DREW, William George
| Service Number: | 24534 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 January 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 3 Operational Training Unit Rathmines |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 22 November 1915 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Accidental, South West Pacific, Pacific Ocean, 4 February 1944, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Port Moresby Memorial, Port Moresby, Papua, Papua New Guinea Panel 9 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Byron Bay Memorial Gates, Port Moresby (Bomana) Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 27 Jan 1941: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant, 24534, No. 3 Operational Training Unit Rathmines | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Jan 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, 24534 | |
| 27 Jan 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant, 24534 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
William was the eldest of three children of William Charles Drew (born 1891 in Mount Morgan, QLD) and Jeslyne Claretta Kiddell (born 1889 in Melbourne, Victoria). William (an Engineer) and Jeslyne (a Tailoress) married in Brisbane, QLD.
William married May Frances Porter (born 1914 in Pittswworth on the Darling Downs in QLD) in 1938 in Brisbane. May was a Guest House Proprietor in New Farm, Brisbane. William and May were living in Byron Bay, NSW in 1939 when William enlisted in the RAAF. A Sergeant (Service No: 24534) with 3 Embarcation Depot Sandgate, he was reported missing in the sea near New Caledonia in February 1944. He was on board a Catalina (IB279) on a ferry flight between Honolulu and Rathmines. Two of William's brothers-in-law served in WWII - Lex as a Flight Lieutenant (Service No: 23516) with the RAAF, and Norman as a Sapper (Service Nos: QX19248/Q14642) in the Army.
May lived in Brisbane until her death in 2003.
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