Those Apprentices Deceased Whilst on Duty

[Bruce D]

I seem to recall that a Mobi died after being in a coma for a while in 1973, possible from the 1972 accident mention before. Service was held at his home town.

[piquet]

Then there was the Tiffy that was killed on board HMAS Kimbla when she was going through the Port Phillip Heads.

No idea of Name. It happened when I was at FMP(W) in 1974/75.
I believe that he was killed when hit by a 44 Gall Drum and washed over the side during some ruffas, body never recovered

[Kevin Assenheim]

The Tiffy lost overboard from HMAS Kimbla was in fact Rodney Kim Jackson (Jan 1967 Intake). He was swept overboard by the 3rd of 3 freak waves, no drums involved, that washed over Kimbla whilst she was navigating the channel between the Rip and the open sea from Melbourne and yes he was never found. The day was the 31st August 1979. A day that will be etched in my memory for ever.

[Bill Crowley]

Reg Brunton from my (July 65) intake, killed in a car accident onboard Albatross.

I also heard that one of the birdies from my term took his own life. He was a JR changeover, but for the life of me I can't remember his name - even after looking at the intake lists.

Seejay,

Reg Brunton was riding a motorbike when he had the accident.

The JR changeover was John Green. He was either an ERA or a greenie. There was also Lenny Fitzpatrick in a car accident just after our Passing Out Parade.

[Seejay]

Thanks Bill, thinking back I think John was a greenie. I hadn't heard about Lennie Fitzpatrick at all.

[muppet74]

There was a greenie from the January 1974 intake died at sea. I think he was serving on Vampier at the time. Someone from his intake may give better details.

From what I was told over the reunion weekend the poor guys name was A. Spencer. From what I can recall of the conversation he was killed when working on the clothes washing machine on Vampire. The ship rolled or he tripped and fell into live 440V. Apparently the electrocution literally cooked his heart.

I was also told that his burial was the last one conducted at sea off an RAN ship.

Steve

[Spud]

Thanks Steve, I could not recall his name. yet we shared the same cabin in Bligh division at Nirimba. That is old age memory for you.

[PCBeard]

Kev,
From the July 69 intake(27th) we lost C.D.Williams and Peter Revell to motor accidents, Bruce Lohmeyer to a heart attack at Albatross. The dim memory thinks there may have been several others as well.
Tiffie Norm Worrall (24th?) died from a car prang in the Blue Mountains.

[Lucii]

Wombat Worrall was the term before me........guess that be 23rd.

[piquet]

I was on Stuart when that young greenie was killed on the Vamps. We were on our way to the US for the Bi centenary in 1976.

The story that we heard on Stuart was that he was working on the hydro extractor in the laundry. He had done all the right things in that he checked the panel on the machine, went to the fuse board and pulled the fuses. Put a tally on the fuse board and then went to work on the machine.
He did one thing wrong forgot to recheck the power to the machine. The tally plate on the machine or the fuse board were marked wrongly. The story went that he died with the fuses in his pocket.

He was buried at sea and it was a very moving ceremony done with full honours.

Stuart was positioned off the Starboard Quarter of Vamps about 100 yards away. The ships stopped and the honours duly paid. The sea was really quite calm.


We were probably half way between Honolulu and San Diego.

Now I know his name, RIP