John James (Jack) Trappitt
From Our Contribution
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 28 Jun 1914 |
| Place of Birth | Mortlake, Surrey, England |
| Death | 13 Jul 1981 |
| Place of Death | Albany, Western Australia |
| Age at Enlistment | 26 years, 9 months |
| Description | ; fair complexion ; grey eyes ; light brown hair ; birth mark on left hip |
| Occupation | Blacksmith |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Fifth road, Armadale |
| Next of Kin | Wife , Mrs Joan Elizabeth (nee Ginder) Trappitt |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | W29494 & WX15441 |
| Date of Enlistment | 28 Mar 1941 & 28 Jul 1941 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation | 1st Australian Armoured Division |
| Post War Details | |
| Fate | Remained in Australia |
| Medals |
War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45 |
Pre War
In Borden when he joined the CMF, he was living in Armadale when he transferred from the CMF to the 2nd AIF. He married Joan Elizabeth Ginder (Aug 1911 - 31 Aug 1997) on 29 Jan 1938 in Gnowangerup. At the time of his enlistment they had three chldren. Electoral Roll entries: 1937 Gnowangerup, blacksmith
War Service
Jack enlisted in the CMF on 28 Mar 1941 in Perth and was sent to join the 13th Australian Infantry Training Battalion. He resigned on 25 Jul 1941 in order to enlist in the 2nd AIF on 28 Jul 1941. At enlistment he was temporarily unfit due ot an eye problem. On 5 Aug 1941 Jack was allocated to the AASC. On 1 Oct 1941 he was granted a period of leave without pay (2-8 Oct 1941), and on 9 Nov 1941 Jack was transferred to the AASC Group Reinforcement Pool. on 21 Feb 1942 he was enrolled in Blacksmiths Course No. 14 at the AASC Training Centre at Claremont, rejoining his unit on 10 Mar 1942, and he was then posted on 12 March to the 1st Australian Armoured Division Support Group Company AASC.
On 27 Mar 1942 he embarked on USAT Monterey in Fremantle for the eastern states, with 4 Apr 1942 finding him transferred to the 2/1st Anti-Aircraft Brigade Company AASC in Tamworth, NSW. On 14 Nov 1942 he was admitted to the 102nd Australian General Hospital with defective vision, and on 17 Dec 1942 he was transferred to the 108th Australian General Hospital in Ballarat, Victoria via the No.2 Hospital Train. Admitte don 19 December, he was tansferred to the 115th Australian General Hospital at Heidelberg on 21 Dec 1942. On 11 Jan 1943 Jack was sent to the Western Command Recruit Reception & General Details Depot's Medical wing for a Medical Board and subsequent re-allocation. On 12 Feb 1943 he was assessed as 'A2' - defective sight in right eye. From 15 - 23 Mar 1943 Jack was granted leave without pay before being posted back to the [[2/1st Anti-Aircraft Brigade Company AASC] until 19 Jun 1943 when he was transferred to the 3rd Australian Motor Brigade Company AASC.
Howevr, on 7 Jan 1944 Jack returned to the Western Command Recruit Reception & General Details Depot enroute to 110th Australian Base Hospital for medical assessment, returning to his unit on 20 Jan 1944. Five days later on the 25th he entrained with them for New South Wales. On 16 Oct 1944 Jack was sent to Western Austalia for Medical Assessment withthe result being a tentative'D' grading which led to his discharge on 27 Oct 1944 on Medical grounds.
Post War
Electoral Roll entries: 1949 at 36 Loftus street, West Perth, Mechanic; 1954 Borden, mechanic; 1948 - 1963 Frankland, farmer; 1977 - 1980 at 27 Ulster road, Spencer Park, mechanic
Notes
In April 2000, Jack's son (John Mraz) wrote seeking information on his father's service and it would appear that