KNIGHT, Arthur Peter
| Service Number: | 20888 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 June 1935 |
| Last Rank: | Stoker |
| Last Unit: | HMAS Armidale (I) |
| Born: | London, England, 23 January 1916 |
| Home Town: | Baldivis, Rockingham, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Baldivis State School |
| Occupation: | Stoker - Royal Australian Navy |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Sinking of HMAS Armidale, 1 December 1942, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Baldivis War Memorial, HMAS Armidale Memorial, Plymouth Naval Memorial to the Missing / Lost at Sea |
World War 2 Service
| 15 Jun 1935: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Able Seaman, 20888 | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Royal Australian Navy, Stoker, 20888, HMAS Armidale (I) | |
| Date unknown: | Discharged Royal Australian Navy, Able Seaman, 20888 |
Help us honour Arthur Peter Knight's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Arthur and Edith K. Knight, of Cottesloe, Western Australia
Husband of Zoe Marie KNIGHT. Zoe died April 6, 1943 aged 28 years.
Arthur Peter Knight
A boy from Baldivis
Arthur Peter Knight, known to all as Peter, was aged seven when he arrived in
Western Australia from England in 1923.
Peter's family joined the Group Settlement Scheme at Group 67 in Baldivis. Peter
was one of the first students to attend Baldivis State School, now known as
Baldivis Primary School.
In 1935, at the age of 19, Peter enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy as a stoker.
By June 1942, World War Two was raging and Peter was assigned to the corvette
HMAS Armidale.
On December 1, 1942, HMAS Armidale was on a mission to recover Australian commandos from Japanese occupied Timor when the ship was attacked by 13 Japanese aircraft, including nine dive-bombers, three zero fighters and a floatplane.
The Crew of HMAS Armidale fought bravely, bringing down at least one enemy aircraft. Peter Knight made it out of the ship's lower decks but was killed along with many crewmates as enemy planes fired at them in the water.
One crewmate - 18-year-old Edward "Teddy" Sheean - was last seen strapped to a deck gun, firing at the enemy as HMAS Armidale slipped beneath the waves. In 2020, Teddy Sheean was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. The submarine HMAS Sheean was named in his honour.
DVA Nominal Roll has him listed on the Cottesloe Honour Roll WA
Click images to start slideshow.