Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

He was 20 and the son of David Charles JUSTICE and Isabella MILLER, of Cowes, Victoria, Australia.

HMAS Australia was flagship of the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron patrolling the North Sea .

The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland

Died on this date – 5th March.... David Roy Justice was born on 10th March, 1895 at Thoona, Victoria. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy on 15th December, 1913 for a period of 5 years.

Roy David Justice joined H.M.A.S. Cerberus as Stoker 2nd Class on 15th December, 1913.

Stoker 2nd Class Roy David Justice was transferred to H.M.C.S. Protector on 31st January, 1914.

Stoker 2nd Class Roy David Justice was transferred to H.M.A.S. Australia on 27th February, 1914. He was promoted to Stoker on 15th December, 1914. Stoker Roy David Justice had been assessed on 31st December, 1915 & his character was classed as very good & his ability as superior.

With the outbreak of the First World War, Australia became the flagship of the force that captured the German colonies in the southern Pacific. She led a force which captured Rabaul on 13th September, 1914 before proceeding to Samoa.

In late December, 1914 Australia received orders to sail to England via the Pacific and reached Devonport on 28th January, 1915. En route she captured and sank von Spee's supply ship Eleonore Woermann off South America. From Devonport Australia proceeded to Rosyth in Scotland, where in February, 1915 she became flagship of the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron.
Stoker Roy David Justice died on 5th March, 1916 at Rosyth, Fife, Scotland from Suffocation – accidental. (Source: Australian War Memorial – Roll of Honour)

Newspaper Reports:
FEARED THE COLD AND RISKED SUFFOCATION
Two men have been found dead on a barge lying in the Forth, near Rosyth. They were Walter Matthews (31) and Roy David Justice (20), believed to belong to London. Owing to the coldness of the weather the men, for the sake of warmth, had closed the hatch and other outlets to the air. Death, which took place in the stokehold, had been due to suffocation.

(Dundee, Perth, Forfar, and Fife’s People Journal, Dundee, Angus, Scotland – 11 March, 1916)
Stoker Roy David Justice was buried in Queensferry Cemetery, Edinburgh, Scotland – Plot number 1410 and has a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone.

(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/-queensferry.html