WILLS, Alan Edward
| Service Numbers: | V34744, 10770 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 January 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 28 Medical Clearing Station (RAAF) |
| Born: | Kew, Victoria, Australia, 11 July 1918 |
| Home Town: | Kew, Boroondara, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Camberwell Grammar School , Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Dairy Farmers Milk |
| Died: | Lung Cancer, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia , 20 February 1981, aged 62 years |
| Cemetery: |
Woden (Canberra) Public Cemetery, ACT Anglican Section |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 9 Jan 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, V34744 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Jul 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 10770 | |
| 29 Jul 1940: | Transferred Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman, No. 2 School of Technical Training, Based in Canberra. Trained and served as a Storekeeper then as an Equipment Assistant | |
| 4 Sep 1944: | Transferred Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant, 28 Medical Clearing Station (RAAF), Posted to Townsville for training prior to overseas posting. | |
| 10 Mar 1945: | Embarked Flight Sergeant, 10770, 28 Medical Clearing Station (RAAF), On 10 March, the unit embarked in Townsville aboard the troopship SS Carlos Carrillo, disembarking at Morotai, Dutch East Indies on 26 March. They spent the month of April there, preparing for forthcoming operations and gaining experience of working under local conditions | |
| 4 May 1945: | Embarked Flight Sergeant, 10770, 28 Medical Clearing Station (RAAF), As part of Operation ‘Oboe 1’, 28MCS embarked at Morotai on 4 May and arrived at Tarakan, Borneo on 7 May aboard HMAS Westralia. They served close to the frontline, ensuring wounded personnel received vital medical treatment and rapid evacuation | |
| 21 Dec 1945: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 10770 | |
| Date unknown: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, V34744 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Kim Rumble
Alan Edward WILLS was born at home at 25 Wills Street, Kew, Victoria. He was the third child of Alban Henry WILLS and Mabel Mary WILLS (formerly GRUBB). At the time of his birth in 1918, his brother Harry was four years old and his sister Nancie was two.
He attended Camberwell Grammar School, boarding there while his parents travelled the world. The family were considered wealthy for the time. His father, Alban, was a partner in the firm Wills & Paton of Collins Street, which sold Edison phonographs and records. Notably, Walter Burley Griffin, the designer of Canberra, designed two of their Edison shops (1919 and 1927), as well as a holiday home for the Wills family in the Macedon Ranges (1924). Unfortunately, like so many families of the era, the Wills family lost everything during the Great Depression.
During his time at Camberwell Grammar School, Alan also served with the cadets, completing three months of compulsory service. After leaving school, where he obtained a Sub-Intermediate Certificate, he began working at Holden’s Motor Body Builders in South Melbourne. He initially worked as a truck driver, collecting supplies and delivering outward goods, before later being promoted to the Stores Department. His employer noted: “He proved himself easily the best truck driver we have had, being hardworking, intelligent, and conscientious.”
Alan enlisted in the Australian Military Forces in January 1940 and, in July 1940, enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Melbourne.
His first posting in the RAAF was to No. 2 School of Technical Training (2 STT) in Canberra, where he worked as a Storekeeper and later as an Equipment Assistant. He was promoted to Sergeant in December 1942 and to Flight Sergeant two years later.
On 10 March 1945, after repeatedly requesting overseas service, Alan finally embarked for Morotai in the Dutch East Indies following training in Townsville. From there he proceeded to Tarakan, Borneo, attached to the RAAF’s 28th Medical Clearing Station (28 MCS), where he worked close to the front line providing crucial surgical support. Alan remained there until the end of the war, before returning to Australia in November 1945. He was formally discharged from the RAAF on 21 December 1945.
During his time in Canberra, Alan met and fell in love with a young local woman, Joan Olive Graham. They were married at St John’s Church, Reid, Canberra on 28 February 1942. They went on to have four children: Lesley Joan, Graham Alan, Elaine Helen, and Christine Rae. After a short period in Melbourne, Alan and Joan chose to raise their young family in Canberra, where they both remained for the rest of their lives.
Alan died after a short illness in February 1981, and Joan in 2009. Their daughter Elaine predeceased them in 1976. Alan and Joan are buried together at Woden Cemetery, Canberra.
Kim Rumble (granddaughter) 2026
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