RADFORD, Ralph Dillon
| Service Numbers: | Officer, S212014 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 August 1915, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 4 Garrison Battalion (SA) |
| Born: | Crystal Brook, South Australia, 25 July 1890 |
| Home Town: | Goodwood, Unley, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clothier |
| Died: | Springbank, south Australia, 6 March 1951, aged 60 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Gilles Street Primary School WW1 Honour Board (Original), Adelaide Grand Masonic Lodge WW1 Honour Board (2), Adelaide North Adelaide Cycling Club Roll of Honor, Lindisfarne Officers of the 12th Battalion Pictorial Honour Roll, Unley Town Hall WW1 Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, Officer, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Mar 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant | |
| 18 May 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 3rd Division Cyclist Company, HMAT Demosthenes, Sydney | |
| 18 May 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 3rd Division Cyclist Company, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Aug 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 12th Infantry Battalion |
World War 2 Service
| 2 Oct 1939: | Enlisted S212014 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 1939: | Enlisted Captain, S212014, Volunteer Defence Corps (SA), Adelaide, South Australia | |
| 3 Oct 1939: | Involvement Captain, S212014, 4 Garrison Battalion (SA) , Homeland Defence - Militia and non deployed forces | |
| 10 Dec 1943: | Discharged Captain, S212014, 4 Garrison Battalion (SA) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Edwards
"Lieutenant Ralph Dillon Radford 3rd Divisional Anzac Cyclist Company. A clothier from Goodwood SA prior to enlistment, Lt Radford embarked with the rank of Second Lieutenant from Sydney on 18 May 1916 on board HMAT Demosthenes. Later transferring to the 12th Battalion, he was promoted to Lieutenant and received a congratulatory letter from the Corps Commander for gallant conduct. He returned to Australia on 20 May 1919. Lt Radford later served as a Captain in the 4th Garrison Battalion during the Second World War." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
Biography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Ralph Dillon Radford was born on the 25th of July 1890 at Crystal Brook, South Australia, to Emma Augusta Hughes and Harold Sawle Radford. Before enlisting, he worked as a clothier and partner in business. He was single and stood 5 feet 5¼ inches tall, weighed 142 pounds (64.4 kg), and had fair skin, blue eyes, and fair hair. His next of kin was recorded as his mother, Emma Augusta Radford, living on Angus Street, Goodwood, South Australia.
On the 23rd of August 1915, at the age of 25, Radford enlisted in the AIF and was posted to the 3rd Division Cyclist Corps. On the 3rd of March 1916, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant. Two months later, on the 18th of May 1916, he embarked from Sydney on HMAS Demosthenes. He disembarked in Plymouth, England, on the 17th of October 1916.
On the 2nd of February 1917, Radford proceeded from England to France. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 7th of April 1917, and not long after, on the 9th of June, his name was brought to the notice of the Corps Commander for gallant conduct during recent operations in France. On the 18th of July 1917, while in the care of the 12th Battalion, Radford proceeded on leave from France. He rejoined the unit on the 6th of August 1917. On the 3rd of September 1917, he attended a grenade course at the 2nd Army School in France, and on the 24th of September 1917, he rejoined his unit in Belgium.
On the 25th of January, Radford was granted leave in the United Kingdom, and on the 30th of January he was seconded for duty with the 1st Infantry Battalion at Sutton Veny. On the 21st of March, he was on command at the School of Musketry at Hayling Island, where he attended a rifle course from the 21st of March to the 17th of April 1918, qualifying with a distinction and gained fair knowledge of the Lewis gun.
Following this, he was appointed Musketry Officer, responsible for training troops in rifle use. His service was interrupted in July 1918, when he sprained his left foot during a game of football. A formal Court of Enquiry was convened at Sutton Veny on the 29th of July to investigate the circumstances of the injury. Supervised by Lieutenant P.H. Colbey and later confirmed by Lieutenant Colonel H.A. Rafferty, the court found the injury was accidental and that Radford was not to blame. After recovering, he rejoined his battalion and resumed regimental duties.
On the 27th of March 1919, Radford was to return to Australia, sailing to England from France on the 3rd of April, and disembarked the next day. He returned to Australia on the 20th of May 1919, with a British War Medal and a Victory Medal. Radford later served as a Captain in the 4th Garrison Battalion during World War Two. Ralph Dillon Radford died on the 6th of March 1951, passing away at the age of 60. He was buried at Centennial Park Cemetery, Adelaide, with the burial recorded at Pasadena, in the City of Mitcham, South Australia.
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