Linden Arthur Cameron MC & Bar (17 March 1918 – 19 March 1986) was an Australian army officer and farmer. Cameron was born at

Warracknabeal Warracknabeal ( ) is a town in the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, located in the Wheatbelt (Australia), Victorian wheatbelt. Situated on the banks of the Yarriambiack Creek, 330 km northwest of Melbourne, it is the bus ...

to farmer

Finlay Cameron Finlay Arthur Cameron (22 June 1886 – 21 February 1959) was an Australian politician. He was born in Wauraltee in South Australia to farmer George Muir Cameron and Elizabeth Jane Miller. His family moved to Victoria in 1891 and Cameron attend ...

(later a member of the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the states and territories of Australia, state lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the state upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament H ...

) and Victoria May Cameron, ''née'' Marshman. He attended Brim East State and Warracknabeal High schools before entering the public service as a taxation clerk on 7 March 1938. He studied from 1938 to 1939 at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

. Cameron joined the militia forces (citizens) in December 1937. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 3 November 1939, being posted to the 2/5th Battalion. He was sent to the Middle East in April 1940 and trained in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

until his commission as a lieutenant on 30 March 1941. He was put in command of anti-aircraft defences on the transport ship ''City of London'', which evacuated his battalion from

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, in April, and then served as a platoon commander in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

in June and July. Cameron's battalion left the Middle East in March 1942, returning to Australia in August before being sent to Papua in October. In January 1943 the 2/5th was transported to Wau, New Guinea, and Cameron's platoon captured a ridge from the Japanese during the advance to

Crystal Creek Crystal Creek (also known as Saltwater Creek) is a creek in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It runs for 17.5 km, beginning just below Paluma, flowing through the township of Mutarnee and emptying into the Coral Sea T ...

, earning Cameron the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

. He was promoted

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in March. Cameron was wounded in July leading an attack on Mount Tambu, and did not return to his battalion until February 1944, by which time they had returned to Queensland. Cameron married Daphne Alice Grayling, a schoolteacher, on 29 July that year at the Methodist Church in

Kaniva, Victoria Kaniva is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Western Highway, north of Little Desert National Park, in the Shire of West Wimmera local government area. It is located roughly east of the South Australian border and east of Bo ...

. In November 1944 Cameron's battalion was sent to

Aitape Aitape is a small town of about 18,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak and Vanimo, and marks the midpoint of th ...

; on 3 January 1945 Cameron's company was sent to clear an enemy ridge. Cameron's inspiring capture and defence of the position earned him a Bar to his Military Cross. When he returned to Australia in October he was assigned to the Directorate of Recruiting and Demobilization at Army Headquarters in Melbourne, and his appointment was terminated on 28 July 1948. Cameron established a sheep farm at

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, , from , "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to the geological Highland Boundar ...

after the war and became active in the

Victorian Farmers' Union The Victorian Farmers' Union (VFU) was an association of farmers and primary producers formed in 1914 in the Australian state of Victoria. Although initially formed as an "absolutely non-political" entity, the VFU became a political party in 19 ...

. He contested four

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

elections for the Country Party from 1964 to 1976, and stood as an independent Country candidate in several federal contests. In 1986, he died suddenly of

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

at his farm, two weeks prior to a planned trip overseas back to Egypt & Europe. He was cremated in Ballarat after a funeral service at the Dunkeld Uniting Church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Linden 1918 births 1986 deaths 20th-century Australian farmers Australian Army officers Australian Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Military Cross University of Melbourne alumni People from Warracknabeal