CONQUIT, William Clarence
| Service Number: | PM2132 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 August 1939 |
| Last Rank: | Leading Seaman |
| Last Unit: | HMAS Sydney (II) - D48 WW2 |
| Born: | Carlton, Victoria, Australia, 27 August 1920 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Indian Ocean, 20 November 1941, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth, Devon, England, United Kingdom |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Carnarvon HMAS Sydney II Memorial, Carnarvon Walk of Remembrance, Geraldton HMAS Sydney II Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 28 Aug 1939: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Able Seaman, PM2132 | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Able Seaman, PM2132, HMAS Sydney (II) - D48 WW2 | |
| 25 Aug 1941: | Promoted Royal Australian Navy, Leading Seaman, HMAS Sydney (II) - D48 WW2 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Leading Seaman William Clarence Conquit (PM2132) enlisted in the RAN as an Able Seaman on 29 August 1939 on HMAS Cerberus. Promoted to Leading Seaman, he served on HMAS Canberra, Swan and Adelaide before transferring to HMAS Sydney II on 25 August 1941. Leading Seaman Conquit was on board HMAS Sydney II on 11 November 1941, escorting the troopship Zealandia to Sundra Strait. The Sydney failed to return to Fremantle as expected on 20 November 1941. HMAS Sydney II sank in the Indian Ocean following destructive action with the German cruiser Kormoran. Leading Seaman Conquit was one of 645 Australians who perished.
Bill (aka Billy) was born in Melbourne in 1920, eldest of three children of Clarence William Conquit (b1893 in Albury, NSW) and Annie Mary Hart (b1897 in Violet Town, Victoria) Clarence served in the AIF in WWI and met Annie in Melbourne in 1916 - Annie was working as a Hotel Cook. Following his Discharge from the Army, Clarence and Annie married in Melbourne in 1920 and lived in Beechworth, Orbost, Glen Maggie and Maffra where Clarence was, on occasion, a Share Farmer and Labourer, and Annie a Cook. Clarence was known under many aliases, and was frequently in prison - he was in pentrifge Prison in 1925 when Annie filed for Divorce. Annie and the children lived in Maffra, where Annie worked as a Cook and Boardinghouse Keeper. Annie remarried and settled in Melbourne.