Ralph Godfrey

Ralph Godfrey

Personal Information
Date of Birth	7 Apr 1917
Place of Birth	Ballarat, Victoria
Age at Enlistment	23 years, 2 months
Description	5'8" (1.73m) tall ; ; dark complexion ; blue eyes ; brown hair
Occupation	Labourer
Religion	Church of England
Address	Armadale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Mother , Mrs Ada Bradley
Military Information
Reg Number	WX7009
Date of Enlistment	30 Jul 1940
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	2nd/14th Australian Infantry battalion & HQ 21st Australian Infantry Brigade
Date of Embarkation	7 Nov 1941 ‒ 22 Nov 1941
Ship Embarked On	HMT Queen Elizabeth Fremantle to Suez
Date of Return	3 Dec 1945 ‒ 19 Dec 1945
Ship Returned On	HMT Moreton Bay Singapore to Sydney
Medals	1939-45 Star Pacific Star Defence Medal War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45

War Service

Enlisted at the Claremont recruit Reception Depot and was sent to Melville camp to join the No 1 Training Battalion. On 2 Sep 1940 he was moved to Northam camp, and the 13th Depo Battalion for training. On 27 Nov 1940 he was posted to the 2nd/4th Australian Machine Gun Battalion. Granted leave from 1 to 11 Jul 1941 prior to the unit moving to Adelaide aboard HMT Duntroon, departing Fremantle on 21 Jul 1941 and arriving in Adelaide on 25 Jul 1941.

On 2 Oct 1941 he entrained in Adelaide for Perth, arriving on 4 Nov 1941. Sent to the Claremont camp and then on 7 Oct 1941 to the Northam camp where he joined the 3rd Training Battalion before being posted to the reinforcements for the 2nd/16th Australian Infantry Battalion. Granted pre-embarkation leave from 15 to 21 Oct 1941, he embarked on HMT Queen Elizabeth which with HMT Queen Mary comprised convoy US13 convoy, at Fremantle on 7 Nov 1941, and disembarked at Suez on 22 Nov 1941.

Ralph, on arrival in Egypt, was sent to the 21st Australian Infantry Training Battalion before being posted to the 2nd/14th Australian Infantry Battalion on 19 Jan 1942. They were performing Garrison duties in Lebanon when he joined them. Barely had he joined them, then they embarked on 29 Jan 1942 for Australia, where on 25 Mar 1942 they disembarked at Adelaide. On 16 Jul 1942 Ralph was charged with drunkenness, and he was admonished by his Commanding Officer.

On 6 Aug 1942 he and his unit boarded the SS James Wilson in Brisbane for Port Moresby which they reached on 12 Aug 1942. The 2nd/14th Battalion were part of the force that pursued the Japanese back up the Kokoda track, and participated in actions around Gona. On 14 Dec 1942 he was evacuated to the 2nd/9th Australian General Hospital and passed on to the 6th Casualty Clearing Station with suspected malaria on 1 Jan 1943. Evacuated to Australia he was placed on Ambulance Train for 117th Australian General Hospital which he reached on 13 Jan 1943. Four days later he was released to the 102nd Australian Convalescent Depot. By the end of January he was well enough to transfer to the Ascot Staging Camp, where he was granted leave from 11 until 25 Feb 1943, and on 20 Mar 1943 he rejoined his unit.

Ralph was transferred to HQ 21st Australian Infantry Brigade on 19 Apr 1943 in north Queensland, and following further training, during which time he qualified for Proficiency pay, they boarded HMT Duntroon at Townsville on 31 Jul 1943 for Port Moresby, arriving on 2 Aug 1943. On 15 Feb 1944 he boarded HMT Canberra for Townsville, arriving there on 18 Feb 1944. On arrival they were granted leave during which Ralph entered the 110th Military Hospital Perth with malaria on 31 Mar 1944. On 7 Apr 1944 he was transferred to the 118th Australian General Hospital until 28 Apr 1944 when he was fit to return to his unit in north Queensland. Ralph suffered another malaria attack on 12 Jul 1944 and was evacuated by the 105th Australian Casualty Clearing Station to the 7th Australian Division Rest Camp on 17 Jul 1944, returning to his unit soon after.

Ralph boarded USS General Anderson in Townsville on 2 Jun 1945 for Morotai, disembarking there on 8 Jun 1945. On 21 Jun 1945 he boarded LSI Mansora for Balikpapan where they landed to engage Japanese troops on Borneo. On 26 Sep 1945 he embarked on HMAS Gascoyne for service with "Dark Force", and on 22 Nov 1945 again boarded HMAS Gascoyne at Makassar for Balikpapan, disembarking on 23 Nov 1945. On 3 Dec 1945, in Singapore he embarked on the HMT Moreton Bay for Sydney, arriving there on 19 Dec 1945.

Married Jean Florence Godfrey

Discharged 16 Jan 1946