DONOVAN, Raymond Andrew
| Service Number: | VX630 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 October 1939 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Windsor, Victoria, Australia, 15 October 1914 |
| Home Town: | Prahran, Stonnington, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Bundoora Repatriation Hospital, Victoria, Australia , 19 December 1983, aged 69 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Melbourne Buried in the War Memorial Section. |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 24 Oct 1939: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Sergeant, VX630 | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Jan 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Sergeant, VX630 |
My Grandfather Raymond Andrew DONOVAN
Raymond Andrew Donovan was born on 15 October 1914 in Windsor, Victoria. The son of a First World War veteran, he grew up with a strong sense of duty and enlisted early in the Second AIF, becoming VX630 and joining the 2/2nd Field Regiment of the 6th Division.
He served as an artilleryman in the Middle East, taking part in the early Australian campaigns at Bardia and Tobruk. In 1941 he was deployed to Greece, where his regiment faced constant air attack, difficult withdrawals, and heavy fighting. After evacuation, he was sent to Crete and took part in the defence against the German airborne invasion. With many guns lost in Greece, artillerymen like Raymond fought on foot as infantry — an experience that stayed with him for life.
When the war shifted to the Pacific, he returned to Australia and later served in New Guinea. There he endured jungle conditions, steep terrain, and disease while supporting operations at Wau, Salamaua, and Lae.
By war’s end, Raymond had served across multiple theatres and some of the most demanding campaigns of the conflict. Like many of his generation, he returned home quietly, rarely speaking of what he had endured. His service remains a lasting part of his family’s history and Australia’s wartime story.
LEST WE FORGET. MY LOVE ALWAYS GRANDDAD LOVE KRISTY XOXO
Submitted 20 January 2026 by Kristy Fisher
Biography contributed by Kristy Fisher
Raymond Andrew Donovan was born on 15 October 1914 in Windsor, Victoria. The son of a First World War veteran, he grew up with a strong sense of duty and enlisted early in the Second AIF, becoming VX630 and joining the 2/2nd Field Regiment of the 6th Division.
He served as an artilleryman in the Middle East, taking part in the early Australian campaigns at Bardia and Tobruk. In 1941 he was deployed to Greece, where his regiment faced constant air attack, difficult withdrawals, and heavy fighting. After evacuation, he was sent to Crete and took part in the defence against the German airborne invasion. With many guns lost in Greece, artillerymen like Raymond fought on foot as infantry — an experience that stayed with him for life.
When the war shifted to the Pacific, he returned to Australia and later served in New Guinea. There he endured jungle conditions, steep terrain, and disease while supporting operations at Wau, Salamaua, and Lae.
By war’s end, Raymond had served across multiple theatres and some of the most demanding campaigns of the conflict. Like many of his generation, he returned home quietly, rarely speaking of what he had endured. His service remains a lasting part of his family’s history and Australia’s wartime story.
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