MAUNSELL, William Gabbett
| Service Number: | 255564 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 May 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Security Guards Unit |
| Born: | Neutral Bay, New South Wales, Australia , 28 August 1906 |
| Home Town: | Geelong, Greater Geelong, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Knox College, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Life Insurance Inspector |
| Died: | Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia, 31 July 1994, aged 87 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Geelong Eastern Cemetery, Victoria Burial 5 August 1994 Plot: EAS-RC-39-807-078. |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 4 May 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 255564 | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Dec 1945: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 255564, Security Guards Unit |
A niece’s love for her uncle
William Gabbett Maunsell (Uncle Bill) was my great uncle. I only met him once or twice because we lived in Sydney and he lived in Victoria, and then WA, but I have a very clear memory of a very gentle and refined man. He was without doubt my mother’s favourite uncle, and I have strong memories growing up of my mother sharing stories about her “wonderful Uncle Bill”. She clearly adored him. One of the most memorable stories was that he was a Commonwealth champion trapshooter. Wow!! I remember being very impressed hearing this because, being a classical guitarist who knew about performance nerves, I realised he would have needed incredibly steady hands to be able to succeed at that level.
I dedicate this personal story on behalf of my late mother, Marcia Kidd (nee Maunsell), to her beloved Uncle Bill.
Submitted 23 January 2022 by Carolyn Kidd
Biography contributed by Carolyn Kidd
William Gabbett Maunsell comes from a long line of descendents going back hundreds of years who served their country in times of war. William was nine years old when his father, Richard Dillon Maunsell, and both his older brothers, Allan and Lewis, enlisted for war service in 1914-15, so the military tradition was certainly well ensconced in William's pysche from a young age. The death of his older brother, Allan, at the age of 21, on the battlefields of Pozieres, would have been a terrible blow; however, this tragedy didn't deter both William and Lewis (again) from signing up for service in 1940. William was enlisted in May 1942 as an airman in the RAAF, and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a Pilot Officer within one month, then a Flying Officer, a Flight Lieutenant and, by discharge (in December 1945), Squadron Leader. His postings over this period included Darwin, Halmaheras Islands, Borneo and a year spent in New Guinea. An assessing officer's statement for his application for commission, noted, 'This officer has done very good work. He is thorough, conscientious and has very good knowledge of his work.'
Before the war, William was a champion athlete, excelling across several sports. In a section titled, 'Sports and Games at Which Most Proficient' (in his 1940 application to join the RAAF), he answers that he was 'the present holder of Commonwealth Live and Trapshooting titles'; he was also 'a ranked player on the NZ Lawn Tennis Association Ranking List (1934 and 1935)'; plus 'an ex-amateur welterweight and middleweight champion, NSW Metropolitan Championships (1924-1925)'.
Outside of his war service, William worked for 46 years with T&G Mutual Life Society, and he retired in 1971 as Manager for Western Australia. In retirement, he researched extensively the history and background of his own family of Maunsell, compiling a document in 1988 called, 'The Maunsell Family History'. This 21-page, A4 sized document has been an invaluable source of information for this author, to not only gain valuable details about William's life, but for also enabling greater knowledge of the entire Maunsell clan.
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