The small stone church at Tyrendarra was opened for services by the Venerable Archdeacon Stretch on 23 March 1974. At a service conducted by the Reverend RA Donne of St. Stephen's Anglican Church, Portland on 1 April 1951, the two windows to the Learmonth brothers, sons of Mrs and Mrs. Noel Learmonth of 'Carramar', Tyrendarra, were unveiled by Dr. James Darling, Headmaster of Geelong Grammar School. Other memorial windows to the men can be seen in the aisles of All Saints' Chapel at Geelong Grammar, their old school.
Lieutenant John Noel Learmonth joined the 2nd Field Brigade, CMF and received his commission shortly before the war. After distinguished service in Greece with 2/3 Field Regiment RAA, the battalion was evacuated to Crete and among the last force to surrender on 30 May 1941, while defending Crete against the German invasion. For his actions in Greece and Crete Lieutenant Learmonth was mentioned in despatches. Initially posted 'missing' in early June 1941, Learmonth was taken prisoner and died on 10 May 1944 while a P.O.W. in Oflag IX A/Z at Rotenburg in Germany, aged 28 years, and is buried in the Hanover War Cemetery, Germany.
References & Acknowledgements
AWM Roll of Honour; AWM photograph P0266.096; NAA: B883, VX114; James Affleck, Geelong Grammarians at World War Two, The Old Geelong Grammarians Incorporated, Corio, 2002, pp.46-49; The Corian, August 1944; Portland Guardian, 3 December 1925, p.3; 9 November 1939, p.2; 29 March 1951, p.2.
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