Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

One of four brothers (Fred, Ron, Allan and George) who served in WWII, Leading Aircraftman Ronald Ernest Sherwell (Service No:119117) enlisted in the RAAF on 5 October 1942 as an Aircraftman I - mustered as Driver Motor Transoprt (DMT), re mustered as Vulcaniser. LAC Sherwell was attached to 1 Aircraft Depot Laverton, and was posted to the Northern Territory (17 December 1943 - 14 January 1945) with 55 Operational Base Unit (OBU) Birdum, 54 Squadron, 549 Squadron Strauss and 1 Squadron Menangle. LAC Sherwell was attached to Station HQ Laverton at Discharge on 6 April 1948.

Fourth of eleven children, Ron was born in Murtoa, Victoria in 1912 to James (Jim) Sherwell (b1867 in Burra, South Australia) and his second wife Jessie Cliff (b1878 in Morphett Vale, South Australia). Jim moved to Victoria in 1885 and was a Farmer in the Rupanyup District. He was a Widower with three young children in 1906 when he and Jessie married in Nhill, where they settled and raised their family and, from 1914, Jim worked as a Contractor.

Ron completed an Apprenticeship in Nhill with Fishers Motors, then was a Maltser in 1933 in Horsham when he married his first wife Daphne (Grace) Stephens (b1913 in Stawell, Victoria). Ron and Grace settled in Melbourne Ports, where they raised their family and Ron was a Process Worker with Johns & Waygoods in 1942 when he enlisted in the RAAF. Ron  returned to Melbourne Ports following his Discharge from the RAAF, and he and Grace divorced in the early 1950s (both later remarried). Ron worked as a Crane Driver in Melbourne (Burnley and Dandenong), and in 1975 in Melbourne married his second wife Enid Louvain Wickham (nee Dowrick; b1916 in Pakenham, Victoria). Ron and Enid settled in Dandenong, where Ron worked as a Crane Driver until retirement. Ron died in 1990 and Enid in 2011.