MUNYARD, Peto
| Service Numbers: | W1361, W1361,, 406307 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 25 June 1939 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 14 Squadron (RAF) |
| Born: | Magill, South Australia, 1 May 1919 |
| Home Town: | Kellerberrin, Kellerberrin, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Kellerberrin State School, Western Australia |
| Occupation: | Hairdresser |
| Died: | Flying Battle, Middle East, 20 March 1942, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
El Alamein War Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 25 Jun 1939: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Trooper, W1361, 25th Machine Gun Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Sep 1940: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Trooper, W1361,, 25th Machine Gun Company | |
| 7 Oct 1940: | Enlisted Perth, WA | |
| 7 Oct 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant, 406307 | |
| 7 Oct 1940: | Involvement Sergeant, 406307 | |
| 5 Jul 1941: | Embarked Royal Australian Air Force, 406307, Sergeant embarked Fremantle for Egypt | |
| 21 Feb 1942: | Transferred Royal Australian Air Force, No. 14 Squadron (RAF) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Sergeant Peto Munyard (Service No:406307) initially served in the ACMF (Trooper; Service No:W1361) with 25 Light Horse (Machine Gun) Regiment from 25 June 1939 to 18 September 1940 when he Discharged to enlist in the RAAF. Aircraftman II Munyard enlisted in the RAAF at No 4 Recruiting Centre Perth and was posted to No 1 Ininital Training School (ITS) Somers and 1 Wirless and Gunnery School (WAGS) Ballarat - mustered as Wirelss Operator, Air Gunner. In 1941 he was promoted to Leading Aircraftman and attached to 1 Bomb and Gunnery School (BAGS) Ballarat before embarking as a Sergeant from Fremantle for the Egypt on 5 July 1941. Sergeant Munyard was atatched to the Middle East Pool and Kenya Pool Gilgil, and Transit Camp Almaza. In 1942 Sergeant Munyard was atached to No 14 Squadron Middle East (RAF) when he was KiA during night operations - the Blenheim Z5893 aircraft he was crewing crashed during take off at 1,45 am at Mersa Matruh in North Africa. Sergeant Munyard 'was highly regarded as an Air Gunner and his courage and cheerfulness were a tonic to his comrades' (NAA; Secretary Air Board). Sibling Ken (Service No:80528) also served in the RAAF in WWII.
Peto was born in Magill, South Australia in 1919, eldest of two children of William George Munyard (b1891 in Broken Hill, NSW) and second wife Minnie Amelia Jorgensen (b1895 in Melbourne, Victoria). William was a Grocer in Kalgoorlie, WA and, following the death of his first wife in 1915 in Kalgoorlie, moved to Fremantle in 1916 where he was aGrocer when he and Minnie married in 1918. William and Minnie lived in Magill South Australia and Bruce Rock and Wongan Hills where they raised their family and William was a Grocer, Grocer's Assistant and Manager of Co-Op Stores. Following William's death in 1929, Minnie moved to Kellerberrin where she raised her sons.
Peto started work in Kellerberrin in 1933 as an Apprentice Hairdresser, then Hairdresser and member of the Kellerberrin Golf and Tennis Clubs. In 1941 in Mundaring he married Gwenda (Gwen) Iris Thomas (b1911 in Perth, WA) - Gwen was a Teacher at Korbel State School via Northam. Gwen settled in Fremantle where she was a Teacher, and following Petro's death, Gwen later remarried and died in Perth in 1991.
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