Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

In 1941 at the age of 15, without his family knowing, Ronald (Ron) McGrath enlisted in the 16th Battalion at Victoria Barracks in Perth. When his father came home from work and eventually found out, he personally went to Victoria Barracks and had Ron discharged and brought home that night.

Just after his16th birthday Ron tried joining the Royal Australian Navy but his father refused to sign permission for under age enlistment. Just prior to his 17th birthday Ron tried to enlist in Royal Australian Navy again, this time without needing parental permission, but he didn’t pass the testing.

Finally, when Ron turned 18 he was called up into service and joined the Royal Australian Air Force, and allocated to Air Crew as a Wireless Operator - Air Gunner. At the end of 1944 Ron was advised that if he wanted overseas service then he needed to remuster into another field. Ron remustered as a Radio Telephonist and completed his training at Signal School.

In June 1945, just days before Ron was to be deployed to New Guinea he was admitted to hospital in Sydney with an infected ingrown toenail, which was removed.

Finally in July 1945 Leading Air Craftsman Ronald McGrath arrived in Port Moresby and was assigned to a RAAF Station above Kila Airfield where he assisted in triangulating Allied aircraft position. It was here that he was stationed when the War in the Pacific ended on Thursday 15 August 1945.

During the cleanup around the station Ron collected a large pile of rubbish and liberally doused petrol over everything. During the process he spilled fuel over parts of his body and this mistake became painfully clear when he lit the pile, and himself, on fire. He was extinguished, thrown into a jeep and taken to the closest medical facility to have the burns on his hands, arms, shoulders, back and back of legs treated.

With the Allies moving north, Ron was given the opportunity to join the British Commonwealth Occupying Force in Japan but decided not to put his hand up for this deployment.

From Kila, Ron was transferred to the Jackson Airfield in Port Moresby before being sent back to Australia at the end of April 1946.

On 23 May 1946 Ron McGrath was discharged from the Royal Australian Air Force thus ending his military career.