Ex-Students of Dubbo High School

A number of the men whose names are on this honour roll were ex-students of Dubbo High School. These include: B Astley, L W Astley, G W Benham DSC, E M England DSC, C T Ison, N H Ison, R M Ison, J E Lees, V N Levers, M M Mitchell, D S Morgan BEM, A G Munro, K M Munro, Rev J M Poole, M J Stanton, J J Sullivan, and E C Sip.

Bruce Astley was in the RAAF. When Bruce was a flying instructor in the UK, he was killed in a flying school accident on 28 January 1942.

Gregory Wade Benham, Royal Australian Navy, received the Distinguished Service Cross. He was a Coastwatcher in the New Guinea islands. He was captured and executed on 1 September 1942.

Edward Maxwell England was in the RAAF. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross. Edward was killed in a plane accident in the UK on 25 February 1945.  

Maurice Meridith Mitchell was in the RAAF. He died from illness at Darwin on 19 January 1945.

Allan Gordon Munro was in the RAAF. He went on a patrol for Japanese submarines off the Queensland coast on 27 December 1944. Allan was never seen again.

The Rev John William Poole was a Methodist missionary on the New Guinea island of New Britain. John was captured by the Japanese when Rabaul fell on 23 January 1942. Along with over 1,000 Australians, POWs and civilian internees, he died when the Japanese ship, the MS Montevideo Maru was sunk by an American submarine on 1 July 1942.

Edward Colin Slip was in the Australian Army. He died in the Sandakan POW Camp, Borneo, from illness on 17 March 1945.

Sources: WWII Dubbo High School Honour Board which is now at the Dubbo College, Senior Campus; Australian War Memorial's Roll of Honour and Military Honours & Awards websites; and the National Archives of Australia's website, Montevideo Maru.             

• Paybook photograph taken on enlistment of Edward Colin Slip https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C333999