Australia Service Medal : Commissioned Warrant Officer A C Dunkley, Royal Australian Naval Reserve (S)

Australia Service Medal. Impressed around edge with recipient's details.

Related to the service of Commissioned Warrant Officer Alfred Charles Dunkley, born 25 August 1901 at Port Melbourne. It is presumed Dunkley may have had previous maritime experience in the merchant marine, as attested by the presence of ribbons for the British War Medal 1914 -20 and the Mercantile Marine Medal 1914-18 amongst the donated items. As an experienced sailor, and a member of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve (RANR), it is likely that Dunkley was called up for seagoing service in the Second World War. He enlisted on 22 September 1941 at Melbourne, and served in RAN auxiliary minesweepers, initially with HMAS Warrawee (FY16), a 423 ton converted coaster, from 27 September 1941 until 28 February 1942.
Thereafter, until his discharge and with occasional short spells at shore establishments, Dunkley served in HMAS Beryl II (FY71), another auxiliary minesweeper converted from a fishing trawler, from 1 March 1942, becoming its commander a month later. Beryl II had been requisitioned for naval service from Cam and Sons of Pyrmont, Sydney on 7 September 1939 at Sydney and was fitted out for minesweeping duties in Melbourne during the same month, being equipped with one 12 pounder gun, a Vickers machine gun and four depth charge launchers. On 9 October, 1939 Beryl II was commissioned at Melbourne under the command of Commissioned Warrant Officer David Smith, RANR(S), and served in the Port Phillip Bay approaches as a unit of Minesweeping Group 54 until the beginning of February 1943; Dunkley had assumed command from April 1942. The vessel was then transferred to Minesweeping Group 63, Port Adelaide serving there until December 1943, following which the ship returned to Sydney, this time for conversion for boom defence duties, departing on 30 December for Port Moresby and arriving there on 18 January 1944. Beryl II served as boom gate vessel at Port Moresby until 20 April 1945 when she sailed via east coast ports to begin a refit at Melbourne where she arrived on 30 May, 1945; the vessel was paid off at Sydney on 13 December 1945 and ultimately returned to the owners on 24 May 1946. Dunkley, however, had had his commission terminated on 4 November 1944 due to illness.