ASTON, John Wilfred

  1. Service Details
  2. Personal Details
  3. Unit and Rank Details
  4. Fate
  5. Commemoration
  6. Notes
  7. Sources

Service Details

Branch of Service
Army
Conflict
World War II (1939-1945)
Date of Enlistment
27/06/1940
Place of Enlistment
Paddington NSW

Personal Details

Gender
Male
Date of Birth
17/11/1916
Place of Birth
Bombala NSW
Address (at enlistment)
13 Molonglo, Canberra ACT
Occupation
Labourer
Next of Kin
Husband of Henrietta (Babe) Aston, of 13 Molonglo, and later of Kingston, Canberra ACT and father of Barbara Aston. Son of Harry and Claudine Aston of 57 Causeway, Kingston ACT

Unit and Rank Details

Service Number
NX51588
Final Rank
Private
Final Unit
2/20 Infantry Battalion AIF

Fate

Died 9 February 1942 aged 25 years, Singapore.

Commemoration

AWM Roll of Honour, Canberra ACT: Panel 44.
Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore: Sp. Memorial 5. B. 5.

Notes

The Aston family moved to Canberra in the 1920s. Aston married Henrietta Speering in Sydney on 21 September 1940 and embarked with the 2/20th Battalion (part of the 8th Division of the AIF) in February 1941, arriving in Singapore on 18 February 1941. They were defending the port of Mersing on the east coast of Malaya when the Japanese invaded in January 1942. The battalion withdrew to Singapore at the end of the month. The Japanese landed on Singapore on the night of 8 February and during the ensuing battle Aston was killed.

Sources

Australia. Department of Veterans' Affairs. World War 2 nominal roll. http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/
Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Debt of Honour Register. <http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/search/>
NAA RecordSearch - Series B883
ACT Electoral Roll - 1941
The Canberra Times - 27 January 1941, 7 September 1942, 2 April 1946 (as Ashton)

Create Certificate
John Aston 1940. NAA service file.

John Aston 1940. NAA service file.

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