MERRETT, William Arthur
| Service Numbers: | V235783, VX136327 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 March 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 106 Anti Tank / Tank Attack Regiment |
| Born: | Boulder, Western Australia, 5 July 1912 |
| Home Town: | Nhill, Hindmarsh, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Yearinga Primary School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Shearer |
| Died: | Naracoorte, South Australia, 3 August 1965, aged 53 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Naracoorte Cemetery, S.A. |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 31 Mar 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Gunner, V235783, 106 Anti Tank / Tank Attack Regiment | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Mar 1943: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Gunner, V235783, 106 Anti Tank / Tank Attack Regiment | |
| 17 Mar 1943: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, VX136327 | |
| 6 Feb 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, VX136327 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Eldest of the three brothers (Bill, Fred and Eddie) who served in WWII, Private William Arthur Merrett (Service Nos:V235783/VX136327) initially served in the ACMF as a Gunner with 24 Battery 106 Anti Tank Regiment from 31 March 1942 to 16 March 1943. Private Merrett enlisted in the AIF the following day 'in the field', and was attached to 111 Australian General Transport (AGT) Coy and 204 Australian Supply Depot (ASD) Platoon. Private Merrett was attached to 236 Australian Supply Depot (ASD) Platoon at Discharge on 6 February 1946.
Bill was born in Boulder, Western Australia in 1912, fourth of seven children of Alfred (Alf) Merrett (b1883 in Leeor, Wimmera, Victoria) and Elizabeth Jane Eddy (b1889 in Broken Hill, New South Wales). Alf worked as a Labourer at Broad Arrow via Kalgoorlie before he and Elizabeth married in Boulder in 1908. The couple lived in the WA Goldfields - Boulder, Kalgoorlie, Beria via Mt Magnet - where they raised their family and Alf was a Labourer and Mill Hand. The family moved to Nhill, Victoria in the early 1920s, and Alf was a Shop Hand when he died in 1924.
Bill worked as a Labourer in Nhill, where in 1936 he married Frances Jessie Sherwell (b1918 in Nhill, Victoria). Bill and Frances settled in Nhill, where they raised their family and Bill worked as a Labourer and Shearer. Following his Discharge from the Army in 1946, Bill and Frances settled in Murtoa and Bill worked as a Labourer. Franes died in 1958, and Bill moved to Naracoorte in South Australia where he died in 1965.