Coming Soon.
COSGROVE, William Nicholas Pax
Personal Details
| Service Number: | 400140 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 June 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 30 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Randwick New South Wales Australia , 12 November 1918 |
| Home Town: | Richmond (V), Yarra, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Xavier College Melbourne Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Photographer |
| Died: | Flying Battle, New Guinea, 11 August 1943, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea Plot A3 Row E. Grave 2. Local Roll of Honour- Melbourne Victoria Australia , Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Bomana, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Narromine Aviation Museum Memorial Wall |
Service History
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Flight Sergeant, 400140 | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 400140, No. 30 Squadron (RAAF) | |
| 23 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman 2 (WW2), 400140, No. 2 Initial Training School Bradfield Park | |
| 10 Mar 1941: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant | |
| 1 Feb 1943: | Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant | |
| 8 Feb 1943: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 400140, No. 5 Operational Training Unit Forest Hill, Air War SW Pacific 1941-45 | |
| 25 Apr 1943: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 400140, No. 30 Squadron (RAAF), Air War SW Pacific 1941-45 |
Personal Stories
The Flight of the Scorpion
On Saturday 7march 1942, twelve RAF and RAAF personnel set sail for Tjilatjap, Java, in a thirty-foot wooden lifeboat. Their mission: to reach Roebourne on the northern coast of West Australia, some 950 nautical miles away, and bring rescue to the remaining airmen trapped on the island who were in danger of being captured by the enemy. Bill Cosgrove was one of the twelve. Sixty three years later his daughter, Madeleine, wrote a book about the journey which took 44 days. The title: The Flight of the Scorpion. The reason for the title - ‘flight’ depicting the flyboys taking the journey and ‘Scorpion’ as they named the boat depicting the 84 squadron badge motto…Scorpion stings.
Submitted 13 August 2022 by Madeleine Huxtable
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