MAUNSELL, Lewis Massey
| Service Numbers: | 414, NX57407 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 July 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Warrant Officer Class 1 |
| Last Unit: | General / Motor Transport Company/ies (WW2) |
| Born: | St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia, 1 July 1898 |
| Home Town: | Bankstown, Bankstown, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Legal Officer, Bankstown Council |
| Died: | Heart failure , Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia, 26 February 1954, aged 55 years |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 414, 20th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 414, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Sydney |
World War 2 Service
| 15 Jul 1940: | Involvement Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Warrant Officer Class 1, NX57407, General / Motor Transport Company/ies (WW2) | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Jul 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Warrant Officer Class 1, NX57407, General / Motor Transport Company/ies (WW2) | |
| 7 Jan 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Warrant Officer Class 1, NX57407, General / Motor Transport Company/ies (WW2) |
His ring lives on
Lewis Maunsell was my grandfather. He died before I was born but, listening to my mother’s stories about him when I was growing up, I always felt I had a strong sense of who he was. When she was five, he would walk her to primary school each day, and fill her head with romantic stories of his time spent in London, while on leave from active service in France. She became passionate about England and couldn’t wait to visit there herself.
My mother said her father was a masculine man, but he wore a black onyx ring, with a cut diamond in the centre, on his pinkie finger. (Probably not the type of ring you would expect a man to wear.) Mum gave it to me about 30 years ago. It’s my favourite piece of jewellery and always will be. It often gets admired when I wear it, and I love telling the story of its previous owner!
Submitted 24 January 2022 by Carolyn Kidd
Biography contributed by Carolyn Kidd
Lewis Massey Maunsell came from a military family that went all the way back to Philip de Maunsell (cup-bearer to William the Conqueror), so it’s not surprising to learn he also followed this tradition and enlisted for war service at the first opportunity.
To say he was determined to serve is something of an understatement. He used an alias, Maxwell Lewis Martin, to enlist in the First World War (at the age of 16), because he was under the legal age of 18. He also referred to his father, Richard Dillon Maunsell, as his ‘stepfather’, to further hide his true identity. In 1916, at the age of 18, he was awarded a Military Medal for Bravery in the Field. His desire to serve his country was just as strong in 1940, and he enlisted for WWII at the age of 42. This time however he enlisted under his real name, but changed his birth year from 1898 to 1900 so he would appear a couple of years younger!
Although wounded several times, Lewis survived both world wars, and died from a heart attack in his mid 50s. His death notice, published on 2 March 1954, notes his private cremation was held on 1 March 1954.
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