John Frances WILSON

WILSON, John Frances

Service Number: 19905
Enlisted: 11 December 1940
Last Rank: Corporal
Last Unit: Not yet discovered
Born: Warragul, Victoria, Australia, 24 February 1920
Home Town: Sea Lake, Buloke, Victoria
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Shoemaker
Died: Sea Lake, Victoria, Australia, 21 April 1999, aged 79 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: Sea Lake Cemetery, Victoria
Memorials:
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World War 2 Service

11 Dec 1940: Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Corporal, 19905
20 Feb 1948: Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Corporal, 19905

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Biography contributed by Chris Buckley

Corporal John Francis Wilson (Service No:19905) enlisted in the RAAF as an Aircraftman I on 11 December 1940 at No 1 Recruiting Centre Melbourne and was posted to No 1 RAAF Base Laverton - mustered as Shoemaker. During 1941 ACI Wilson was attached to No 8 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) Narranadera and No 3 School of Technical Training (STT) Ultimo, and was promoted to Leading Aircraftman on 30 October 1941. LAC Wilson then served at HQ Rathmines and HQ Nowra in 1943 before being promoted to Corporal on 1 January 1943. Through 1943/1944 Corporal Wilson was attached to No 1 Wireless and Gunnery School (WAGS) Ballarat, No 1 Embarkation Depot (ED), No 1 Reserve Personnel Pool (RPP), and 10 Operational Group. Corporal Wilson was at RAAF Garbutt in January 1946 when he re-enlisted for additional service with the Interim Air Force. Later that year he campaigned for discharge to take up an offer of a business partnership (Bootmaker) in Sydney and was eventually Discharged on 20 February 1948.

John was born Warragul, Victoria in 1920, youngest of five children of William Gilmore Wilson (b1880 at Cape Bridgewater via Portland, Victoria) and Lillian Maude Lightbody (b1885 at Cape Bridgewater via Portland, Victoria). William was a Farmer in 1910 when he and Lillian married in Portland. They settled at Cape Bridgewater where they raised their family until Lillian died in 1922, leaving five young children. William remarried in Melbourne in 1922 to Annie Naomi Grant (b1896 in Coolgardie, WA) - Annie was working in Melbourne as a Tailoress. William and Annie settled at Sea Lake where they raised their family and William worked as a Carpenter. William served in WWI (Bombardier; Service No:33173) and WWII (Private: Service No:V360534).

John worked at Sea Lake as an Assistant Cinematograph Operator and Shoemaker/Boot Repairer before enlisting in the RAAF. In 1943 in Sydney, NSW he married June Deller (b1923 in Sydney, NSW) and they settled at Sea Lake in Victoria where John worked as a Boot Repairer. John died in 1999.

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