Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ronald James Ernest Shackleford was born on the 4th of August 1924 in Peterborough South Australia. He was educated at the local school and identified as a Methodist.

His father was called Ernest and his mother was called Eva Alice Nourse. Ronald was 5 foot 8 and a half or about 179 centimetres tall, and weighed 11 stone, or about 70 kilograms, with brown hair and grey coloured eyes.

He enlisted for the Royal Australian Air Force on the 2nd October 1942, when he was 18 years and 2 months old, and his last rank was as a Leading Aircraftman. During his civil life, before and after he went to war, he was a Ford Motor Mechanic in Peterborough and worked for his uncle Fred Nourse.

Ronald's role at the time of enlistment was a trainee wireless mechanic. That means that he would have worked on and serviced or repaired wireless devices, such as radios. During his time in the airforce, he completed two months of a Trainee Wireless Maintenance Mechanics course and achieved an intermediate standard.

He was 22 when he came back from war and he married Glora Lorraine Brittain soon after on 15th February 1947 in Port Pirie. His son, Peter was born (June 1949) when Ronald was 24 years old. His daughter Jan was born seven years later.

Ronald died at the age of 38. He is buried at the Peterborough Cemetery.

Ronald's son Peter was a National Servicemen with the Australian Army Education Corps and served in Papua New Guinea 1972-1973. His daughter Jan's husband Raymond Buxallen was a National Serviceman with the Army Catering Corps from 1970 - 1972.