PRESTON, James
| Service Number: | 40913 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 June 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, 26 July 1913 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Storeman and Clerk |
| Died: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 26 March 2004, aged 90 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Melbourne |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 4 Jun 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant, 40913 | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Jul 1943: | Embarked Royal Australian Air Force, Corporal, 40913, ex Townsville to New Guinea | |
| 10 Dec 1944: | Embarked Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant, 40913, ex New Guinea to Townsville | |
| 5 Feb 1946: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant, 40913 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Jim was the second of three children of Ernest James Preston (b1890 in Kingston, Victoria) and Elsie May Button (b1889 in Ballarat, Victoria). Ernest (a Saddler) and Elsie married in 1911 in Wendourie, Victoria and settled in Ballarat where Ernest was a Saddler and Harness Maker. The family moved to Melbourne in the early 1920s.
Jim worked as a Storeman and Clerk after leaving school, and was a Scoutmaster. In 1938 he married Bonnie Jean Campbell (b1915 in Melbourne, Victoria) - Bonnie was a Turner. In June 1941 Jim enlisted in the RAAF as an Aircraftman 1 (Service No:40913). He was at the Armament School Pt Cook in October 1941 and Central Flying School Camden in June 1944. In August 1942 he was Promoted to Corporal, and in August 1944 to Sergeant. Jim served in New Guinea (8 July 1943 to 10 December 1944) and was attached to 2 Transport and Movement Office when he was Discharged in February 1946. Jim was described as ' ... a steady young man, strictly sober, and of first class moral character .... industrious and capable' (National Archives Australia).
Jim and Bonnie settled in Coburg in Melbourne where Jim worked as a Storeman. In the early 1960s the family moved to Beaumaris, and Jim worked as a Public Relations Officer. jim died in 2004 and Bonnie in 2005.
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