Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Remembering family members who served. My Father, Ralph Raymond Dobson (1922 - 1993) transferred from the Army Reserve to the RAAF on 18th December 1940 in Hobart and was discharged on the 11th January 1946. Key postings
included:
Joining the No. 4 Repair and Salvage Unit in time for its move to Pell Airfield south of Darwin. He arrived there on the 20th November 1942 a month after it was first bombed. He was there during the second bombing raid on the 21st August 1943.
Toward the end of April 1944 he appears to have been transferred to join up with No.2 Airfield Construction Squadron that had returned to Australia from New Guinea.
Dad appears to have initially been involved in training at Shepparton and at Mount Martha. The majority of the squadron, including Ralph, then moved to Randwick Racecourse prior to traveling to Morotai, arriving there on 18 Apr 1945.
The squadron worked on road construction while awaiting embarkation with the invasion force, bound for Balikpapan (see camp picture).
He landed there on the 6th June where the squadron worked on repairing the Sepinang airfield that had been badly damaged and was subject to ongoing bombing raids. Dad left Balikpapan on the
30th November 1945 to return to Australia.
He ended up back in Hobart where he was discharged on the 11th January 1946
Later in life dad was granted a full TPI Pension and Gold Card in recognition of his service related illnesses. He died in the Gold Coast the day after ANZAC Day 1993.