Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ian Woodroffe GOYDER OAM, JP
85552
Aircraftman 1
Royal Australian Air Force – Signals


Australian War Memorial AWM2017.520.12513

Ian was born 13 October 1926 in Subiaco and lived at the family farm Quelquelling in the Shire of Goomalling, although the address was Northam. He was educated to Leaving Standard at Northam High School and matriculated to the University of Western Australia where he studied economics and French for one year as an external student.
He enrolled in the Air Training Corp 13 October 1942 at the age of 15 and was discharged 30 March 1944.

Ian’s photo from his WW2 Service Records
On 24 November 1944 whilst employed as a Bank Clerk with the Commonwealth Bank in Perth, he was directed to report to No 4 Recruiting Centre of the RAAF, Barrack Street, Perth with luggage at 08:00am for enlistment as a Trainee Telegraphist with the rank of Aircraftman Class 1 at a rate of pay of 6/6d ($0.65) per day.
He was assigned to the Signals School and discharged 20 Sep 1945 at the age of 18.
On 20 September 1951 Ian applied for and was accepted in the RAAF Reserves.
Ian’s Family – WW1
Both Ian’s Father and his Father’s brother enlisted in the 10th Light Horse. His Father Evan had Service Number 3181, and his Uncle Alan had Service Number 3180. On 12 February 1917 they both embarked on the RMS Karmala and saw active service in Palestine.
His Father survived and returned to Australia on the Oxfordshire and disembarked in Fremantle on 4 August 1919.
Ian’s Uncle, Alan George Goyder, on 30 April 1918 at the age of 21was shot in the abdomen while fighting to capture the village of Es Salt, in what was then Palestine. He was left at the hospital when the Australians withdrew, and became a prisoner of the Turks. He hung on to life for another eight days before his gunshot wounds led to his death as a PoW at the surgical hospital in Damascus.

Edith Johncock, of the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society recorded that, "He was with us at the surgical hospital Damascus for about two days," she said. "It was impossible to operate. He was conscious and died of hemorrhage in the night. He was not in very much pain, but gangrene had set in. "I used to dress his wounds and talked to him and nursed him."
Ian has a letter sent to Alan Goyder's mother by a corporal, Geoffrey Dobbs, written on May 12, 1918.
"I am very sorry to inform you that your son died quite suddenly yesterday evening," it reads.
"He was quite cheerful up to the end and suffered no pain."
 
During WW2 on 21 April 1942, Ian’s Father enlisted in 9 Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) at Northam until 15 October 1945 and served as Staff Sergeant.
Ian paraded with the Jennapullin Platoon of the VDC for two years whilst at Northam High School – under age, but on the roll.
Ian has been a JP since the early 1980s and was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia on 13 June 2016 “For service to the Community through a range of organisations, especially the Royal Association of Justices of the Peace of Western Australia”.
Ian has been a valued member of RSLWA since 1977 and takes an interest in the North Beach RSL Sub-Branch, and commemorative events of ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day.