Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Medals: Pacific Star, Atlantic Star

"My Father R. M. Gordon was always known as Curly because of his curly red hair. He signed up in the RAN as a boy for 12 years in 1936, he served on HMAS Vendetta, HMAS Canberra and HMAS Shropshire. He saw action in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Pacific. He was an Electrician's mate and at Action Stations operated Anti Aircraft Guns, and also as a Gunners Mate on gun turret Y on HMAS Shropshire.

Following the Japanese surrender, even though unwell from his long service at sea, sent to Japan in the peacekeeping forces. His shipmates all agreed that he always discharged his duties in an exemplary manner and was popular amongst the crew. He won bantam weight boxing matches for RAN, crossed the equator several times in service. Curly was active at The Battle of Cape Matapan, Corrigedor, Lingayen and Leyte Gulf in the Phillipines.

In 1943 when the crew went to England to pick up the HMAS Shropshire, Curly was suffering from battle fatigue, his friends whom I contacted in the early 1990's to find more about him, said he was "bombo" when they were in London as the air raids were on and the constant headaches he had were made worse from the explosions and the noise: back on board the Ship he was better.

After the War he had a long history of poor health related to his War service and found fitting back into the peacetime society quite difficult . Russell McLeod Gordon had 2 children James Russell and Vicki Venice. He was always very mechanically minded and was employed as a Motor Mechanic and in the early sixties as a Lift mechanic.

Russell died in 1965 on the 20th of September from reaction to medication prescribed for his constant headaches.  He is Buried in Centennial Park Cemetery in Adelaide South Australia, his wife Yvonne is still alive 9 (as of 08 Dec 2015) in aged care at 91 years of age." - James Innes