Advice has been received of the death of George Meacham on 26 January 2018.
George was born on 16 March 1923 in Kidderminster in the West of England. At the start of WW2 he volunteered to join the Royal Navy and was accepted into the Fleet Air Arm as an engine mechanic.
His first posting was to 816 Squadron for HMS Dasher, but he never served on her as the ship blew up in the Clyde prior to embarkation. Instead, after a spell at Lee on Solent he was sent to HMS Tracker for Atlantic convoys, then HMS Jason for Russian convoy duties. After the first convoy the ship ran aground in Scapa Flow, however, he was sent to Belfast for 822 Squadron and was in training for the Pacific Theatre when VJ day was declared and the war was over.
George then responded to the RAN’s advertisement to join the new FAA and was on the maiden voyage of HMAS Sydney in 1949. He served on Sydney and Melbourne, including training in the UK for the new Wessex helicopters, before retiring in 1969.
After a spell in the Undertaking business he joined SAMR where he served as a Technical officer. He finally retired in 1983.
You can see an interview about George’s life, including detail on his RN and RAN time here.
George passed away in Nowra, aged 94. The funeral notice read:
MEACHAM, George, Stephen William 16/3/1923 ~ 26/1/2018 Late of North Nowra Loving husband of Pearl Audrey Meacham (Dec), beloved dad of Stephen and Jennifer, much loved father in law of Graeme, Pop to Paul, Ema and Tammy, great grandpop to Max, Jak, Tom, Mae and Joe.
Aged 94 years. Private Cremation by family George’s family warmly invites all friends to attend light refreshments at the Shoalhaven Ex-Servicemen’s Sports Club, Greenwell Point Road, Worrigee from 3pm, Saturday 3rd of February 2018.
(Images courtesy of “Australians At War” UNSW website)
