In Loving Memory of Signalman Clifford William James Cheshire a soldier of the 8th division of the 2/20th Battalion, died aged 21 on the 28th February 1942.
He was the son of Clifford William and Lily Cheshire of Broadmeadow, New South Wales Australia and the husband of Isabella Patona "Athena" Cheshire. Uncle Billy was the middle child of 7 children born to Clifford and Lily Cheshire. Uncle Billy was my mums brother and typical of the young men of that time. He loved to dance and get dressed up, he made his own ties, he could also knit. He loved motorbikes and built his own Indian motorbike from scratch. He was the pride and joy of his mother and a beloved brother.
Uncle Billy enlisted on the 4th July 1940. During a visit home he met the love of his life Athena Parris a beautiful Australian girl of Greek descent and they were married at the age of 18 on the 21st September 1940. Their time together would be short as Uncle Billy was reported missing and presumed dead in Malaya on 28 February 1942. He never knew he was to have a son Gary born 11th April 1942 or that his beloved Athena would die on the 4 June 1942 age 20.
She layed down for a nap with Gary and never woke up, the doctors said it was a brain aneurysm. She died not knowing that her Billy would never be coming home.
Gary was raised by his paternal Grandmother he was a much loved child and came to know his parents through the many stories told by his extended family.
My Grandmother never got over the loss of her son and never stopped trying to find out what happened to him. Through newspapers and the other men who were in his unit she heard numerous stories, stories that a mother should never have to hear but she never did get an answer either way .
At the end of the war she prayed that maybe he was alive and had become a POW or had loss his memory but would eventually find his way home but of course that wasnt the case.
Our Billy is forever remembered in our hearts and honoured at the War Memorial in Canberra, Australia also in Singapore there is a Memorial which bears on its columns the names of over 24,000 soldiers and airmen of the British Commonwealth and Empire who have no grave. The memorial stands in Kranji Cemetery and reads, "They Died For All Free Men".
UPDATE:: APRIL 2012
After constant research I have finally discovered what happened to Uncle Billy this information came not by the Australian Armed Forces or the Australian Government but just by me simply googling his name and I will add the details at a later date.
The heartache and grief we feel over this information has been a long time coming and the news has broken my Mother's heart.
UPDATE ANZAC DAY 25 April 2023: The information I obtained was from a written memorial on this website, www.malayanvolunteersgroup.org.uk.
During the fall of Singapore between the 28 February and evacuation ships were taking desperately fleeing civilians and servicemen away from the takeover of the Japanese.
One such ship was a Dutch merchant ship named "SS. Ban Ho Guan" this was the ship that our Billy found himself on with over 200 other servicemen they had left the port of Padang (then known as Emmahaven) headed for Tjilatjap with the hopes of them qheading home to Fremantle in Western Australia.
Sadly the Japanese discovered these plans and the route to safely was bomdarded by torpedoes and bombing with many ships being sunk and any survivors being shot at and killed in the waters.
This was the fate of our Billy.
Living near the ocean he was always scared of it and shark attacks and used to say, "they will have to come down the bloody tap to get me" .
Never suspecting that a more deadly group of monsters would take his life off the seas of Java.
Later, published documents and the record logs show that the "SS. Ban Ho Guan" was torpedoed and sunk by the Imperial Japanese submarine 1-4 at 1745 hours (5.45pm) on the 28th February 1942 under the command of a Cdr. Nakagawa Hajime.
His submarine was later sunk with no survivors on the 21st December 1942 by the "USS. Seadragon" in the St. George's Channel just north of Papua New Guinea.
With this knowledge came great sadness and then anger, not only at the Japanese of that time but with the Australian Armed Forces and Australian Government. Anger that they claimed they "never knew" the fate of my Uncle and of so many other husbands and sons and that they just considered them "missing".
If volunteer researchers could find what really happened to our loved ones, how come they couldn't find the answers and why did we have to find out 70 years later via the internet !!!???
AND
Why did my Grandmother have to die wondering what had became of her son ?
He was the son of Clifford William and Lily Cheshire of Broadmeadow, New South Wales Australia and the husband of Isabella Patona "Athena" Cheshire. Uncle Billy was the middle child of 7 children born to Clifford and Lily Cheshire. Uncle Billy was my mums brother and typical of the young men of that time. He loved to dance and get dressed up, he made his own ties, he could also knit. He loved motorbikes and built his own Indian motorbike from scratch. He was the pride and joy of his mother and a beloved brother.
Uncle Billy enlisted on the 4th July 1940. During a visit home he met the love of his life Athena Parris a beautiful Australian girl of Greek descent and they were married at the age of 18 on the 21st September 1940. Their time together would be short as Uncle Billy was reported missing and presumed dead in Malaya on 28 February 1942. He never knew he was to have a son Gary born 11th April 1942 or that his beloved Athena would die on the 4 June 1942 age 20.
She layed down for a nap with Gary and never woke up, the doctors said it was a brain aneurysm. She died not knowing that her Billy would never be coming home.
Gary was raised by his paternal Grandmother he was a much loved child and came to know his parents through the many stories told by his extended family.
My Grandmother never got over the loss of her son and never stopped trying to find out what happened to him. Through newspapers and the other men who were in his unit she heard numerous stories, stories that a mother should never have to hear but she never did get an answer either way .
At the end of the war she prayed that maybe he was alive and had become a POW or had loss his memory but would eventually find his way home but of course that wasnt the case.
Our Billy is forever remembered in our hearts and honoured at the War Memorial in Canberra, Australia also in Singapore there is a Memorial which bears on its columns the names of over 24,000 soldiers and airmen of the British Commonwealth and Empire who have no grave. The memorial stands in Kranji Cemetery and reads, "They Died For All Free Men".
UPDATE:: APRIL 2012
After constant research I have finally discovered what happened to Uncle Billy this information came not by the Australian Armed Forces or the Australian Government but just by me simply googling his name and I will add the details at a later date.
The heartache and grief we feel over this information has been a long time coming and the news has broken my Mother's heart.
UPDATE ANZAC DAY 25 April 2023: The information I obtained was from a written memorial on this website, www.malayanvolunteersgroup.org.uk.
During the fall of Singapore between the 28 February and evacuation ships were taking desperately fleeing civilians and servicemen away from the takeover of the Japanese.
One such ship was a Dutch merchant ship named "SS. Ban Ho Guan" this was the ship that our Billy found himself on with over 200 other servicemen they had left the port of Padang (then known as Emmahaven) headed for Tjilatjap with the hopes of them qheading home to Fremantle in Western Australia.
Sadly the Japanese discovered these plans and the route to safely was bomdarded by torpedoes and bombing with many ships being sunk and any survivors being shot at and killed in the waters.
This was the fate of our Billy.
Living near the ocean he was always scared of it and shark attacks and used to say, "they will have to come down the bloody tap to get me" .
Never suspecting that a more deadly group of monsters would take his life off the seas of Java.
Later, published documents and the record logs show that the "SS. Ban Ho Guan" was torpedoed and sunk by the Imperial Japanese submarine 1-4 at 1745 hours (5.45pm) on the 28th February 1942 under the command of a Cdr. Nakagawa Hajime.
His submarine was later sunk with no survivors on the 21st December 1942 by the "USS. Seadragon" in the St. George's Channel just north of Papua New Guinea.
With this knowledge came great sadness and then anger, not only at the Japanese of that time but with the Australian Armed Forces and Australian Government. Anger that they claimed they "never knew" the fate of my Uncle and of so many other husbands and sons and that they just considered them "missing".
If volunteer researchers could find what really happened to our loved ones, how come they couldn't find the answers and why did we have to find out 70 years later via the internet !!!???
AND
Why did my Grandmother have to die wondering what had became of her son ?
In Loving Memory of Signalman Clifford William James Cheshire a soldier of the 8th division of the 2/20th Battalion, died aged 21 on the 28th February 1942.
He was the son of Clifford William and Lily Cheshire of Broadmeadow, New South Wales Australia and the husband of Isabella Patona "Athena" Cheshire. Uncle Billy was the middle child of 7 children born to Clifford and Lily Cheshire. Uncle Billy was my mums brother and typical of the young men of that time. He loved to dance and get dressed up, he made his own ties, he could also knit. He loved motorbikes and built his own Indian motorbike from scratch. He was the pride and joy of his mother and a beloved brother.
Uncle Billy enlisted on the 4th July 1940. During a visit home he met the love of his life Athena Parris a beautiful Australian girl of Greek descent and they were married at the age of 18 on the 21st September 1940. Their time together would be short as Uncle Billy was reported missing and presumed dead in Malaya on 28 February 1942. He never knew he was to have a son Gary born 11th April 1942 or that his beloved Athena would die on the 4 June 1942 age 20.
She layed down for a nap with Gary and never woke up, the doctors said it was a brain aneurysm. She died not knowing that her Billy would never be coming home.
Gary was raised by his paternal Grandmother he was a much loved child and came to know his parents through the many stories told by his extended family.
My Grandmother never got over the loss of her son and never stopped trying to find out what happened to him. Through newspapers and the other men who were in his unit she heard numerous stories, stories that a mother should never have to hear but she never did get an answer either way .
At the end of the war she prayed that maybe he was alive and had become a POW or had loss his memory but would eventually find his way home but of course that wasnt the case.
Our Billy is forever remembered in our hearts and honoured at the War Memorial in Canberra, Australia also in Singapore there is a Memorial which bears on its columns the names of over 24,000 soldiers and airmen of the British Commonwealth and Empire who have no grave. The memorial stands in Kranji Cemetery and reads, "They Died For All Free Men".
UPDATE:: APRIL 2012
After constant research I have finally discovered what happened to Uncle Billy this information came not by the Australian Armed Forces or the Australian Government but just by me simply googling his name and I will add the details at a later date.
The heartache and grief we feel over this information has been a long time coming and the news has broken my Mother's heart.
UPDATE ANZAC DAY 25 April 2023: The information I obtained was from a written memorial on this website, www.malayanvolunteersgroup.org.uk.
During the fall of Singapore between the 28 February and evacuation ships were taking desperately fleeing civilians and servicemen away from the takeover of the Japanese.
One such ship was a Dutch merchant ship named "SS. Ban Ho Guan" this was the ship that our Billy found himself on with over 200 other servicemen they had left the port of Padang (then known as Emmahaven) headed for Tjilatjap with the hopes of them qheading home to Fremantle in Western Australia.
Sadly the Japanese discovered these plans and the route to safely was bomdarded by torpedoes and bombing with many ships being sunk and any survivors being shot at and killed in the waters.
This was the fate of our Billy.
Living near the ocean he was always scared of it and shark attacks and used to say, "they will have to come down the bloody tap to get me" .
Never suspecting that a more deadly group of monsters would take his life off the seas of Java.
Later, published documents and the record logs show that the "SS. Ban Ho Guan" was torpedoed and sunk by the Imperial Japanese submarine 1-4 at 1745 hours (5.45pm) on the 28th February 1942 under the command of a Cdr. Nakagawa Hajime.
His submarine was later sunk with no survivors on the 21st December 1942 by the "USS. Seadragon" in the St. George's Channel just north of Papua New Guinea.
With this knowledge came great sadness and then anger, not only at the Japanese of that time but with the Australian Armed Forces and Australian Government. Anger that they claimed they "never knew" the fate of my Uncle and of so many other husbands and sons and that they just considered them "missing".
If volunteer researchers could find what really happened to our loved ones, how come they couldn't find the answers and why did we have to find out 70 years later via the internet !!!???
AND
Why did my Grandmother have to die wondering what had became of her son ?
He was the son of Clifford William and Lily Cheshire of Broadmeadow, New South Wales Australia and the husband of Isabella Patona "Athena" Cheshire. Uncle Billy was the middle child of 7 children born to Clifford and Lily Cheshire. Uncle Billy was my mums brother and typical of the young men of that time. He loved to dance and get dressed up, he made his own ties, he could also knit. He loved motorbikes and built his own Indian motorbike from scratch. He was the pride and joy of his mother and a beloved brother.
Uncle Billy enlisted on the 4th July 1940. During a visit home he met the love of his life Athena Parris a beautiful Australian girl of Greek descent and they were married at the age of 18 on the 21st September 1940. Their time together would be short as Uncle Billy was reported missing and presumed dead in Malaya on 28 February 1942. He never knew he was to have a son Gary born 11th April 1942 or that his beloved Athena would die on the 4 June 1942 age 20.
She layed down for a nap with Gary and never woke up, the doctors said it was a brain aneurysm. She died not knowing that her Billy would never be coming home.
Gary was raised by his paternal Grandmother he was a much loved child and came to know his parents through the many stories told by his extended family.
My Grandmother never got over the loss of her son and never stopped trying to find out what happened to him. Through newspapers and the other men who were in his unit she heard numerous stories, stories that a mother should never have to hear but she never did get an answer either way .
At the end of the war she prayed that maybe he was alive and had become a POW or had loss his memory but would eventually find his way home but of course that wasnt the case.
Our Billy is forever remembered in our hearts and honoured at the War Memorial in Canberra, Australia also in Singapore there is a Memorial which bears on its columns the names of over 24,000 soldiers and airmen of the British Commonwealth and Empire who have no grave. The memorial stands in Kranji Cemetery and reads, "They Died For All Free Men".
UPDATE:: APRIL 2012
After constant research I have finally discovered what happened to Uncle Billy this information came not by the Australian Armed Forces or the Australian Government but just by me simply googling his name and I will add the details at a later date.
The heartache and grief we feel over this information has been a long time coming and the news has broken my Mother's heart.
UPDATE ANZAC DAY 25 April 2023: The information I obtained was from a written memorial on this website, www.malayanvolunteersgroup.org.uk.
During the fall of Singapore between the 28 February and evacuation ships were taking desperately fleeing civilians and servicemen away from the takeover of the Japanese.
One such ship was a Dutch merchant ship named "SS. Ban Ho Guan" this was the ship that our Billy found himself on with over 200 other servicemen they had left the port of Padang (then known as Emmahaven) headed for Tjilatjap with the hopes of them qheading home to Fremantle in Western Australia.
Sadly the Japanese discovered these plans and the route to safely was bomdarded by torpedoes and bombing with many ships being sunk and any survivors being shot at and killed in the waters.
This was the fate of our Billy.
Living near the ocean he was always scared of it and shark attacks and used to say, "they will have to come down the bloody tap to get me" .
Never suspecting that a more deadly group of monsters would take his life off the seas of Java.
Later, published documents and the record logs show that the "SS. Ban Ho Guan" was torpedoed and sunk by the Imperial Japanese submarine 1-4 at 1745 hours (5.45pm) on the 28th February 1942 under the command of a Cdr. Nakagawa Hajime.
His submarine was later sunk with no survivors on the 21st December 1942 by the "USS. Seadragon" in the St. George's Channel just north of Papua New Guinea.
With this knowledge came great sadness and then anger, not only at the Japanese of that time but with the Australian Armed Forces and Australian Government. Anger that they claimed they "never knew" the fate of my Uncle and of so many other husbands and sons and that they just considered them "missing".
If volunteer researchers could find what really happened to our loved ones, how come they couldn't find the answers and why did we have to find out 70 years later via the internet !!!???
AND
Why did my Grandmother have to die wondering what had became of her son ?
Bio by: With Love, Colette
