Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Father was John Lathern Pearson, manager, Wallaroo Mines; mother Anna Willhemine nee Hoffricter.  Educated at Wallaroo Mines School and the Royal Australian Naval College (RANC), Jervis Bay, ACT

Graduated from RANC as a Midshipman and joined HMS Repulse in 1920, at the end of the Australian leg of its tour with the then Prince of Wales, for passage to England.  Nicknamed "Beefy" by his contemporaries who considered he "beefed in" when playing Rugby.

Qualified as a seaman officer sub specialising in physical training.  Played Rugby for the Royal Navy.

Through the 1920s and 30s served alternatively in the RAN and RN in ships including HM Ships Vanqusiher, Violent, Thunderer, Barham and Warspite and HMA Ships Huon, Torrens, Sydney, Canberra, Australia and Brisbane; and as a year officer at RANC and the PT officer at Flinders Naval Depot (FND, now HMAS Cerberus).

Commanded HMS Saltash during the Spanish Civil War as a Lieutnenant Commander.

Served in FND until 1942 when he first became XO and then CO of HMAS Westralia as an acting Commander

From 1843 until the end of the war was Principal Naval Beach Master and OIC Naval Beach Commandos, first training the beach parties and then paricipating in all the landing up the New Guinea coast and in Borneo.  He also acted as principal naval advisor to the Army commander for these operations, mostly General Moreshead.

Immediately post war he had a number of NOIC positions in New Guinea, notably at Morotai and Madang.  He then commanded HMAS Penguin before retiring with the rank of Commander in 1949.

After retirement he was a senior officer in the nascent Australian Security Intelligence Organisation

He married, first, in 1934 with one daughter (separated 1939, divorced 1945) and second, in 1946 with two sons.

He was a long time member of the Naval, Military and Air Force Club of South Australia.  He died one day short of his 80th birthday in 1982, of war related complaints.