MCKELVEY, William Charles
| Service Number: | QX38519 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 October 1942, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Cairns, Queensland, 3 October 1922 |
| Home Town: | Mount Garnet, Tablelands, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Sawmiller/Stockman/Miner |
| Died: | Natural causes (stroke), Atherton Hospital, Queensland, 24 October 2004, aged 82 years |
| Cemetery: |
Mount Garnet Cemetery, Qld |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 20 Oct 1942: | Enlisted Private, QX38519, Brisbane, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, QX38519, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 21 Oct 1942: | Involvement Private, QX38519 | |
| 19 Sep 1946: | Discharged Private, QX38519, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 19 Sep 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, QX38519, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Claude McKelvey
William Charles McKelvey was the 4th child of 13 of 2615 Pte. Dudley Roy McKelvey (/explore/people/192435) and Elizabeth Francis McKelvey (nee Boundy). Two of his brothers also enlisted in WW2, QX15464 Lce./Cpl. Edward George McKelvey (/explore/people/728875) and QX38520 Pte. Harold Henry McKelvey (/explore/people/728876).
William (Dad) was affectionately know as Willie but some photos of him with fellow soldiers bear inscriptions that suggest they had nicknamed hin Snow due to the colour of his hair. He always had a happy disposition an a hard work ethic possibly due to his upbringing in difficult circumstances with his dad raising a large family in the country while dealing with his own serious after effects of service in WW1.
While there was a sense of duty, dad once explained that he and his brother Harold enlisted to escape a job at a sawmill they didn't like and the chance at some adventure. He never talked about his war experiences much and never admitted to lingering after effects though these became more obvious in later life. On their return to Australia the brothers left Cairns to work on cattle stations in the Gulf of Carpentaria only returning to to towns after marrying and birth of children. Dad was a great life coach.
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