Coming Soon.
NICHOLAS, Colin Lionel
Personal Details
| Service Number: | H1177 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 April 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Leading Seaman |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | HOBART, TAS, 30 May 1918 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
Service History
World War 2 Service
| 15 Apr 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Leading Seaman, H1177 | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Jun 1946: | Discharged Royal Australian Navy, Leading Seaman, H1177 |
Personal Stories
Colin off PNG
Post war, Colin Nicholas was a larger than life character in sailing circles in Hobart.
Always full of stories and well respected, Colin's best anecdote that I can recall was that he was on a night time watch on a navy ship on the north coast of PNG. He heard booming and saw flashing in a particular direction.
Thinking it may have been a conflict, he reported the activity to the officer of the watch. The latter dismissed it as an electrical storm, very common in the tropics.
It transpired that activity was (and I may have my conflicts wrong), the opening of the two week Battle of Milne Bay.
Submitted 20 June 2025 by Lester Gabriel