Harry DIGNEY
Year of Birth: 1922
Place of Birth: Footscray, Victoria, Australia
Date of Enlistment: 1 August 1941, Royal Park, Victoria, Australia
Australian Defence Force: Australian Imperial Force
Rank: Corporal
Unit(s): 41 Landing Craft Company, Royal Australian Engineers
Service Number: VX60812
Died: 12 April 1945
Age: 22 years
Buried: Cairns War Cemetery – Plot A – Row D – Grave 2
Harry was born 30 July 1922 to William James and Henrietta (Jackson) Digney and he had 2 siblings, Jack and Iris.
He gave his occupation as a driller on his enlistment. In December 1941 he embarked for service overseas. He was reported missing in Ambon in April 1942 and was returned to Australia in August of that year. In August 1943 he again embarked, this time to New Guinea, where he served until May 1944 and returned to Australia.
Harry Digney died due to extensive burns and shock from burning kerosene that was sprayed over him when a stove exploded on a barge.
Corporal Harry Digney’s name is on the Footscray Roll of Honour and also located at panel 85; Supplementary panel 3 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial.
Online Resources
NAA: B883, (DIGNEY Harry) National Archives of Australia
Department Veterans’ Affairs Nominal Rolls
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
Australian Voters’ Rolls 1903-1980, Ancestry.com
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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