Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ken was born at Port Pirie on 28 Jul 1920 to Howard Desmond Ware and Sylvia Florence Ware (nee Cox). He was the second eldest of 6 children in the family, 3 boys and 3 girls. His father was an electrical fitter at the BHAS Smelter at Port Pirie.
Ken went to school at Mount Gambier and then Wellington Rd Primary (Adelaide) before completing schooling at Urrbrae Agricultural College. He then went to the Blyth area to gain farming experience working for his future Father in Law; he remained in this employ until his enlistment in the Army Reserve in 10 Sep 1940; serving in a Militia Light Horse Unit: he was called up for Full Time Duty on 18 Dec 1941. At the time of enlistment he gave his occupation as farmer, address as Blyth (SA) and his father as next of kin.
After call up he undertook a number of driving courses in Warradale before returning to his unit, 3rd Reconnaissance Squadron. On 15 Apr 1942 he was transferred to 3rd Mounted Rifles and a month later entrained at Adelaide for Victoria, marching in to 13th Armoured Regiment at Puckapunyal (Vic) on 22 Jun 1942 and joined the 2nd AIF; his number changed from S7346 to SX23268. A 6 month period of hospitalisation and convalescence followed before he re-joined his unit. On 21 Mar 1943 he entrained at Melbourne for Brisbane and was detached to 3rd Army Ordnance Depot (AOD) at Mt Gravatt (Qld).
After another lengthy spell in hospital he was transferred to holding strength 4th Australian Ordnance Vehicle Park. During this unsettled period he made good use of his convalescence time and was able to return to SA and marry Hilda Bertha Eime on 20 Nov 1943, before finally being posted to 8th Ordnance Vehicle Park, Australian Army Ordnance Corps.
Vehicle Parks stored large shipments of vehicles awaiting distribution to Australian Army units, including repairs and reissue of vehicles: the Park could contain as many as 6,000 vehicles. It also stored vehicles that had been written off: these vehicles were then stripped for parts.
Ken embarked at Brisbane aboard HMAT “Duntroon” bound for Bougainville, disembarking at Torokina (PNG) on 5 Oct 1944. He remained in this location until 19 Feb 1945 when he embarked aboard HMAT “Duntroon” for return to Australia, disembarking at Sydney 6 days later.
Then followed a rather confused time as he was posted to various Lines of Communication (LofC) areas before again embarking from Sydney for return to PNG and then to the Solomon Islands in May 1945 where he remained until early Dec 1945 when he returned to Australia and was sent to Adelaide for discharge; he returned to Blyth and saw his wife and two week old son (for the first time) on Christmas Eve 1945.
Ken took his discharge from the Army on 9 Jan 1946 at Keswick and returned to his employ at Blyth. He then applied for a Soldier Settlers Block in Tumby Bay as there were no blocks available in the Blythe area. He was successful, and on 22 Nov 1949 he was allocated Sect 429, Hd of Yarranyacka.
Ken moved onto the block in Feb 1950, but because the house was not completed, he boarded with Harold Heath at Lipson Cove. His wife and family, now consisting of 3 children, joined him on the property after the house was completed and the water tank was filled in Jul 1950. The property remains in the family.
Ken was very involved with anything to do with Lipson hence his endorsement by the community to represent Lipson on the Council in 1963 and his election to Chairman of the Council in 1968, a position that he held until his sudden death in Dec 1976 from a heart attack. He is buried in the Lipson cemetery. His wife remained on the property for a further 3 years before moving into Tumby where she remained until her death in Aug 2021. She is buried beside her husband.