Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Hugh Gordon RANDELL b. 20 December 1889 d. 1968, m. Rose E. G. OSLEAR in Woollahra NSW in 1913, believed by my husband Graham Randell, Gordon's nephew, to have been an actress. They had no children, and were later divorced.

On 21 August 1915, Gordon visited Victoria Barracks NSW, where he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces. His next of kin was then listed as Mrs Rose Ellen Garlena (?) Randell, living at 30 Lord Street, North Sydney.

Gordon was described as being 25 yrs and 8 months old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, with hazel eyes, dark complexion and hair. He weighed 176 pounds (c. 75 kg) and had a chest measurement of 40 inches (c. 100 cms). He was enrolled in the 4th Battery of the 5th FA (Field Artillery?) Brigade, as a Gunner, service number 7437.

His records show that he sailed for Egypt on 18th November 1915, and disembarked at Suez on 21 December, 1915. After some 3 months in Egypt, he sailed from Alexandria on 19th March 1916, reaching Marsailles in France on 25th of March. From there he must have travelled north to the front, as just one month later, on 28th April 1916, he was admitted to 'No 3 Com. Gen Hosp.' A fortnight later, on 12th May he was 'struck off strength', and 5 days later, on 17th May embarked for England on the hospital ship 'St Dennis'.

He remained in hospital from 17th May until 13th July, and was then granted furlough before reporting to Weymouth for return to Australia. He left Portland on the Hospital Ship 'Marathon' on 8th August 1916. He apparently arrived back in Australia on 24th September, almost exactly 12 months after enlisting in the AIF. He was discharged from the AIF on 31st October 1916, as Medically Unfit, due to a "Valvular diseased heart."

As a result of his 4 weeks on the front line, he was entitled to 3 medals, the 1914/15 Star; the British War Medal, and the Victory medal. It appears that he also claimed a pension.

Gordon married as his second wife, Ethel Mary LORD, in 1938, in Chatswood, Sydney. Graham believed that she was usually known as Ess, was a typist, who already had one daughter Jean. and that Ess was the divorced wife of the Captain of the Manunda, a hospital ship which was bombed by the Japanese in Darwin harbour.

Gordon joined the Australian Services in the Second World War. His next of kin was listed as Ethel, then living 29 Kennaway St Tusmore. He enlisted at Keswick Barracks, giving his birthdate as 20th Dec. 1894 [ie. claiming to be 5 years younger than was true], on 4 May 1940. He was apparently listed as Temporary Sergeant, and on 11 June 1940, was promoted to Sergeant. On 23 June he was again promoted, this time to Temporary Staff Sergeant. His records show that he was discharged 27 Nov 1940, but give no apparent reason.

Graham believed that Gordon later joined the Royal Air Force [NOT the RAAF]. This is confirmed by records located in London.

The LONDON GAZETTE, dated 5 May 1942, indicates that an Australian, Hugh Gordon Randell, enlisted (as Pilot Officer on Probation (emergency)) in the ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE, Administrative and General Duties Branch, on 21st May 1941. His service number was 117109.

The issue of the Gazette dated 9th October 1942 recorded that on 21st May 1942, his appointment was confirmed, and he was promoted to Flying Officer within the Administrative and General Duties Branch. [It seems he was captured before 27 July 1942.]

The Gazette dated 27 May 1947, indicates that he relinquished his commission in the Administrative and General Duties Branch on 29th December 1946, while retaining his rank as Flying Officer.

Graham further believed that Gordon served in the Far East, was captured in Singapore, and was a prisoner of war in Changi jail.

An email correspondent has told me: "There is a Hugh Gordon RANDALL (not Randell) - svcnr 117109 - 512 AMES - listed in the book "Unsung Heroes of the RAF - The Far East Prisoners of War 1941-1945" by Les and Pam Stubbs. Randall was held at Java." This must by Gordon, as the RAF service number tallies with that cited in the Gazettes.

[An expert I consulted believes "512 AMES refers to Gordon's unit at the "Air Ministry Experimental Station" (AMES). I have discovered that at least one more AMES unit was in the Far East, based in Burma.

One website writes:
By 1939 a chain of Air Ministry Experimental Station (AMES) Type 1 Radar Stations along the south and east coasts of Britain had been established to detect aggressors in the air or at sea. The new installations were typified by a set of four high wooden towers supporting fixed aerials acting as a transmitter station and four nearby smaller towers acting as a receiver site. These formed the ‘Chain Home’ (CH) system. The CH transmitters acted like radio floodlights and the receiving aerials were made up of pairs of dipoles at right angles to each other. A device controlled by the operators, called a goniometer, tuned the signals from the dipoles and displayed the result on a cathode ray tube trace. This gave the operator the direction and distance to the target but the accuracy was subject to many outside influences. By switching to alternate pairs of dipoles the height could also be calculated. Only aircraft at fairly high altitudes could be tracked by this method, however, and low-flying aircraft or surface shipping could not be detected.
This would imply that Gordon was involved in radar."]

The National Archives of Australia hold a file on Hugh Gordon Randell, with the service number 117109, within the RAAF medical records. This file confirms that Gordon was captured in Java.

Gordon's name was mentioned in propaganda radio broadcasts in July 1942, June 1944, and September 1944. A Prisoner of War card, transmitted via the Red Cross, was received in December 1942, as were two later undated letters. The Red Cross stated that these letters were written in "Camp C and Camp X. "

I do not know whether Gordon was actually imprisoned in Changi jail, but I understand that POWs released from Java camps were taken temporarily to Changi for medical attention. Gordon was reported as 'safe in Singapore' in September 1945, and returned to Australia on the 'M.V. Tamaroa' in the same month.

As noted above, Gordon did not relinquish his RAF commission until 29th December 1946, "on account of medical unfitness for Air Force service." Gordon and Ess later returned to live in Sydney, with Jean. Jean later married, and visited Adelaide at least once with her husband.