Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of William NOLAN, 107 Perkins Street, South Townsville, Queensland.

Bill is a veteran of the Second World War.

Prior to enlisting, Bill worked as a clerk for a Townsville company that made windmills and pumping equipment for farms. This work was considered vital to the war effort and Bill’s initial application to enlist in February 1944 was denied. A review of Bill’s case in May found that he was not exempt from service and in June 1944, he enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

After basic training at Sandgate in Brisbane, Bill completed technical training in Adelaide and a course at No. 1 Signals School at Point Cook in Victoria. After this training, Bill became a cypher assistant and was promoted to corporal. As a cypher assistant, he worked on encoding and decoding RAAF messages from the 16 different Allied codes in use. After a special physical fitness course to prepare him for service in the tropics, Bill was sent to Bougainville in January 1945. He was posted to No. 112 Mobile Fighter Control Unit at Torokina and then in July he was transferred to No. 39 Operational Base Unit.

After the war’s end, Bill continued serving on Bougainville until February 1946 before returning home and being discharged in March 1946. He returned to his pre-war job for a while before joining the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ), working in Brisbane and Cairns. He also worked for James Hardie & Co, Laminex Industries, and Gas Supply Company (a Boral subsidiary).

Bill has been married twice – to Jean and now Patricia. He has 3 children.

When Bill was younger, he played hockey and golf. He also enjoyed sailing. Nowadays, Bill maintains an interest in politics and sports and likes reading the daily newspaper and books.

Bill credits his long life to good genes and his young wife.