Service Details
- Branch of Service
- Army
- Conflict
- World War II (1939-1945)
- Date of Enlistment
- 16/04/1941
- Date of Discharge
- 04/01/1946
- Place of Enlistment
- Paddington NSW
Personal Details
- Gender
- Male
- Date of Birth
- 20/10/1918
- Place of Birth
- Aberdeen, Scotland
- Address (at enlistment)
- Causeway (Kingston) ACT
- Occupation
- Labourer
- Next of Kin
- Hazel Abel (wife), Causeway ACT
Unit and Rank Details
- Service Number
- NX73028
- Final Rank
- Corporal
- Final Unit
- 2/9 Field Company
Notes
Abel served with the 2/9 Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers in the Middle East from November 1941 before returning to Australia in March 1942. After training in northern Australia, the 2/9 Field Company was sent to New Guinea and worked on projects such as the road from Bulldog to Wau and on to Lae. From June 1945 until the end of the war, Abel and his unit served in the Balikpapan area in Borneo where he was promoted to Corporal in August. He returned to Canberra after the war and lived in Narrabundah and Deakin with his family. He died on 21 October 1986 and was cremated at Norwood Park.
Sources
WWII Nominal Roll http://www.ww2roll.gov.au
ACT Electoral Rolls 1916 to 1967 http://canberraheritageportal.org/default.php
The Canberra Times - 27 January 1941, 7 May 1941, 22 October 1986
NAA RecordSearch - Series B883
Joseph Abel. NAA service file.