Australia Service Medal : Petty Officer J T Humphries, HMAS Kanimbla

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

6699 Petty Officer John Thomas Humphries was born at Sebastopol, Victoria, in 1903 and enlisted in the RAN in July 1918 as a boy seaman. After initial training in HMAS Tingira he served in HMA ships Australia Geranium, Melbourne, Anzac and Sydney before joining the Royal Australian Fleet Reserve in July 1938. He was recalled to full time service on the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 and was posted to the requisitioned armed merchant cruiser HMS (later HMAS) Kanimbla, which was staffed largely by Australian reserve seaman. Although not trained as a diver, Humphries, by now a Petty Officer, volunteered for service in this capacity while the Kanimbla was serving in the Persian Gulf in 1941and he received the George Medal 'For skill and undaunted devotion to duty in hazardous diving operations'. As a result of this incident he was immediately granted the non-substantive rating of Diver 1st Class. In December 1942 Humphries returned to Australian and spent the rest of the war serving in the Brisbane shore establishment HMAS Moreton. He was discharged in May 1946.