DOWNIE, William John
| Service Number: | 59750 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 July 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Leading Aircraftman |
| Last Unit: | Aircraft / Repair / Salvage Depots |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 23 May 1912 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Mildura, Victoria, Australia, 19 September 1987, aged 75 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Mildura (Nichols Point) Public Cemetery, Victoria |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 30 Jul 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Leading Aircraftman, 59750, Aircraft / Repair / Salvage Depots | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Feb 1946: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Leading Aircraftman, 59750, Aircraft / Repair / Salvage Depots |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
William was the second of three children of John Henry Parker Downie (b1882 in Melbourne, Victoria) and Mary (Maisie) Elizabeth McGuire (b1888 in Melbourne, Victoria. John was a Tram Conductor in Melbourne when he and Maisie married in 1910. They raised their family in Melbourne, where John worked for the Tramways.
William was a Clerk in Melbourne when he married Hope Emily Thomson Smart (b1911 in Ararat, Victoria) - Hope was a Nurse. In July 1942 William enlisted in the RAAF, and was a Leading Aircraftman (Service No:59750) attached to 1 Aircraft Depot when he was Discharged in February 1946. Brothers-in-Law Lionel William Thomson Smart (Private; Service No:VX21876), Stuart Henry Thomson Smart (Sapper; Service No:NX54281) and Keith Oswald Clyde Abson (Private; Service No:VX21285) also served in WWII.
William and Hope settled in the Mallee Region at Mildura and later Red Cliffs where William was Town Clerk. William died in 1987 and Hope in 2012.