MEGGITT, Mervyn John
| Service Number: | B3798 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 June 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Able Seaman |
| Last Unit: | HMAS Penguin (IV) 1939-1940/HMAS Brisbane 1940-1942/HMAS Moreton (I) 1942-1994 (Depot) |
| Born: | Warwick, Queensland, Australia, 20 August 1924 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Church of England Grammar School, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Student |
| Died: | New York, USA, 13 November 2004, aged 80 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Town of Roma & Shire of Bungil WW2 Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 13 Jun 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Able Seaman, B3798, HMAS Penguin (IV) 1939-1940/HMAS Brisbane 1940-1942/HMAS Moreton (I) 1942-1994 (Depot) | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Mar 1946: | Discharged Royal Australian Navy, Able Seaman, B3798, HMAS Penguin (IV) 1939-1940/HMAS Brisbane 1940-1942/HMAS Moreton (I) 1942-1994 (Depot) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Able Seaman Mervyn John Meggitt (Service No:B3798) enlisted in the RAN on 13 June 1942 as an Ordinary Seaman attached to HMAS Cerberus, and was an Able Seaman Signalman attached to HMAS Moreton at Discharge on 27 March 1946.
Merv was born in Warwick QLD in 1924 to Reginald (Reg) Arthur Meggitt (b1898 in Brisbane, QLD) and Susan (Susie) Brodie (b1904 in Northumberland, England) - Susie immigrated in 1911 with her parents and siblings, arriving in Brisbane on board the Osterley. Reg was a Coach Builder with the Railways in Ipswich when he and Susie married in 1924 in Warwick. Reg and Susie lived in Warwick, Roma, Brisbane and Maryborough, where they raised their family and Reg was a Commercial Traveller.
Following his Discharge from the Navy, Merv studied Anthropology at The University of Sydney, completing his Doctorate in 1960. In 1949 in Brisbane, Merv married Joan Alice Lillistone (b1928 in Brisbane, QLD) - Joan was working in Sydney as a Typist. Merv and Joan settled in Sydney, where Merv - a Lecturer in Anthropolgy - undertook research in Central Australia and Papua New Guinea - Joan accompanied him in his fieldwork. In 1965 Merv and Joan moved to the USA, where Merv was a Professor at the University of Michigan, and then Queen's College at the City University of New Yor,k where he was a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at retirement in 1992. His Obituary (The Free Library; 2004) states 'Those privieged to have known Mervyn as a friend will remember him as warm and witty, a wonderful raconteur, and a lively and convivial presence'. Merv died in 2004 and Joan in 2015.
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