MOLLOY, Desmond Baines
| Service Numbers: | QX59477, Q1218370 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 November 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 22nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, 2 September 1922 |
| Home Town: | Ipswich, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Grocer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, New Guinea, 7 December 1943, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lae War Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Booval War Memorial, Ipswich Soldier's Memorial Hall WW2 |
Biography contributed by Chris Buckley
Des Molloy was the youngest of two sons of Henry (Rollie) Rowland Molloy (born 1901 in Newtown, Ipswich, QLD) and Moira Elf Baines (born 1900 in Ipswich, QLD). Rollie was a Coal Miner in Ipswich in 1920 when he married Moira. The couple settled in Silkstone, Ipswich where Rollie was a Miner.
Des was a Grocer in Ipswich, QLD when he enlisted in November 1941 and served as a Private (Service No:Q1218370) with 61 Infantry Battalion until he enlisted 'in the field' on 21 September 1943 and served with 22nd Infantry Battalion in New Guinea. Des was originally reported as MiA on 15 December 1943, and reported as Died of Wounds on 17 December 1943. Des was first buried at Langement Bay, then in 1944 was reburied at Finschafen War Cemetery and finally laid to rest in 1946 at Lae War Cemetery. Older brother Edward Roland (born 1920 in Ipswich, QLD) was a Coal Miner when he enlisted, but the mine where he was employed refused to release him, so he was discharged. He was later paralysed in an accident at the Aberdare Extended Coal Mine and spent most of the next eight years in Ipswich Hospital before his death in 1954.
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