Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Annie Louise DAVIS, Skipton Road, Snake Valley via Ballarat, Victoria.

John is a veteran of the Second World War. Before his war service, John worked as a clerk for the Victorian Railways. In February 1944, 2 months after turning 18, John enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and completed his basic training at HMAS Cerberus, known also as Flinders Naval Base. After his training as a signalman, John travelled by train to Townsville in July 1944, boarding the SS Canberra for the voyage to the island of New Guinea. He was posted to HMAS Ladava, which was the naval base at Milne Bay. After 4 months there, John was transferred to Madang on the northern coast of New Guinea.

In February 1946, nearly 6 months after the war ended, John was posted to the frigate HMAS Hawkesbury, sailing on patrols off the New South Wales and Queensland coasts. In October, he was transferred to the sloop HMAS Swan while the ship was clearing mines from the waters around the Solomon Islands and New Guinea.
John was discharged from the RAN in January 1947. He says he enjoyed ‘meeting other countrymen and working as a team alongside people with different vocations’. John made many friends, but his longest friendship was with the late Alan Waugh who served with John on HMAS Hawkesbury. John advises younger serving members to ‘be prepared to follow orders, always do your best to get along with fellow personnel and don't rock the boat!’

After the war, John returned to his clerk role with the Victorian Railways. When computer systems were implemented, he began working on them and was a systems analyst for 41 years. John married Jill in 1952 and they had two children. Sadly, Jill and one of their children have passed away.

When he was younger, John rode a motorbike and belonged to the Dandenong Motorcycle Club. He and Jill had Pekingese dogs and showed them at dog shows around Victoria. These days, John enjoys being with his family.

John credits his longevity to growing up in the country and eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.