Donald Cooper Blunsden

Australian, 1906 - 1983

BiographyDonald Cooper Blunsden was born on 19 June 1906 in Frome, Somerset, England and migrated to Australia with his parents, living in Enmore, NSW. His father, Frederic George, was an insurance inspector. In 1920 at the age of 15 Donald tried to register with the Australian Military Forces but was deemed unfit for service. His record shows a request by his father not to let him be enlisted for the following reason, that 'my boy is physically unfit, as a result of a fractured skull. He is at times unable to do anything through pains in the head. He is hardly able to stand the strain of school life, although at other times he appears normal'.

By the age of 33, Donald was married and WWII had broken out so he enlisted (successfully this time) with the Royal Australian Navy and was mobilised on 2 September 1939. He was described as being 5' 11'' tall, brown hair, grey eyes and sporting two tattoos - a dog on his left forearm and a shield on the right. Donald served as a shipwright and achieved the rank of Leading Seaman. He served in the following ships: HMA Ships PENGUIN II, HOBART and WESTRALIA, with the greatest time in HMS KANIMBLA (prior to its commissioning into the Royal Australian Navy). He was in KANIMBLA from 23 September 1939 to 25 May 1943.

Donald was demobilised on 22 March 1946 having been Mentioned in Despatches on 9 October 1945. His service record (held at the National Archives of Australia) also shows that he received his Good Conduct badge in 1942 but it was removed from him in 1944 due to some infraction on HMAS WESTRALIA; it was restored later that year.

Person TypeIndividual