Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Bob as he was known was born in Port Augusta, South Australia on 15th November 1921 to Horace Edgar Jeffs and Rhoda Mary Jeffs (nee Radley). Bob's father was a storeman in the Commonweath Railways and his father's transfers took the family to Darwin in 1927 and finally back to Port Augusta in 1930. The family finally moved to Adelaide in 1938 after his father resigned from the Railways.

Bob was a competitive bike rider in Adelaide, and was employed by the South Australian Railways in Islington as a youth labourer. Bob was briefly a part time soldier with the Australian Citizens Military Force before he volunteered to join the R.A.N.V.R. in Pt. Adelaide (H.M.A.S. Torrens) in late 1941. He trained at H.M.A.S. Cerberus in Victoria. He was eventually transferred to Darwin mid 1942 where he saw action on H.M.A.S. Southern Cross, and also witnessed the bombing of Darwin. In late 1943 he was transferred south from Darwin and spent the rest of the war on coastal runs. He was drafted to S/D Sjobris of the Norwegian Merchant Navy from late 1943 to early 1944 as well as other armed merchant ships. He was honourably discharged from the Navy in  February 1946.

Bob married Bernie Jones at Hectorville's Catholic Church in January 1947. Bob briefly worked for Woodroofes soft drinks before he was accepted for an apprenticeship as a painter and decorator. Bob and his wife Bernie lived the rest of their lives in Flinders Park in Adelaide, and the couple had 7 children. In 1960 Bob was accepted as a trade teacher at Marleston Technical College where he spent the rest of his working life before retiring in 1979 due to ill health. Bob died on 19th February 1988. His wife Bernie finally recieved a war widows pension in 1998.

Bobs early death was contributed to his war service. There is a memorial to him along with other servicemen at The Centenial Park Cemetery's Garden of Remembrance.

WAR SERVICE   

Robert (Bob) was a part time soldier with the 18th Machine Gun Regiment 3rd Infantry brigade in the Australian Citizens Military Force based in Adelaide from 20/3/1941-4/9/1941. His rank was Trooper  No: S9100. It is believed he resigned from the Australian Citizens Military Force to volunteer with the Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve at H.M.A.S. Torrens Shore Base, Fletcher Rd, Birkenhead on 9/9/1941.

25/11/1941: Reported for duty at H.M.A.S. TORRENS, Birkenhead Pt. Adelaide. 

25/11/1941-18/5/1942: H.M.A.S. CERBERUS (FLINDERS NAVAL DEPOT) Victoria for training. Rank: ORDINARY SEAMAN.

19/5/1942: H.M.A.S. LONSDALE, shore base Pt. Melbourne.

13/6/1942: Drafted to Darwin (H.M.A.S. SOUTHERN CROSS) Arrived Darwin by D.C.3. Douglas Dakota aircraft 27/6/1942

25/11/1942: Promoted to ABLE SEAMAN.

18/8/1943: Drafted to H.M.A.S. TORRENS, shore base Pt. Adelaide from H.M.A.S. SOUTHERN CROSS.

8/12/1943: Drafted to D/S. SJOBRIS (Norwegian Merchant Navy)

8/6/1944: Drafted to S.S. IRON DUKE (Merchant Navy)

19/12/1944: Drafted to H.M.A.S. MAITLAND shore base N.S.W. to at least 7/4/1945.

10/7/1945: Drafted to S.S. RIVER MURRUMBIDGEE (Merchant Navy)

4/1/1946: H.M.A.S. TORRENS shore base.

13/2/1946: Honourably discharged from service with the R.A.N.

SOME NAVAL HISTORY & EVENTS FROM ROBERT (BOB) JEFFS WAR DIARY.

Bob writes in his diary:

27th June 1942: Arrived at Darwin about 19:00 or 20:00 hours. Drew mosquito net and got our heads down.

25th July 1942: Air raid. Heard 8 bombs drop.

Bob was on H.M.A.S. SOUTHERN CROSS when the little ship sailed from Darwin on 28th July 1942 along with H.M.A.S. CHINAMPA bound for Saumlaki on the Tanimbar Islands in the then Dutch East Indies. SOUTHERN CROSS and CHINAMPA encounted a strong force of Japanese soldiers at Saumlaki, and the 2 ships were fired on, with casulaties on both sides. Eventually the 2 little ships made it safely back to Darwin, arriving the 2nd August.

Bob writes in his diary of those events of 31st July 1942:

"Arrived at Saumlaki at sunrise. I am heaving the lead. Chinampa alongside jetty. Lot of shooting going on. Japs firing at us and firing mortars at Chinampa. Bullets whistling around us. Chinampa alongside us. Lt. Henderson dead, three others wounded. Bought wounded on board and sailed around other side of island. Commandos went ashore but only Filipinos there. Headed back to Darwin" While the 2 little ships were sailing back to Darwin, the Japanese were out looking to try to sink the ships.

In one air raid on 27th August 1942, H.M.A.S. SOUTHERN CROSS had to sail from the wharf area of Darwin so the ship would not be damaged or sunk by an air raid.

From 27th June 1942 to 15th November 1942 Bob mentions in his diary he witnessed 9 air raids on Darwin, as well as the allied and Japanese bombers and fighters been shot down or damaged by the dog fights. H.M.A.S. SOUTHERN CROSS spent many days at sea during this time delivering supplies to coastal communities. One of H.M.A.S. SOUTHERN CROSS'S sad duties was to look for the remains of crashed allied and axis planes, and if possible rescue the crews. Sadly many times the rescue party would find the crews dead.

1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal, Australian Service Medal. 1940-45 Norwegian Defence Service Medal (Deltagermedaljen) Returned from Active Service Badge.

Information supplied by Paul Thomas Jeffs (son)