LANCASTER, William Ronald
| Service Number: | VX9773 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 December 1939 |
| Last Rank: | Major |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brunswick, Victoria, Australia, 2 April 1914 |
| Home Town: | Brunswick West, Moreland, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Public Servant |
| Died: | Canberra, Australia, 25 February 2003, aged 88 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Woden (Canberra) Public Cemetery, ACT Portion 7, L-PR-B-013 |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 27 Dec 1939: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Major, VX9773, 2nd/3rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Feb 1941: | Promoted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lieutenant | |
| 23 Jan 1942: | Promoted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Captain | |
| 24 Jun 1943: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches | |
| 22 Nov 1943: | Promoted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Major | |
| 22 Aug 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Major, VX9773, 2nd/3rd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by VWM Australia
Bill Lancaster lived at Glebe House in Reid when he moved to Canberra in 1937 to work as a ledger keeper with the War Service Service Homes Commission. He was a member of the 3rd Battalion (militia) at the beginning of the war but served in the Middle East with the 2/3 Battalion from January 1940 and was appointed as a Lieutenant in January 1942. He was promoted to Captain in April 1942 and became OIC of the 2nd Echelon Army Records in the Middle East based in Jerusalem and Gaza. For his work during this period Lancaster was mentioned in despatches. He returned to Australia in February 1943 and married Jean Southwell of 'Fern Hill', Canberra at St. John's Church in Reid on 20 March 1943. Lancaster was promoted to Major in November 1943 and transferred to Australian Army Records in August 1944.
After the war he moved to the Audit Office before accepting a position at the Australian War Memorial in 1953. He became Assistant Director of the War Memorial the following year and was Director of the War Memorial from 1966 to 1973 when he retired. During his directorship the Memorial completed the Roll of Honour, extensions were added to the building, it expanded its role as a museum and Lancaster appointed the first conservators and curators. Bill Lancaster died on 25 February 2003 and is buried in Woden Cemetery.
His father had died at the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916 when Lancaster was two years old. His son Ross served in Vietnam.
(ACT Memorial Page)
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