STEBBINS, Roland Ira Christian
| Service Number: | 1683 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 June 1912 |
| Last Rank: | Able Seaman |
| Last Unit: | HMAS Cerberus (Shore) |
| Born: | Bridgewater, Victoria, Australia, 2 October 1894 |
| Home Town: | Bridgewater (Victoria, AUS), Loddon, Victoria |
| Schooling: | State School 1781, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Jun 1912: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Ordinary Seaman, 1683, HMAS Cerberus (Shore) |
|---|
World War 2 Service
| 19 Jun 1912: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Able Seaman, 1683 |
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World War 1 Service
| 6 Aug 1912: | Transferred Royal Australian Navy, Ordinary Seaman, HMAS Cerberus (Shore), HMAS Encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Aug 1913: | Transferred Royal Australian Navy, Telegrapher, HMAS Melbourne (I) | |
| 16 Oct 1913: | Transferred Royal Australian Navy, Telegrapher, HMAS Sydney (I) - WW1 | |
| 14 Jun 1914: | Transferred Royal Australian Navy, Telegrapher, HMAS Warrego (I) | |
| 11 Sep 1914: | Involvement Royal Australian Navy, Telegrapher, HMAS Warrego (I), German New Guinea | |
| 1 Oct 1915: | Transferred Royal Australian Navy, Telegrapher, HMAS Yarra (II) | |
| 1 Oct 1916: | Transferred Royal Australian Navy, Telegrapher, HMAS Swan (I) | |
| 1 Jul 1917: | Transferred Royal Australian Navy, Telegrapher, HMAS Parramatta (I), Served in the Mediterranean & Adriatic Seas with RAN destroyer flotilla | |
| 1 Jul 1918: | Transferred Royal Australian Navy, Telegrapher, HMAS Swan (I), RTA aboard HMAS Swan 29 October 1918 |
World War 2 Service
| 29 May 1919: | Discharged Royal Australian Navy, Able Seaman, 1683 |
|---|
World War 1 Service
| 29 May 1919: | Discharged Royal Australian Navy, Telegrapher, HMAS Cerberus (Shore) | |
|---|---|---|
| Date unknown: | Involvement Seaman, 1683, HMAS Sydney (I) - WW1 |
Rolands Story
Roland Ira Christian Stebbins (1894-1962) enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy at age 17. It was 1912, the year after the navy was formed. He was 163cm tall, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. A morse code operator, Roland served on destroyers and light cruisers in waters around New Guinea (where he helped bury the first German killed there), Malaya, Borneo, he Phillipines, Singapore, Malta, Italy, Turkey and Albania. He was discharged in 1919 and given a settlers block near Tamworth. He married his Childhood sweetheart, Ruby Salau, in 1921. Roland worked as a primary school teacher in Victoria, and as a missionary in Fiji, serving as a headmaster of Suva Methodist Boys' School. Ruby and Roland had two children, Roland William Stebbins (Born in a tent 1922), and Fredrica Esther Stebbins (Born in 1925)
Submitted 22 May 2021 by Sebastian Leigh
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