Service: Army – 19 Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps
Service number: V382849
Locality on Enlistment: Colac
Duration of Service: 27 May 1942 – 24 Sep 1943
Prisoner of War: No
Honours: None for display
Date and Place of Birth: 10 Mar 1898 Colac
Parents: Henry Martin PELL and Mary Ann EVERETT
Spouse: Margaret Jean BUCKLE
School/s:
Occupation: Bricklayer
Date and Place of Death: 17 Sep 1971 Geelong
Place of Burial: Geelong Eastern Cemetery
NOTES: The Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) was an Australian part-time volunteer military force of WW2 modelled on the British Home Guard. The VDC was established in July 1940 by the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) and was initially composed of ex-servicemen who had served in WW1. The government took over control of the VDC in May 1941, and gave the organisation the role of training for guerrilla warfare, collecting local intelligence and providing static defence of each unit’s home area. Following the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Government expanded the VDC in Feb 1942. Membership was open to men aged between 18 and 60, including those working in reserved occupations. Wikipedia