Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ronald James Ernest Shackleford was born on the fourth of August 1924 in Peterborough in South Australia, where he lived for the rest of his time before he went to war, and it's also where he went to school. He identified as a Methodist.

His father was called Ernest and his mother is unknown. Ronald later had a child which he called Ernest Shackleford after his father. He 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 20th 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 he went to war he was a motor mechanic.

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 Wirelss Maintenance Mechanics course and was achieved an intermediate standard.

He was 22 when he came back from war and married soon after. His son was born when Ronald was 24 years old

Ronald died at the age of 38, when his son was only 13 years old. It is now believed that he took his own life, but it is not known whether that is true or not. He is buried at the Peterborough cemetery.

Ronald's son did not marry or have children. Ronald had a brother called Max who was married to Margaret Ellis but they also never had any children. The closest relatives to Ronald today live in Orroroo where the Shackleford's own and run a farm.