Contents |
| Bob Raebel BEM participated in the Second World War. Join: World War II Project Discuss: World_War_II |
Robert William Raebel BEM was born on 10th October 1916 in Cottesloe, Western Australia, Australia. Bob, as he was known to all, was the eldest son of Frank Raebel and Ellen Cook. [1]
![]() |
In 1934, aged 18 years, Bob enlisted in the militia 10th Light Horse Regiment, which retained the territorial title, Western Australia Mounted Infantry (WAMI). [2] He was a mounted trooper gunner, riding postillion in a six horse team with their gun and limber. [3]
He followed Marjorie Haynes, daughter of Albert and Euphemia Haynes, from Perth to Melbourne in 1939 and married her there. [4] They had two sons:
![]() |
In October that year, with the declaration of (Second World) War and with his aircraft mechanics trade qualifications (via James (Woods) Taxi Planes at Maylands, Perth WA) and post trade qualifications from RMIT, Bob enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). His enlistment date of 6th November 1939 assured him of a low service number; 5140 being allocated to him. [5]
He was soon placed on No 2 Pilot/Mechanics Course. The course was 'scrubbed' when the RAAF found it took longer to train an engineer than a pilot. Following a time assembling Avro Ansons at Laverton, Victoria. Bob was selected and posted overseas to 452 Squadron, then in UK. On arrival in UK, things changed and Bob was was selected as one of 80 to form the groundstaff of the newly formed 455 Squadron in UK.
455 Squadron RAAF to operate from Swinderby. He joined the convoy from Melbourne to Vancouver, Canada; then by Trans Canadian to Halifax; and further convoy to the United Kingdom (UK) through those dangerous North Atlantic sea lanes; escorted by the ancient HMS Malaya.
He was sent to the UK with the RAAF on the Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (ship), via New Zealand, in 1941 to form 455 Squadron RAAF. In New Zealand Bob's party were transferred to the HMT Awatea for passage to Vancouver. Then by the Trans Pacific Railway to join a convoy from Halifax to UK. The group was part of a batch of early RAAF staff sent to UK in 1941 to reinforce 452 Squadron RAAF. They received special training at Handley Page on the maintenance of Hampden bombers.
The squadron, equipped with Handley Page Hampden medium bombers, was deployed to Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command, then assembling the 455 Squadron, including a majority of RAAF personnel. 455 Squadron became the first Australian squadron to bomb Germany when it mounted its first bombing raid, against Frankfurt, on the night of 29th August 1941. Bob was promoted to Flight Sergeant B Flight 1st Jan 1942, in charge of all B flight maintenance. In May 1942, the squadron was posted to Coastal Command and in September that year was deployed to the Eastern Front in Russia. Bob volunteered to fly on a mission from Murmansk (Severomorsk) in protection of the essential Convoy PQ18 to prevent a Russian collapse at Stalingrad. Each aircraft carried a ground-crewman (Bob was one of those). The maintenance staff and Flight Lieutenant Bilton OiC were rushed via Iceland to Murmansk on the USS Tuscaloosa. Their mission complete, the Squadron returned to the UK in November 1942 on HMS Argonaut, leaving Bob in charge of a detachment of tradesmen to finish training Russian technicians on Hampdens. He brought his party out on the destroyer HMS Intrepid. [6]Bob was awarded the British Empire Medal for his services with the RAAF on the Eastern Front; gazetted 2nd June 1943. It was awarded by HM King George VI, on 30th November 1943. He then held the rank of Flight Sergeant. [7][8]
In November 1943 Bob was recalled from Coastal Command to RAF Bomber Command to be (Warrant Officer) Engineer Officer in the newly-formed 463 Squadron RAAF, Waddington; equipped with Lancaster heavy bombers. In 17 months of operations, the squadron sustained the highest loss rate of any of the Australian bomber squadrons. The squadron flew its last raid on the night of ANZAC Day 1945. It then began ferrying liberated Allied prisoners of war to Britain, even before the war ended, and continued in this role after the cessation of hostilities. It was one of the squadrons identified to form part of "Tiger Force", Bomber Command's intended contribution to the strategic bombing of Japan. The war in the Pacific ended before the force could be deployed and 463 Squadron disbanded on 25th September 1945. [9] Bob was Mentioned in Despatches (equivalent to today's Commendation for Gallantry), gazetted 8th June 1944.[10]
![]() |
467 / 463 Squadron Marching Banner |
[1] Bob was posted to RAAF Parkes after having been overseas for four years and was briefly Officer Commanding at Parkes. His final posting in the RAAF was to the 1st Engineering School. Upon cessation of hostilities, he was de-mobilised as a Warrant Officer on 19th September 1945.[11]
After the war finished he started a general mechanical business at Tinamba, Victoria. About 1949 he built a caravan and loaded the family with mother and sister-in-law and migrated north as far as Yeppoon, Queensland, before settling in Maryborough.
Re-joining the army in 1951, Bob was commissioned and served in the re-raised part-time Citizens Military Force 47th Infantry Battalion, Northern Command (based on Maryborough, Queensland). Following an army restructure in 1960, the battalion became a company-sized element of the 1st Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment, known as 'D' Company (The Wide Bay Regiment). [12] In 1965, Bob finally 'hung-up' his boots and sabre on a four decade-long military career; having attained the rank of Captain.
In 1956 the Burrum Shire Council (now merged into the City of Hervey Bay) offered him the position of maintenance manager of their fleet of trucks and machinery. He later skippered a long-line fishing vessel (Huon) off the west coast of Tasmania and Bass Strait; sold all sorts of commercial shipping equipment and engine room monitoring systems for the National Instrument Company; and in 1966 became Contracts Engineer - Oil Engines with Rolls Royce Australia. He retired in 1976, living in Sydney briefly with son, Geoff, before moving back to Queensland and living with son, Nelson.
Aged 75 years, Bob Raebel passed away of lung cancer on 4th February 1992 and was buried in Pimpama Island Cemetery, Norwell, Queensland. His flying friends at the Gold Coast Flying Club flew past in a 'Missing Man formation' Geoffrey Raebel. His older son, Nelson, is buried beside him. [13]
Aircraft Engineer Recreational Aircraft pilot Master and Engineer - Marine Name RAEBEL, ROBERT WILLIAM Service Royal Australian Air Force Service Number 5140 Date of Birth 10 Oct 1916 Place of Birth BENGER, WA Date of Enlistment 06 Nov 1939 Locality on Enlistment RICHMOND Place of Enlistment LAVERTON, VIC Next of Kin RAEBEL, MARJORIE Date of Discharge 19 Sep 1945 Rank Warrant Officer Posting at Discharge 1 Engineering School Prisoner of War No Honours British Empire Medal Rejoined Army Reserve 1951 -1965 Vic Mge - 7819/1939 WW2NR 5140 - https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=858926&c=WW2 also Queensland Garden of Remembrance memorial – https://billiongraves.com/grave/Robert-William-Bob-Raebel/12388636 Contributor: Graham Pitt (50025942)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/213360504/robert-william-raebel
To aid WikiTree in the administration of my account should I be incapacitated, or in the event of my death, I hereby give permission for all private profiles I'm managing to be transferred to the following WikiTreers, whether or not they are currently on the Trusted Lists: ....
https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=858926&c=WW2#RHe left school at the end of year 6 and there was no local high school. He worked as a farm labourer with a strong interest in machinery and flying. At 16 he ran away from home on his motorbike to Perth and became an apprentice to Famous Australian Flyer, Jimmie Woods at Maylands Western Australia. He joined the 10th Light Horse as a mounted trooper gunner riding postilion in a six horse team with their gun and limber. He was persuaded by his future Mother in Law to put her and the two youngest daughters on the Trans Australian Railway from Midlands, running away to Melbourne. The girls never saw their Father again, he died within a year or two. He married Marjorie Haynes in 1939 and my brother was born in 1940. Dad was in a bit of bother, he was at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and he had joined the Royal Australian Air Force without telling his wife . He finally went to UK in 1941. As a Flight Sergeant, he had to " ome up to speed" he became in charge of a group of technical staff looking after 12 aircraft. In 1942 he volunteered to fly on a Handley Page Hampden Bomber to the Russian Eastern Front near Murmansk as part of an RAAF deployment to protect Convoy PQ18 and save Russia at Stalingrad and by extension, the United Kingdom. He was left in Russia with 5 trades staff to train the Russians in maintenance of the bombers left behind . Toward the end of 1943 he was transferred to 463 RAAF Squadron(within the RAF) to be the Engineer Officer of that Squadron and promoted to Warrant Officer. With the war finished he started a general mechanical business at Tinamba Victoria. About 1949 he built a caravan and loaded the family with Mother & Sister in Law and migrated north as far as Yepoon Queensland. Not finding meaningful work they moved south where he became foreman of Sam Hecker's garage in Maryborough Queensland. Another couple of years and they moved to Nambour in 1953. By 1954 they were in Brisbane and he was building Gardner diesel powered Atkinson trucks for Colin Campbell in Toowong. In 1956 the Burrum Shire Council offered him the position of Maintenance Manager of their fleet of trucks and machinery. In 1951 he was Commissioned into the Royal Australian Army, CMF and rose to Captain Pioneers by 1957 in 47 Battallion, before, in 1959, going on Reserve until 1965. His wife in 1960 had demanded to move back to Melbourne. That lasted about 4 years during which time he had fitted out the machinery of the 95' fishing boat Huon, within 6 months he became skipper, Long Line fishing off the west coast of Tasmania and Bass Strait. National Instrument Company made him a Sales Manager selling all sorts of commercial shipping equipment and Engine Room Monitoring systems. He was promoted to the Sydney office in 1964. In 1965 he accepted the position of Contracts Engineer with Rolls Royce Australia - Oil Engines. He retired in 1976 shortly after Marj left him. He lived briefly with Geoff in Sydney before moving to Queensland to live with Nelson's family. Bob did all the engineering fit outs for Nelson's large boats. Eventually cigarettes caught up with him in the form of lung cancer. We buried him on Pimpama Island in 1992. Nelson is buried beside him. Geoff 2018
Regards, Margaret
Category: RAF Bomber Command, Royal Air Force, World War II. This will correct the red-linked category in the list at the bottom of the profile. Thanks, Natalie
This week's featured connections are Redheads: Bob is 21 degrees from Catherine of Aragón, 22 degrees from Clara Bow, 23 degrees from Julia Gillard, 16 degrees from Nancy Hart, 18 degrees from Rutherford Hayes, 20 degrees from Rita Hayworth, 23 degrees from Leonard Kelly, 20 degrees from Rose Leslie, 20 degrees from Damian Lewis, 24 degrees from Maureen O'Hara, 26 degrees from Jopie Schaft and 34 degrees from Eirik Thorvaldsson on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
R > Raebel > Robert William Raebel BEM
Categories: Cottesloe, Western Australia | RAF Bomber Command, Royal Air Force, World War II | No. 452 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, World War II | No. 455 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, World War II | No. 463 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, World War II | British Empire Medal | 1939-1945 Star | Arctic Star | War Medal 1939-1945 | Australia Service Medal 1939-1945 | Australian Service Medal 1945-75 | Australia, National Service Scheme | Mentioned in Despatches | HMT Awatea | Aircraft Mechanics | Pimpama Island Cemetery, Norwell, Queensland