British War Medal 1914-20: Wireless-Telegraph Operator A F Bonner, Royal Australian Navy

British War Medal 1914-20, impressed around edge with recipient's details.

This medal is associated with the service of Arthur Frederick Bonner who served with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) aboard HMAT Berrima in 1914. Bonner was born at Lambeth, England on 15 October 1882 or 13 July 1884 (he provided different dates on enlistment in the Royal Navy (RN) and the RAN).

He joined the RN in 1899 and served aboard a variety of vessels including ships of the Australia Station, the naval command responsible for Australian waters, including HM ships Powerful, Torch, Drake and Challenger. His last RN vessel was HMS Psyche on which he served from 27 June 1912 to 14 July 1914.

He joined the RAN on 8 August 1914 for two months of service as a temporary wireless operator aboard the troopship Berrima which carried the Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) to Rabaul.

After the declaration of war on 4 August 1914, a decision was made to send a force to destroy or capture German naval radio stations and occupy German controlled territories in the area. The Berrima was used to transport the 1st (Tropical) Battalion of the ANMEF. They embarked from Sydney on 18 August for Palm Island where training took place. They left Palm Island on 2 September. After capturing the wireless stations at Herbertshohe, the Berrima proceeded to Rabaul with the Australian forces landing on 12 September.

During Bonner's time on the Berrima, he was landed for field service with the Expeditionary Force. He later returned to Australia and was discharged on 19 October 1914. Bonner married Linda Mary Woodward in 1915.