George William Rake

(1925-1993)
son of Arthur Samuel Rake and Clara Lillian Phibbs

George William RAKE was born on 28 November 1925 in Erskineville, NSW, Australia the only son of my paternal great grandparents, Clara Lillian PHIBBS and Arthur Samuel RAKE who were married on 24 Dec 1915 at St. Pauls, Sydney.  George's father passed away when George was just 7 years old. 

 George enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force Service on 4 Jan 1944 shortly after his 18th birthday. He did his basic training at Tocumwal, NSW and served at Cootamundra, NSW; Batchelor, NT; Morotai, Indonesia and Balikpapan, Borneo. 

He was discharged 16 May 1946 as Leading Aircraftman with 24 Squadron. He was awarded the Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-1945 and the Australia Service Medal 1939-1945.

Cover of George's War Service Record
National Archives of Australia 

Upon his return from the war, George changed his name to Carl Drake. The clerk had a sense of humour! 

He was an entomologist and a musician.

He married Rhoda Ada BEAVIS in 1956 in Chatswood, New South Wales. 

George died on 12 November 1993 at the age of 67, and was buried in Northern Suburbs Crematorium, Sydney, New South Wales.

John Murray McDougall

Able Seaman

The Collingwood Battalion

Royal Naval Division

John Murray McDougall was born 2 Apr 1894 in Glasgow, the son of George Graeme McDougall and Martha Orr Campbell Murray, my 2 x great grandparents, who were married 24 Nov 1882 in Dalrymple, Ayrshire. The family moved to Glasgow shortly after their marriage. John was the second youngest of five children, he was just 2 years old when his mother, Martha died shortly after the birth of his younger brother in 1896.

Collingwood Battalion on Parade  Gallipolli

John joined the Collingwood Battalion of the Royal Naval Division as an Able Seaman.

The Royal Naval Division landed at Cape Helles at the end of May 1915 and prepared for what is now known as the Third Battle of Krithia. Amongst their ranks were the sailors of the Collingwood Battalion.

On 4 June, the seven hundred strong Collingwood Battalion took part in the second phase of the attack. The Royal Naval Division advanced and captured the enemy front line but suffered heavy casualties. The Collingwood Battalion took over and seized the Turkish second lines four hundred yards further on. However, the neighbouring French troops were driven back by a counter-attack, leaving the Battalion's right flank exposed. Flanking fire caused devastating casualties amongst the Collingwoods, with over five hundred men killed or wounded, including 21 year old, John Murray McDougall.

ADM 242: Naval Casualties, Indexes, War Grave Rolls and Statistics Book, First World War

 The Battalion withdrew but their casualties were so heavy that the Battalion disbanded with the survivors being attached to other Battalions as reinforcements.

Helles Memorial, Gallipoli

John is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, a Commonwealth War Graves Commission war memorial on the Gallipoli peninsula overlooking the Dardanelles.

This is a battle memorial for the whole Gallipoli campaign and a place of commemoration for Commonwealth servicemen who died there and have no known grave.

The memorial bears more than 21,000 names.

William John Conway

Corporal

7th Battalion

Black Watch 

(Royal Highlanders)

William John Conway, was born on 1 October 1895 in Belfast the eldest son of Robert Conway and Margaret Jane Moore, my 2 x great grandparents who were married on 9 February 1892 in Ballygilbert Presbyterian Church, Bangor, Down, Ireland.  The family lived in nearby Conlig and also at 34 Well Street, Belfast before moving to Scotland (sometime between 1905 and 1908) where they lived at 13 Townhead Street, Stevenston, Ayrshire.  

In the 1911 census, William, aged 15, was working as a cattle boy for John Matthews on Girthill Farm, Ardrossan. Before enlisting he was employed by J. Morrison & Sons, Stevenston, Bread and Pastry Manufacturers, where he was serving his time as a baker.

William joined the Royal Highlanders Black Watch and went to France on 20 September 1915 and served with the 7th Battalion. He was 22 when he was killed in action on 26 March 1918 during the German Spring Offensive.  The 17 May 1918 edition of the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald reported that Corporal William John Conway was missing in action and later it was officially confirmed that he must be presumed to have been killed.

Arras Memorial, Pas de Calais, France

William has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial in France and on the Conway family grave headstone in Bangor Cemetery, Down, Ireland.

Bangor Cemetery, Newtownards Road, Bangor, Down, Northern Ireland

Also commemorated on the family headstone are his grandfather William John Conway who died at Conlig on 15 May 1919 (aged 76); his grandmother Agnes Jane Conway who died at Conlig on 4 January 1922 (aged 70) and his blind uncle, Hugh Conway, who died at Conlig on 25 September 1918 (aged 43).

Alfred William Hails

(1918-2009)  

Son of Robert Hails and Emma Sarah Reeks

My grandfather, Alfred William Hails was born at Concord on 25 October 1918, the youngest of six children of Robert Hails and Emma Sarah Reeks who were married 6 February 1909 at Helensburgh, NSW, Australia. The family lived for a time on the south coast but had moved to Sydney by 1917. 

Alf’s parents were divorced when he was 8 years old and he lived with his mother and siblings at Arncliffe.  Alf was a textile worker and married my grandmother, Esther Rose Lillian Rake in 1935 when he was just 16 years old. They had two children.

Record of Service

Alf enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy just before the outbreak of WWII. He reported for duty on 27 Aug 1939 and was initially assigned to the Penguin II, the RAN's main naval base at Garden Island as an Able Seaman.

Able Seaman - Royal Australian Navy
27 Aug 1939 - 24 Oct 1945

Alf served on HMAS Canberra from 29 Feb 1940 patrolling and escorting in home waters and the Tasman Sea. She later began a period of service in the Indian Ocean on escort duty from Fremantle to Colombo and Cape Town and was involved in several searches for various German vessels on the shipping routes leading from Africa to India and the Malay States.

HMAS Canberra, Sydney Harbour, Oct 1930

Following the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Canberra continued her role of escort cruiser, convoying troops to New Guinea and convoys to the Malayan / Java theatre. 

HMAS Canberra was at anchor in Sydney Harbour on the night of the Japanese midget submarine attack on 31 May / 1 June 1942.  Details of the attack and what happened afterwards are covered in this DigiTalk - The mystery of the M24 midget submarine  by Sirling Smith, hosted by the Harbour Trust. 

Alf, Back row, 5th from left

Two of the submarines were recovered several days after the attack and after analysis they were sent around New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria to raise money for the Royal Australian Navy Relief Fund and the King George Relief Fund for Merchant Sailors. People could pay to view the submarines, buy war bonds and souvenirs, such as lead models of the submarines. They were then sent to the Australian War Memorial and remains of the two submarines have been put together and are on display in the Anzac Hall.  Alf participated in this tour and is pictured above. 

HMAS Canberra supported the American landings at Guadalcanal and Tulagi, which ended with her loss in the Battle of Savo Island on 9 August 1942 when she was struck by two torpedoes. With power lost and the ship listing, the wounded and survivors were evacuated  and the Canberra was then sunk by two American destroyers.

Of the 816 officers and men, casualties included 10 dead of wounds; 74 missing believed killed and 109 wounded. 

Alf survived this encounter and later served on the HMAS Wagga and was demobbed on 24 Oct 1945.

Alf and Esther divorced during the war and he married again. After the death of his second wife, Alf reconnected with Esther and they married again in 1980 and remained together until Esther’s death in 2000.

Alf always participated in the Anzac Day marches while he was able. He died on 29 Dec 2009 in Westmead Hospital, when he was 91 years old.