William
Robert
(Bob)
Richards
Born in Queensland, Australia
Ancestors 
Husband of
Jessie Anne (Mathieson) Richards
— married
20 Jun 1940 in Queensland, Australia
[children unknown]
Died
at age 49
in Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Profile last modified
This page has been accessed 36 times.
Biography
William Robert Richards III was born on 26th August 1911 in Queensland, Australia. Robert, the name he went by to avoid confusion with his similarly-named father, was the eldest son of William Robert Richards II, who would become a decorated veteran of the First World War, and Clementina Hern. [1] Following the war the family settled in Queensland's Fassifern Valley, in Boonah.
Robert married Jessie Mathieson on 20th June 1940 in Queensland. [2]
Bob Richards is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Second Australian Imperial Force 1942-1946
M Australian Special Unit
Served in the Second Australian Imperial Force 1942-1946
M Australian Special Unit
On 7th January 1942 Robert transferred from the Militia to the Second Australian Imperial Force for service overseas during the Second World War. He was posted to the M Special Unit, a joint Allied special reconnaissance unit in the South West Pacific theatre, with whom he attained the commissioned rank of Captain. His work involved being landed behind enemy lines by sea, air or land in small teams to gathering intelligence on Japanese shipping and troop movements. It was not, however, regarded as a Commando unit. The war over, he resigned his commission on 2nd January 1946. [3] Following the war, he was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945 and Australia Service Medal 1939-1945. Whilst Services Reconnaissance Department, of which M Special Unit was part, included soldiers from Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia) and the United Kingdom, it was not an ANZAC formation.
Robert's younger brothers all served also, and returned safely home.
Robert passed away, aged 49 years, on 7th April 1961 in Cairns, Queensland. [4]
Sources
- ↑ Queensland Birth Index #1911/B/26487
- ↑ Queensland Marriage Index #1940/C/2323
- ↑ Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: QX35958 (Q140017) Captain William Robert Richards; accessed 20 Apr 2021
- ↑ Queensland Death Index #1961/C/1627
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Bob:
It may be possible to confirm family relationships. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Bob:
-
~0.78%
Martyn (Stretton) Smith
:
Family Tree DNA Family Finder, GEDmatch F242539 [compare], FTDNA kit #242539
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Rejected matches › William Thomas Rickard (1912-1994)
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R > Richards > William Robert Richards
Categories: Australian Army, World War II | 1939-1945 Star | Pacific Star | Defence Medal | War Medal 1939-1945 | Australia Service Medal 1939-1945 | Boonah, Queensland