Defensively Armed Merchant Ship (DEMS) Gunner. BLE SEAMAN ALFRED JAMES OXWORTH RANR PM/1743. Alfred Oxworth was born in Port Melbourne on the 12th of January 1907 the son of Alfred and Catherine Oxworth. Alfred, a tailor’s cutter by trade, was a pre-war member of the RANR having first joined in 1936 as an Ordinary Seaman, and later being advanced to Able Seaman in January 1937. He was mobilised to service on the 28th of August 1939, was rated as a Seaman Gunner, and allocated to DEMS duties. At the outbreak of war Alfred was married to Mary Elanor Oxworth (Nee Burnett). After two months of training at HMAS Cerberus Alfred joined the Shaw Savill Cargo Passenger ship the SS Arawa where he would serve until, he was landed in the United Kingdom in July 1941 for passage to Australia. He would later serve as a DEMS gunner on Norwegian ship Tai Yang, HMAS Doomba and in a fourth ship which is illegible on his records. He also spent periods in hospital. Alfred discharged to shore at own request on the 7th of April 1944 to resume his pre-war occupation as a Tailor’s Cutter. He returned to live in the Port Melbourne area working in his trade. The family later moved to Heathmont when Alfred retired. Able Seaman Alfred Oxworth passed away in Melbourne on the 22nd of August 1984 aged 77. His body was cremated and his ashes interred in the Springvale Botanical Cemetery in Melbourne, Cassius Plot.
Sources
Service Record - Australian National Archives
Nominal Roll - Department of Veterans Affairs
