HICKLING, William Francis
| Service Numbers: | F3894, F3896 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 January 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Stoker |
| Last Unit: | HMAS Matafele |
| Born: | Swan District, Western Australia, 22 October 1921 |
| Home Town: | Midland Junction, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Died at sea, Coral Sea, Pacific Islands, 18 June 1944, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Plymouth Naval Memorial to the Missing / Lost at Sea |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement F3894 | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Jan 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Stoker, F3896, HMAS Matafele |
Help us honour William Francis Hickling's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Charles Robert and Matilda Jane Hickling; husband of Olwyn Evelyn Hickling, of Sandringham, New South Wales, Australia.
F3894 Stoker William Francis Hickling. Originally from Swan Districts, WA, Stoker Hickling joined the RAN on 6 January 1942. Later he was posted to HMAS Matafele, a small cargo vessel carrying supplies between Townsville and Milne Bay. In late June 1944 contact with the ship was lost and a wide search failed to discover her fate. It was subsequently determined that she probably foundered on or about 20 June 1944 somewhere in the Coral Sea and went down with all hands.
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