Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Birth: 23 December 1901, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Death: 15 February 1969 (aged 67), at sea aboard the S.S. Australis
Burial: Lost at sea (no known grave)
Service Number: SX4039
Rank at Discharge: Corporal
Unit: 2/27 Battalion, 2nd A.I.F. (Australian Military Forces, WW2)
Service Period: 31 May 1940 – 8 December 1943


Early Life

Claude Rudolph Nichols was born on 23 December 1901 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, the son of Albert Walter Nichols and Catherine Ma Strange. Details of his early life in England are limited, but at some point, he emigrated to Australia, settling in South Australia.

Prior to World War II, Claude worked as a motor hire proprietor. He was a member of the Church of England.

Marriage and Family

Claude married Josephine Frances Peek on 17 March 1923 at the Methodist Church, East Parade, Kensington, South Australia. They had at least four children:

Walter Bailey Nichols – born 17 March 1925
Harry Malcolm Nichols – born 16 June 1926
Letitia Maud Nichols – born 11 June 1928
Jack Nichols - born Feb 1931 - Died 12 March 1932


The marriage later ended, and on 24 March 1948, Claude married Lorna Stella Judd at Brougham Place Congregational Church, North Adelaide. This second marriage took place five years after his discharge from the Army.

World War II Service

Enlistment

Claude enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 31 May 1940 at Adelaide, South Australia, aged 38. His enlistment records describe him as having brown hair, hazel eyes, and a scar on the front of his left lower leg.

He was posted to the 2/27th Infantry Battalion and underwent initial training at Wayville and Woodside Camps.


Service History (Chronological Highlights)

May–October 1940 – Undertook training at Woodside and other SA camps; embarked for overseas service aboard the H.M.T. Mauretania on 29 October 1940.
November 1940 – April 1941 – Served in the Middle East.
28 June 1941 – Appointed Lance Corporal. Later served as Provost Duties (military police role).
August 1941 – Promoted to Corporal; held responsibilities including discipline and security duties.
1942 – Continued Middle East service with administrative and policing duties; later transferred to G Pro Coy (General Provost Company).
23 January 1943 – Returned to Australia.
1943 – Involved in disciplinary matters; awarded a severe reprimand for breaching censorship instructions.
November 1943 – Medical examination determined he was no longer fit for his role due to medical reasons.


Discharge

Claude was discharged on 8 December 1943 at Wayville, South Australia. His medical category was listed as Class B, and the discharge was on the grounds that his age or medical fitness rendered him unsuitable for his current role.


Post-war Life

Residences

Before the war, Claude lived in Norwood, Adelaide. By 1947, he was living on Lipsett Terrace, Brooklyn Park. He remained in metropolitan Adelaide for the rest of his life, likely moving later to North Adelaide with his second wife, Lorna.

Occupation

In the late 1940s, Claude was working as a grocer in Brooklyn Park. This role kept him active in the community and allowed him to build a modest civilian livelihood. It is possible he continued in small business or retail until retirement in the 1960s

Marriage

He remarried in 1948 to Lorna Stella Judd and appears to have remained in South Australia until at least the 1960s.

Final Years and Death at Sea

By the late 1960s, Claude had retired from active work. In early 1969, at the age of 67, he embarked on an overseas voyage aboard the passenger liner S.S. Australis — a well-known Chandris Lines cruise ship operating between Australia and Europe.


On 15 February 1969, while at sea, Claude passed away. The exact circumstances remain unclear in surviving public records but given his age and the common causes of death at sea for passengers of that era, a sudden medical event such as a heart attack is likely. Maritime custom and practical necessity meant that in many such cases, the deceased was buried at sea, and indeed Claude's burial location is unknown.

His death was formally registered in Victoria (Reg. No. 7557) with the notation "at sea aboard the Australis." Lorna survived him by many years, passing away in 1986.

Legacy

Claude Rudolph Nichols' life reflects the journey of many in his generation — emigrating from England to Australia, serving his adopted country in wartime, returning to civilian life as a small business owner, and quietly building a post-war life. His service in the 2/27th Battalion, his work as a grocer, and his untimely death far from home at sea combine into a life story spanning continents, wartime hardship, and peaceful civilian years.

Though he has no known grave, his name and service remain preserved in military archives, family records, and the memory of those who knew him.


Sources

National Archives of Australia, Service Record: B883, SX4039 – Claude Rudolph Nichols
South Australian Births, Deaths & Marriages, Marriage & Birth Registrations
Victoria Death Registration: Reg. No. 7557 (1969)
Electoral Rolls, South Australia
Australian War Memorial, 2/27 Battalion Unit History


Biography updated by Trevor Pyatt on 6/08/2025