BANCROFT, Vivian Kenneth
| Service Numbers: | 1942, QX27047, QP80559 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 January 1942, Townsville, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Warrant Officer Class 1 |
| Last Unit: | 65th Australian Infantry Battalion (BCOF Japan) |
| Born: | Balfes Creek, Charters Towers, Queensland, 28 December 1920 |
| Home Town: | Charters Towers, Charters Towers, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Natural causes, Brisbane, Queensland, 20 July 2007, aged 86 years |
| Cemetery: |
Mount Gravatt Cemetery & Crematorium, Brisbane Cremated |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 8 Jan 1942: |
Involvement
Corporal, QX27047, 10th Infantry Battalion, also 1942 - died 2007 (RSL News) |
|
|---|---|---|
| 8 Jan 1942: | Involvement Corporal, 1942, also QX27047 - died 2007 (RSL News) | |
| 8 Jan 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Corporal, 1942 | |
| 8 Jan 1942: | Enlisted Private, QX27047, Townsville, Queensland | |
| 8 Jun 1942: | Involvement Corporal, QP80559, also QX27047, 19117 & 1942 |
Occupation Force Japan - BCOF Service
| 6 Sep 1948: | Discharged Australian Army (Post WW2), Corporal, 1942, 65th Australian Infantry Battalion (BCOF Japan) |
|---|
World War 2 Service
| 8 Sep 1948: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Corporal, 1942 |
|---|
Korean War Service
| 24 Sep 1950: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Warrant Officer Class 1, 1942 | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Dec 1950: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Warrant Officer Class 1, 1942 | |
| 13 Feb 1953: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Warrant Officer Class 1, 1942 |
Vivian Kenneth Bancroft
Ken was born at Balfes Creek near Charters Towers on 28th December 1920.
In 1942 Ken felt he should enlist in the Army, Mrs Giles, (the station manager where he worked), tried to talk him out of it. He said that it was his duty.
He enlisted in the AIF in January 1942 in Townsville and embarked for Papua New Guinea with the 2/9th Aust Inf Bn in Aug 1943 and arrived back in Australia in May 1944 having been wounded in action in Papua New Guinea. Ken again left Australia in May 1945 for Moratai and then served with the British Commonwealth Occupational Forces in the 65th Aust Inf Bn returning to Australia in Feb 1947.
Ken took his discharge from the AIF and enlisted in the ARAS in Sep 1948 leaving Australia again in Sep 1950 for duty in Korea and Japan before returning in Apr 1954. On his return to Australia he was posted to 1 Base Ordnance Depot with subsequent promotion to W02 at HQ Northern Command in 1958 and to W01 in May 1965. He finally retired from military life on 28 Jun 1969.
His awards included the 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal, ASM 1939-45, Korean Pair, LS&GCM, ASM 1945-75 (BCOF), AASM 1945-75 (Korea) and DSM.
Ken was a member of the RAAOC Association (Qld Div) for 22 years and was one of the very early members. He joined on 21 August 1985, three months after the Association formed in May 1985. He remained a committed member of the association, always returning his RSVP function forms promptly and sending messages to other members.
Although Ken had not attended functions in recent years due to his health, he still maintained an interest in the Association and looked forward to receiving newsletters and correspondence from the Association.
He will be sadly missed by those who knew him. Rest in peace.
Submitted 9 August 2015 by Brad Diedrich
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