Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William joined the Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve at Port Adelaide in 1937. Mobilised on 2 September 1939 aged 20 he was posted immediately to the cruiser HMAS Canberra on convoy escort and other roles around Australia.
On 1 June 1940 he transferred to the Grimsby class sloop HMAS Swan, engaged in minesweeping and defensive duties in Australian waters. When Japan entered the war Swan headed north and in January 1942 was attacked by Japanese bombers while evacuating civilians from Amboina in the Moluccas. In February 1942 Swan escorted troopships to Timor but attacks by Japanese aircraft about 300 miles from Darwin causing the ships to turn back. Swan was in Darwin Harbour on 19 February 1942 for the first and largest air raid on Australia by Japanese aircraft. Swan got under way but was badly damaged and three crew were killed and nineteen wounded. After repairs and refit, Swan escorted convoys between Australia and New Guinea. William left HMAS Swan in January 1943 after more than 2 years aboard.
He then served at shore establishments including Rushcutter (Sydney) where he completed Motor Launch and Echo Sounding courses, Magnetic (Townsville) and the Motor Launch base Moreton (Brisbane). From December 1943 to July 1945 he was often at sea in Motor Launch ML1129, on harbour defence on the Australian eastern seaboard and New Guinea. William’s character and efficiency were always rated as “Very Good” or “Superior”, and in September 1944 he was awarded the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal .
At demobilisation on 25 October 1945 William was 26 years old, married (Miriam Thelma) and living near Scott Creek, South Australia. He served with the RAN for the whole of World War Two, more than half of it at sea. William lived in Hobart, Tasmania from the late 1940’s, where Miriam died in 1977, and William in 1990. Both rest in the Cornelian Bay Cemetery, Hobart.