THOMAS, Raymond Keith
| Service Numbers: | W67253, WX38674, WX38674 , R37324 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 December 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Leading Seaman |
| Last Unit: | 34th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Perth, Western Australia, 24 November 1925 |
| Home Town: | Perth, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Perth, Western Australia, 9 March 2006, aged 80 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Western Australia Cremation |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 22 Dec 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, W67253, Signals Training Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Apr 1943: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Gunner, W67253, 12th Field Regiment | |
| 30 Apr 1943: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, WX38674 | |
| 12 Jul 1945: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Driver, WX38674 , Watercraft Workshops, embarked Milne Bay for Brisbane on board the Ormiston | |
| 25 Jun 1946: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Driver, WX38674 , 34th Infantry Battalion, embarked Sydney for Kure, Japan on board Westralia | |
| 13 Aug 1947: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Driver, WX38674 , 34th Infantry Battalion, embarked Kure for Sydney on board Kanimbla | |
| 29 Aug 1947: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, WX38674 |
Vietnam War Service
| 14 Apr 1949: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Leading Airman Aircrewman, R37324 | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1967: | Involvement Royal Australian Navy, Leading Seaman, R37324 | |
| 17 Jan 1968: | Involvement Royal Australian Navy, Leading Seaman, R37324 | |
| 27 Mar 1968: | Involvement Royal Australian Navy, Leading Seaman, R37324 | |
| 21 May 1968: | Involvement Royal Australian Navy, Leading Seaman, R37324 | |
| 13 Apr 1969: | Discharged Royal Australian Navy, Leading Seaman, R37324 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Private Raymond Keith Thomas (Service Nos:WX38674/W67253) initially enlisted in the ACMF on 22 December 1942 and was 'in the field' at Northam, WA on 30 April 1943 when he enlisted in the AIF. Private Thomas served with 12th Australian Field Regiment, and was in New Guinea in 1945. Private Thomas served in Japan with the 34th Infantry Brigade (BCOF) from 25 June 1946 to 13 August 1947 and was attached to 9 Watercraft Workshops at Discharge on 29 August 1947. In 1949 he enlisted in the RAN (Service No:R37324), serving until retirement. He was in Vietnam (1967/1968) as Leading Air Mechanic Air Frames engines with No 817 Squadron (HMAS Sydney).
Ray was born in Perth, WA in 1924, third of four children of William Guy Thomas (b1891 in Melbourne, Victoria) and Sarah Agnes Kightley (b1898 in Warwickshire, England). William was a Clerk in the Civil Service (he served in the AIF in WWI) in 1920 when he and Sarah married in October in Perth - Sarah had arrived in Fremantle in May that year. William and Sarah settled in Victoria Park, where they raised their family and William was a Clerk in the Civil Service.
Ray was working as a Junior Labourer in Victoria Park in 1942 when he enlisted in the Army. In April 1949 he enlisted in the RAN, serving in the Vietnam WA (1966/1967). In the early 1950s in Perth, Ray married Noelle Evelyn (b1932) and they lived in New South Wales and the Northern Territory before settling in Victoria Park, Perth in the early 1970s. Ray died in 2006 and Noelle in 2008.
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