ABERNETHY, Roderic Bell
| Service Number: | 14705 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 August 1924, Sydney, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Petty Officer |
| Last Unit: | HMAS Sydney (II) - D48 WW2 |
| Born: | Wellington, New South Wales, Australia, 7 December 1909 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Wellington school & Wellington Intermediate High School |
| Occupation: | Wireless operator & Telegraphist |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Indian Ocean, 20 November 1941, aged 31 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Carnarvon HMAS Sydney II Memorial, Carnarvon Walk of Remembrance, Plymouth Naval Memorial to the Missing / Lost at Sea, Wellington Cenotaph |
World War 2 Service
| 7 Aug 1924: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Petty Officer, 14705, HMAS Sydney (II) - D48 WW2, Sydney, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Royal Australian Navy, Petty Officer, 14705, HMAS Sydney (II) - D48 WW2 | |
| 20 Nov 1941: | Involvement Royal Australian Navy, Petty Officer, 14705, HMAS Sydney (II) - D48 WW2 |
Help us honour Roderic Bell Abernethy's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Elizabeth Allen
Roderic Bell ABERNETHY was born in Wellington, New South Wales on 7th December, 1909
His parents were Harold ABERNETHY & Ida Mary FERGUSON who married in Wellington in 1899
Roderic married Wanaka Maude KELLAND in Wellington on 29th April, 1930 and was divorced in 1940
He enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy aged 15 as a Naval Cadet on 7th August, 1924 and remained in the Navy every since - in 1938 he was attached to the Navy at Garden Island in Sydney
He was Killed in Action in the Indian Ocean onboard the ship HMAT Sydney (11) when it was sunk by the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran on 20th November, 1941 off the coast of Western Australia
His name is memorialised on the Plymouth Naval Memorial in England, the Australian War Memorial & the Wellington Cenotaph NSW
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