SHAW, Robert Leslie James
| Service Number: | NX94089 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 March 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 23rd Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery |
| Born: | Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia , 25 April 1902 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Department Manager (Store) |
| Died: | Accidental, New Guinea, 1 March 1944, aged 41 years |
| Cemetery: |
Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea CWGC Grave No: Section B. Plot 2. Row F. Grave 13. Inscription: "HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR US. FOREVER REMEMBERED BY ALL HIS LOVED ONES". |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Gunner, NX94089 | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX94089 | |
| 17 Dec 1942: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Gunner, NX94089, 23rd Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery, embarked Townsville for Port Moresby on board the Duntroon | |
| 1 Mar 1944: | Involvement Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Gunner, NX94089, 23rd Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery, He died from injuries sustained when the army vehicle he was riding in overturned, trapping him underneath. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Eldest of the four brothers who served in WWII (Les, Clarrie, Merv and Jack), Private Robert Leslie James Shaw (Service No:NX94089) enlisted in the AIF on 31 March 1942 with General Details Depot, and marched out to Infantry Training Battalions (14, 81 and 32). On 17 December 1942, Gunner Shaw was attached to 23rd Heavy Anti Aircraft (Ack Ack) Battery when he embarked with his Unit from Townsville for Port Moresby on board the Duntroon. On 1 MArch 1944 Gunner Shaw 'died of injuries accidentally received (fractured cervical spine) ... Gunner Shaw died at Rijo Road on 1-3-44 as a result of being pinned underneath and Army vehicle (overturned) in which he was a passenger .... Gunner Shaw was on duty at the time of the accident' (NAA).
Les was born in Lithgow, New South Wales in 1902, second of eight children of Robert Thomas Shaw (b1877 at Wattle Flat in Bathurst, New South Wales) and Maude Mary Jane Ingram (b1883 in Glenn Innes, New South Wales). Robert and Maude married in 1900 in Bathurst, and lived there and in Lithgow and Helensbororugh via Woolongong before settling in Sydney in 1918. Robert worked as a Labourer.
Les was a Salesman in Bondi, and in 1923 married Rita Doris Greenland (b1904 in Sydney, New South Wales). Les and Rita settled in Sydney, where they raised their family and Les was a Salesman and Department Sales Manager before enlisting in the AIF in 1942. Les died in New Guinea in 1944, and Rita died in 1987.
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