Info: Australian? Allied Unit, Seaman Francis Halford Guise, US Ketch McLaren King, MN.

Any information would be appreciated.



Need assistance on Who/Where/What/How for this man who is on the Australian Commemorative Roll which is for those "Australians" who died in other Allied Services. If proved not to be "Australian" their names will not be removed from the Commemorative Roll however their details will be updated accordingly.

I have researched the Air Force members but there are many more Land and Sea deaths in a myriad of different forces.

There is not a lot of information on these people that can be accessed easily and I ask your assistance to fill in at least some of the gaps.

Hopefully some relatives may see this thread and add more.

I will make a different thread for each along the way as they may tend to get lost if clumped together.

In Memory of
Seaman FRANCIS HALFORD GUISE

Ketch McLaren King, Australian Merchant Navy
who died age 18
on 28 October 1942
Son of Reginald and Dinah Guise.
Remembered with honour
PORT MORESBY MEMORIAL


Commemorative Roll - Francis Halford Guise

Rank: Engineer
Unit: Ketch McLaren King, United States Army Small Ships
Service: United States Army
Conflict: 1939-1945
Date of death: 28 October 1942
Place of death: Died 2/1 HS Manunda at sea
Cemetery or memorial details: Port Moresby Memorial, Papua New Guinea

 

A bit of a reference to him here:

 

Thanks Dave,

Presumably this means half caste Aboriginal?

Do you know what standing Board of Missions had?

One of the other chaps I did today Basil Burdett was Aust. Red Cross and he is not on the CWGC.

Cheers

Geoff

 

This would probably explain his original injuries:


Extract from Wiki -

Battle of Goodenough Island

On the 24 October, the Japanese radioed Rabaul stating that the attack had been repulsed and inflicted heavy casualties and also stated that they had suffered seventeen killed or wounded, including Tsukioka. Arnold launched an attack on Kilia at 09:10 hours, however was not able to take the village. Japanese air support provided reconnaissance of the Australian positions and Zeros strafed the Australian positions near Mud Bay as well as the ketch McLaren King in Mud Bay, which had wounded onboard and further casualties were caused.

With the Australian forces not able to move forward, the Japanese withdrew and were transported to Fergusson Island with their equipment and supplies on two motorized landing craft and a punt, arriving at dawn on the 25 October on Fergusson Island, where they were later collected by the cruiser Tenryū and the submarine I-1. The 2/12th Battalion advanced from Kilia to Galaiwai Bay, meeting no resistance and only encountered a number of Japanese fleeing into the jungle. The remaining Japanese defenders were mopped up and the island declared secured by 27 October.

 

Thanks Dave,

Presumably this means half caste Aboriginal?

Do you know what standing Board of Missions had?

One of the other chaps I did today Basil Burdett was Aust. Red Cross and he is not on the CWGC.

Cheers

Geoff

I would presume half-caste New Guinean / European as the article later refers to another New Guinea "boy"

 

"Out Of Great Tribulation," by Philip Nigel Warrington Strong (1947)


Transport Difficulties
Our Mission schooner the "Maclaren King" had been taken from us by the military authorities in August and we were left without any boat for a time, except the little "Avina" at Dogura. This, of course, greatly handicapped me in my visitations and much had to be done on foot or by seizing an opportunity to get further afield on a passing army boat and hoping to find some similar means of getting back eventually. Up to the end of October we saw our old mission schooner occasionally when it called at Dogura under its new management. It was at about that time that it suffered its second attack from the enemy, the first having been at Buna in March when it was still in our hands. The second attack was whilst it was evacuating Australian wounded soldiers from Goodenough Island during which Francis Guise, a most promising and particularly loveable boy from St. Agnes' Home, was wounded and died shortly afterwards on a hospital ship on his way to Brisbane. The Chaplain from the hospital ship told me later of the very beautiful Christian end of this boy whom we believe would have served the Church and Mission well in the years to come if he had lived. Shortly after this the "Maclaren King" was sent up to Port Moresby, and at a later date it was wrecked off Korima and became a total loss and our hopes, that after the war was over it might return to us, were dashed.

In 1942 the Army made some reparation to us for the taking over of the "Maclaren King" by giving us a small tub called the "Una." We were thankful for small mercies, though some thought [69/70] the most manifest mercies were that this boat managed to keep afloat. Its condition as a seaworthy boat and the sate of its engine certainly spelt a large question mark each time it set out on a journey.

The Military Authorities had promised to keep us supplied but in those days we had many promises given us which took a long time to find fulfilment. The Mission's road in 1942 and 43 was littered with broken pledges and promises made by Military Authorities. It was not really till 1943 that any real system of supplies evolved and then it was far from satisfactory.

 

http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=0&article=1094&context=theses&type=additional&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com.au%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3D%2522reginald%2520guise%2522%2520guinea%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D11%26ved%3D0CBsQFjAAOAo%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fro.uow.edu.au%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Ffilename%253D0%2526article%253D1094%2526context%253Dtheses%2526type%253Dadditional%26ei%3DaWLXTpvULeaciAeGodXoDQ%26usg%3DAFQjCNGGOLBtJP9qRKeVVEgPYyjdmNHWCQ#search=%22reginald%20guise%20guinea%22

If I'm reading this right, his brother had a very succesful life:

 

http://www.ballaratanglican.org.au/uploads/Martyrs_Book.pdf

 

I would presume half-caste New Guinean / European as the article later refers to another New Guinea "boy"

Yes Dave, does seem likely. I read it the other way and your later finds confirm it.

Great finds altogether, and explains quite a lot.

Cheers

Geoff

 

For what it is worth, US army Small Ships were civilians employed by the US army, they would have not had Australian records. they were classified as Us personel & would have standing with ABMc rather than CWGC.

For the most part, they were small ships /yacht/tenders/.barges/ Halvorsen cruiser owners who leased out their boats for use by US army along with crews, to enhance the logistical aspects of island hopping & resupply to troops where the draft of official vessls precluded discharging cargoes.

You will find some of these small vessels even participated in the Liberation of the Philippines.

1 even attended the surrender in Tokyo bay.... a long way from home but very effective in what they did.


Regards

Simon

 

For what it is worth, US army Small Ships were civilians employed by the US army, they would have not had Australian records. they were classified as Us personel & would have standing with ABMc rather than CWGC.

For the most part, they were small ships /yacht/tenders/.barges/ Halvorsen cruiser owners who leased out their boats for use by US army along with crews, to enhance the logistical aspects of island hopping & resupply to troops where the draft of official vessls precluded discharging cargoes.

You will find some of these small vessels even participated in the Liberation of the Philippines.

1 even attended the surrender in Tokyo bay.... a long way from home but very effective in what they did.


Regards

Simon

There are 32 Small Ship deaths listed on the Commemorative Roll and I would be happy that they are all listed on the CWGC database. There are possibly many more where the relatives or friends did not nominate them so they will never be recognized.

Cheers

Geoff