Richard William Thomas Boyle

Courtesy Helen Manson
Personal Information
Date of Birth	22 Feb 1900
Place of Birth	Fitzroy, Victoria
Death	2:30pm 20 Mar 1938, aged 38
Place of Death	Donnybrook, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	14 years, 11 months
Description	4' 11" (1.49m) when enlisted as a boy, 5' 4" (1.63m) when paid a man's rating. Brown eyes, fair complexion, boil scars on lower back
Occupation	school boy
Religion	Church of England
Address	Beenup, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Grandfather Mr Thomas Boyle
Military Information
Reg Number	Navy 4558
Date of Enlistment	1 Feb 1915
Rank	Navy Signaller
Unit/Formation	HMAS Melbourne
Ship Returned On	7 Mar 1919 - Aug 1919 (Sydney)
Fate	Returned to Australia
Monument	Armadale War Memorial (Armadale panel) Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour
Medals	1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

Following training in Australia Richard was posted to the London Depot on 23 Nov 1915. On 14 Jan 1916 he joined the HMAS Melbourne, which at the time was engaged in patrol duties, mainly between the islands of the West Indies and the east coast of North America.

From Sep 1916 the ship was engaged in patrol, escort and screening duties as part of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron. Richard and his ship mates would have been present at the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet on 21 November 1918, and in April 1919 the ship and its crew returned to Australia.

On 22 Feb 1918, Richard had re-engaged for a further seven (7) years.

Post War

Richard married Ruby May Robbins in 1926. Ruby died on 10 Feb 1938, (Wooroloo Sanitorium). They had no children.

The 1925 Electoral Roll lists Richard as being in Palgarrup near Manjimup, employed as a timber worker. Later electoral rolls show that he returned to Byford to work in the brick works by 1931, remaining there until 1936 when he moved to Kirup.

Richard's death notice appears in Western Mail on 5 May 1938, and The West Australian published an article on 21 March 1938 about the accident that took his life. Richard was the outer of two passengers in a truck that had a tyre blow out, causing the driver to lose control and slam the truck into a tree. The point of impact was the passengers door.

It also noted Richard's wife had died several weeks earlier.