Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Leading Aircraftman Charles Oswald Ross (Service No:17219) enlisted in the RAAF on 6 July 1940 as an Aircraftman I at No 4 Recruiting Centre Perth and was posted to No 1 Recruit Depot Laverton (Vic) - mustered as a Messman, then Trainee Wireless Assistant before being made a Wireless Maintenance Mechanic in January 1944. Described as 'Good type ... intelligent and alert' (NAA 1940), ACI Ross was attached to 11 Signals Unit Adelaide River NT in 1944, where he was promoted to Leading Aircraftman, and embarked from Darwin with 452 Squadron for service in Morotai and Tarakan in January 1945. LAC Ross was attached to Pearce RAAF Station at Discharge on 21 December 1945.

Ossie was born Albany, WA in 1918, sixth of nine children of Alexander Ross (b1876 in Bungaree, Victoria) and Lillian May Saul (b1885 in York, WA). Alexander was working on the Mundaring - Coolgardie water pipeline in 1907 when he and Lillian married at Midland Junction, Guildford.. By 1910 they had moved to Torbay on the Denmark Line via Albany, where Alexander was a Farmer before settling at Bornholm via Denmark by 1916. Alexander worked as a Farmer and as Foreman with Public Works.

Ossie was a keen football player for the Bornholm Colts, and in 1935 'This player received much praise from the visitors, who thought that if he were coached he would develop into a first class footballer' (Trove). Ossie worked as a Fruit Packer for the Mt Barker Co-Op before moving to Perth where he enlisted in the RAAF in 1940. Following his Discharge, Ossie worked in Perth as a Labourer. Ossie died in 1991.