent army and served with the Royal Australian Engineers. Promoted to major in 1966, he returned to the Middle East in 1968 as a United Nations Observer, remaining there until June 1970.
He retired the following year as an honorary lieutenant colonel. Stening continued to support the welfare of ex-servicemen and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1991. He died in 2022, aged 81.
