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Auction: 23001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 156

The campaign group of seven awarded to Second Steward J. F. Williamson, Australian Merchant Navy, late Hospital Attendant, Merchant Navy, a medical orderly of the 2/2nd Australian Hospital Ship Wanganella and one of a handful of Australian military personnel awarded the Italy Star

British War and Mercantile Marine War Medals (John F. Williamson.); 1939-45 Star; Pacific Star, clasp, Burma; Italy Star; War and Australia Service Medals 1939-45, these last five all officially impressed 'J. F. Williamson. M.N.', mounted as worn, good very fine (7)

John Freeling Williamson was born on 23 September 1895 at Leicester and during the Great War served as a Hospital Attendant in the Merchant Navy, with his Medals being issued in March 1920.

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, he served for the duration aboard the Wanganella from 3 September 1939-31 December 1945. The Wanganella had a particularly distinguished wartime record, steaming over 250,000 miles and carrying a total of 13,385 passengers. Converted for use as a hospital ship in May 1941, she made her first voyage that July when she transported 2/13th Australian General Hospital to Singapore.

She then made three trips to collect wounded from the Middle East, and experienced some near misses when Port Tewfik was bombed during the first voyage. Then in May 1942 she made her first run to New Guinea, thus setting in motion an alternate sailing programme to the two battlefronts over the coming months, in addition to repatriating wounded New Zealanders.

In March 1944, she was ordered to Bombay, and consequently found herself dealing with numerous casualties following a massive explosion in an ammunition ship - at one time three miles square of the port was ablaze and some 20 ships were damaged, resultant casualties keeping Wanganella’s medical teams at work for 36 hours without respite.

Next ordered to the Mediterranean, Wanganella undertook two trips to Taranto, where medical teams were landed to collect wounded New Zealanders in May 1944. Williamson, clearly among them, subsequently qualified for the Italy Star, one of just 83 such awards to Australian military personnel.

His final wartime voyages in Wanganella involved collecting ex-P.O.Ws from the Far East - ‘the condition of these unfortunate people was pitiable, and was eloquent of the brutalities of a barbaric enemy. The hearts of the whole ship’s company were touched by their plight, and everything possible was done to help them.’

His Medals were applied for in February 1948; sold together with his riband bar and copied research.

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Sold for
£450

Starting price
£320