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(These stories are reproduced as they were written, some by the person involved or as told by them, and there has been no editing of the content)
| AGAR Ron | On the way to Canada for Pilot Training with the Empire Training Scheme, Ron’s asthma played up and was disembarked in San Francisco and spent some time in Letterman Hospital under the care of the Royal Canadian Air Force until he was repatriated to Australia. On his return he undertook a Fitters Course. Read Ron’s Story |
| BARTON Ted | Ted, a member of the Merchant Navy, joined the MV Duke of Athens as a 16 year old galley boy at Fremantle on the 27th of May 1942. The ship picked up a load of wheat at Geraldton and set sail for Europe via the Capetown. The ship joined a convoy which assembled at Freetown, Sierra Leone. Read Ted’s Story |
| BENNETT Lindsay | Initially Lindsay was called up during 1968 for National Service for a period of two years. He served with 4 RAR in South Vietnam during 1968-69. Read Lindsay’s Story |
| BEST Basil | Fate plays a big part in a serviceman’s life as to where one serves and one’s overseas deployment is out of the individual’s control. Fresh from helping the local farmers safeguard their fast ripening wheat crops from fire and completing the Officer’s Course with ease, something happened that changed my life. Read Basil’s Story |
| BOWRING Peter | This is Peter’s story of his involvement with the first team from the Western Australian Police Force (WAPOL) in its service as Federal Agents and United Nations Police serving under the United Nations Transitional Administration East Timor (UNTAET) as Peace Keepers /Makers. Read Peter’s Story |
| BOWN Maud | “My initial training was undertaken at the WACA, where we were sleeping on straw mattresses on iron bedsteads in the open grandstand. It involved marching around the WACA ground and the hilly streets of East Perth. On 31 December 1942 I was posted to 2 Signals Training Battalion at Ivanhoe, Victoria.” Read Maud’s Story |
| BOWN Reginald Frederick | He joined the Army on 23 December 1942 at the age of 19. He had to get his father’s permission to serve overseas. Reg’s initial training involved time in the Northampton region of WA where he was to meet his future wife, Maud. He was then shipped to Queensland for further training, in particular jungle warfare. Read Reg’s Story |
| DYAS Ted | At the age of twenty Ted joined the Navy on the 14th of October 1940 at Hobart, Tasmania, at the depot called “H.M.A.S, HUON”. After some training there and at Flinders Naval depot in Melbourne he was drafted to “HMAS Kuttabull”, an old Sydney Harbour ferry, commandeered for accommodation at Garden Island. That was the vessel that the Japanese midget submarines torpedoed and killed 19 ratings when Sydney was attacked. Read Ted’s Story |
| DYER JOHN (Jack) | On “D” day, 6th June 1944 John was in action as a 1st Lieutenant on a British Tank Landing Craft in Combined Operations. Read Jack’s Story |
| EATON Joseph Richard Interview with Captain Shiosawa | From the dates in the document and the Service history of Lt Eaton, it appears probable that it was recorded some-time between August 1945 and February 1946 at Makassar Camp prior to the War Crimes Trials held in Singapore during mid-1946. The person recording this interview is unknown, and the document may be a copy of the original interview notes. Read the Story |
| ELLIS W. J. (Bill) | Bill Ellis had all the qualifications to be a member of the Returned and Services League, but he never had the opportunity to join the Sub-Branch, for he was killed in action in Korea. Read Bill’s Story |
| FIELDING William John (Bill) | Bill requested a return to his former position as a Radar Mechanic. This was granted and in August 1944 Bill was transferred via Sandgate, Townsville, Milne Bay New Guinea, to the 304 Radar Unit on the eastern coast of Normanby Island. Read Bill’s Story |
| GFELLER Fritz Franzisco (Fred) | He became an Australian citizen in 1954 and later joined the Australian Army where he served for 22 years as a Bandsman, attaining the rank of Sergeant and on 14 July 1977 was awarded the National Medal for his service. Read Fred’s Story |
| GOYDER Ian Woodroffe | Ian was a student at Northam High School, a member of the Air Training Corp and paraded with the Volunteer Defence Corps. As soon as he was 18 he joined the RAAF. Read Ian’s Story |
| HAMILTON Frank | He eventually joined Squadron 467, R.A.A.F. Lancaster Squadron, based at Waddington, Lincolnshire. Following victory in Europe 467 Squadron was transferred to “Tiger Force”. Based at Metheringham the squadron continued training for the Pacific theatre. Read Frank’s Story |
| HUMMERSTON Captain H S M.C | On 11 April 1917 he was wounded and was reported as “Missing in Action”. As a result of this action he was subsequently awarded the Military Cross, but this was not formally approved until 1919 as he was a P.O.W. for the remainder of the War. Read Captain Hummerston’s Story |
| KENT Frank | As a member of the 2/16th Battalion he sailed on the Acquitania for somewhere overseas during June 1941. Read Frank’s Story |
| LEE Private 4535 Eugene Victor | By 23 April 1916 after landing in Marseilles, he joined the 30th Battalion in northern France. In July he received gunshot wounds to the legs and by 5 August returned to his unit. On 18 May 1917, Eugene was killed near Vaulx Vraucourt in France, just north of Amiens and Saint Quentin. Read Jess Welfare’s Story of Eugene. |
| MCHARRIE Kenneth John (Ken) | During his almost 15 months on Bougainville Ken’s role took him on treks into the Army’s jungle positions to inspect ammunition supplies air dropped to the troops and to ensure good standards of storage. Ken described how mortar shells could become unstable following air drops due to the rough landing. This necessitated him dismantling and resetting the shells ready for use. Ken said, “it was safe – providing you knew what you were doing”. Read Ken’s Story |
| MEYER Jack | Two Guildford born brothers both served in World War 2 with 13 Squadron of the R.A.A.F. Notification of “Missing in Action” of one, motivated the other to enlist as soon as he was able. Read Jack’s Story |
| MOVLEY Laurie P | He served in France with the Royal Engineers during 1939-40 and was evacuated off the beach at Bray Dunes north of Dunkirk. On July 18th, 1940, his father was advised by letter by the Royal Engineers Record Office Brighton, that ” Sapper Movley was reported Missing by his unit”. Read Laurie’s Story |
| ORTON Able Seaman F2951 Alfred George | HISTORY has credited the sinking of the HMAS Yarra with few words. It went down in one of the many battles between the Japanese and Allied forces for control of the Java and Coral seas. George Odgers’ “The Royal Australian Navy – An Illustrated History” devotes two paragraphs to the human consequences of the sinking. “Of the ship’s complement of 151, a total of 138 went down with the ship or died later on the rafts. Read Alf’s Story |
| POPE Geoffrey Noel | In June 1945, the 2nd/13th took part in Operation Oboe, the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific during the War to liberate Japanese held British and Dutch Borneo. This was a multi force operation planned primarily by General McArthur, with combined forces of the navy, air and army invading from multiple directions, forcing the Japanese to relocate inland. Geoff said, “Before we landed in Borneo on Sunday 10th June 1945 the crew of the ship gave us a chicken breakfast, just to say farewell”. Read Geoff’s Story |
| PRICE Alf | In 1945 he was posted to the 3rd Battalion at Spoleto, Italy, the Battalion being linked with the 1st Guards Brigade at Perugia and then to the Adriatic coast. Read Alf’s Story |
| RILEY Charles Owen | Charles Owen Riley was a resident of Watermans Bay, and the North Beach Memorial precinct is located within the Charles Riley Memorial Reserve. This is his story and why the Reserve was named in his honour. Read Charles’ Story |
| RYAN Kevin Bernard | Kevin first joined Citizens Military Force at Bushmead by putting his age up and later transferred to the AIF. He joined the 2/28th Battalion as part of Operation Oboe to liberate Japanese held British and Dutch Borneo. Read Kevin’s Story |
| SANDAKAN MEMORIAL BOYUP BROOK | A local Boyup Brook farmer Ted McLaughlin, who was a POW on the Burma-Thailand railway during WW2, was determined to erect a memorial to honour his mates who died at Sandakan to ensure they would never be forgotten. Read About Jess’s Visit to Boyup Brook |
| SCRIVEN Merv A | In January 1953 he ambled into the Personnel Depot at Guildford, Western Australia. He was in The Army now. Read Merv’s Story |
| SHERRIFFS Jack | During the pre-embarkation march through Perth, he was in the centre of the band, being drum major. The man next to him, Charlie Stirling, was playing the trombone. Charlie’s eyes were firmly fixed on a nice looking girl in the crowd near the Esplanade Hotel. His trombone got caught in the leg of Jack’s Bombay bloomers (a most unattractive style of shorts), thus causing considerable disruption to a precise demonstration. Read Jack’s Story |
| SNELL Len | The morning of 19th February 1942 started as a usual day, hot and dry, as he left the Battalion area with a cheerio wave to the guard on duty. He was approaching the suburb of Winnelli opposite the R.A.A.F. Station when he had a call of nature. Before getting back on the faithful B.S.A bike he |
| TOMLINSON Ron | When the Turks invaded Northern Cyprus several weeks later his family were the first to be evacuated to RAF Finningly, near Doncaster, England. He joined them four months later. Read Ron’s Story |