Ian Stuart MacLean

Ian Stuart MacLean

Personal Information
Date of Birth	4 Aug 1922
Place of Birth	Kelmscott, Western Australia
Death	27 Mar 2000
Place of Death	Perth, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	18 years, 7 months
Description	5' 5¼" (1.65m) tall ; ; fair complexion ; hazel eyes ; dark brown hair
Religion	Church of England
Address	Devonshire terrace, Armadale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Mother , Mrs Catherine Leys
Military Information
Reg Number	F3483
Date of Enlistment	10 Mar 1941
Rank	Assistant Cook
Unit/Formation	HMAS Napier
Ships Served On
Ship Name	HMAS Quickmatch
Tour Dates	7 Sep 1942 ‒ 31 Oct 1942
Ship Name	HMAS Napier
Tour Dates	1 Nov 1942 ‒ 26 Oct 1944
Ship Name	HMAS Koompartoo
Tour Dates	6 Sep 1945 ‒ 17 Oct 1945
Ship Name	HMAS Kookaburra
Tour Dates	20 Nov 1945 ‒ 5 Dec 1945
Post War Details
Fate	Returned to Australia
Monument(s)	Roleystone Roll of Honour
Medals	1939-45 Star Pacific Star War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45

Pre War

Ian was the son of Robert George McLean who served during WW1. Ian's brother Robert Alexander MacLean served in the RAAF - note spelling options, each one reflects the name as spelt in their respective military records.

War Service

Ian joined the Royal Australian Navy on 10 Mar 1941 at HMAS Leeuwin and was rated as an Assistant Cook. He remained at Leeuwin until 16 Aug 1941 when he was posted to a ship (name unknown). On 2 Feb 1942 Ian joined the support base known as HMAS Penguin as an assistant cook. He was re rated as an Assistant Cook (S) on 20 Nov 1941, and on 10 Feb 1942 as a Cook (S). He remained on strength with 'Penguin' until he was posted to the London Depot on 20 Mar 1942 travelling to the UK on RMS Andes.

In the UK, Ian was posted to the London Depot until 11 May 1942 after which his records show him as being posted to HMS Victory II, a British Shore Base at Crystal Palace and Sydenham that was an administrative (paper) posting while waiting for a ship to be commissioned. Ian's ship was a 'Q' Class Destroyer HMAS Quickmatch which Ian joined on 7 Sep 1942. She was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy at Cowes, Isle of Wight, on 14 Sep 1942. After trials the ship commenced convoy escort duty on 5 Oct 1942. However, soon after on 1 Nov 1942, Ian was reposted to HMAS Napier an 'N' Class Destroyer.

1943 opened with Napier based at Durban in South Africa, occupied with patrols and escort duties in the East Indian Ocean and the Mozambique Channel. In late March 1943 she joined the South African anti-submarine forces and spent two months operating on the South Atlantic Station. On 10 Mar 1944 Ian was awarded a Good Conduct Badge. In June the destroyer returned to Durban patrols and escort duty. From October 1943 until year's end, Napier was escorting convoys from Africa to Aden and Bombay.

On 1 Jan 1944 Napier joined the re-opened Royal Navy base at Trincomalee, and then remained with the Eastern Fleet attached to that base. The first three months of the year were spent in Indian waters, exercising with the fleet and on patrol and escort duties. In March 1944 Napier operated with the fleet in the Bay of Bengal.

On 19 Apr 1944 Napier, and four other Australian destroyers, operated on the screen protecting the carriers USS Saratoga and HMS Illustrious for the attack on the Japanese held port of Sabang in Sumatra. The following month, on 17 May 1944, Napier took part in the strike by the same two carriers against Surabaya in Java. In July 1944 HMAS Napier sailed for Melbourne via Fremantle to undergo a major refit. On her return voyage, Ian was transferred on 27 Oct 1944 to HMAS Leeuwin. On 17 Aug 1945 he was at HMAS Melville, the Navy base at Darwin.

His next posting was of short duration to HMAS Koompartoo 6 Sep 1945 until 17 Oct 1945, followed by 18 Oct to 5 Sep 1945 back at the Darwin base, before he joined HMAS Kookaburra from 20 Nov - 5 Dec 1945 again returning to HMAS Melville, from 6 Dec 1945 until 7 Mar 1946. Ian then returned to HMAS Leeuwin on 8 Mar 1946 and he was discharged on 1 Jul 1946.

Post War Service

Ian married Marcella Hayes (1929 - 2003). They had a son Steven William MacLean (1960 - 2009).

UTILITY OVERTURNS - FOUR MEN HURT

Four men were injured when a utility skidded and over-turned in loose gravel on Albany-rd, about 5½ miles east of the Narrogin Inn, early yesterday. Taken to hospita! were :

• William Alfred Saunders (29), Canns-rd., Armadale, shoulder injury;
• Alfred Gregory (33), 5th Road, Armadale, concussion and fractured ribs;
• Angus George MacLean (23) and
• Ian Stuart MacLean (22), Devonshire-Tce., Armadale, concussion and lacerations.

Saunders and Gregory were allowed to leave Royal Perth Hospital after treatment, but the MacLeans were detained. Utility was being driven towards Perth by Saunders when it failed to take an S-bend. Although the vehicle was extensively damaged, 3 of its passengers escaped injury. They were Casimir Bavish, Railwav-Ave, Armadale, Morris Jerard O'Brien, Prospect rd, Armadale, and Norman James, Prospect-rd, Armadale.