Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Leading Aircraftman Charles John Downs (Service No:16374) initially served in the Militia )1934 - 1937) as a Gunner with 23rd Heavy Battery before enlisting in the RAAF on 30 April 1940 at No 4 Recruiting Centre Perth as an Aircraftman I. Mustered as a Messman, ACI Downs was attached to No 4 Recruit Depot Pearce and No 1 Engineering School (ES) Ascot Vale. Promoted to Leading Aircraftman (mustered as Telephone Operator) in April 1943, he was attached to 10 Signals and, in 1944 LAC Downs served in New Guinea with Northern Command Telecommunications Unit at Milne Bay and in 1945 with 40 Operational Base Unit in Lae. LAC Downs was attached to 1 Reserve Personnel Pool (RPP) at Discharge on 21 November 1945. Siblings George and William also served in WWII.

Born in Boulder, WA in 1916, Charles was third of five children of William Downs (b1875 in Warwickshire, England) and Amelia Smith (b1892 in Reefton, New Zealand). William worked as a Bricklayer for his Uncle in England before immigrating, and he and Amelia married in Geraldton WA in 1913. They lived in Geraldton, Boulder and Westonia where they raised their family and William worked as a Bricklayer. In the 1920s William and Amelia settled in Fremantle, where William worked as a Bricklayer.

Charles worked as a Farm Hand in rural WA, including in Kulin, and in 1937. was an Assistant Mechanic with Grear and Butters Garage in Fremantle. By 1938 Charles was a Sergeant with the Salvation Army, working as a Kitchenman/Assistant Cook at the Salvation Army Men's Home in Perth before enlisting in the RAAF. In 1941 in Melbourne, Victoria Charles married Barbara Alliston Hill (b1915 in Midland, WA) - Barbara lived in Perth, WA. Following his Discharge, Charles and Barbara lived in Sacrborough, Perth where Charles was a Steel Worker until the late 1950s when they moved to Leederville and Barbara was a Storekeeper and Charles a Storeman. Next move was to Wanneroo in the early 1960s where Charles and Barabara had a Poultry Farm. In the early 1970s they moved to Geraldton and George worked as a House Painter and Barbara as a Housekeeper. In the late 1970s they returned to Perth, where Charles worked as a Driver and Barbara as a Shop Assistant. Charles and Barbara retired to Harvey Bay nr Collie WA in 1980. Charles died in 1995 and Barbara in 2006.