Territory Stories

Herbert John Shepherd

Details:

Title

Herbert John Shepherd,

Name

Herbert John Shepherd,

Also known as

Shepherd, Herbert John, Sherpherd, Jack,

Collection

WWII Roll of Honour, HistoryNT, Second World War, 1939-1945,

Date

2021,

Place of birth

Port Augusta (S.A.),

Date of birth

1923-01-02,

Date of enlistment

1941-02-17,

Nation of service

Australia,

Service

Royal Australian Navy,

Unit

HMAS Gunbar (I) (FY98),

Rank

Ordinary Seaman,

Service number

F3384,

Next of kin

Margaret Shepherd - Mother,

Date of death

1942-02-21,

Place of death

HMAHS Manunda,

Place of burial

Sea,

Memorial

Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 76, Column 1 (United Kingdom), Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour,

Cultural heritage

Australian,

Biographical notes

Ordinary Seaman Jack Shepherd (F3384) was born in Port Augusta, South Australia, 2 January 1923, to Herbert James and Margaret Isabella Shepherd. He was the youngest son with four older siblings: Gwen, Elsie, Roma and Harold. Before the war, Jack Shepherd was a timber worker and resided with his widowed mother at 12 Gresham Street, Victoria Park, Western Australia. He was buried at sea at 11 am. on 21 February 1942 at Lat. 12°37' S Long. 128° 00' E.,

History

Joined the Royal Australian Navy on 17 February 1941. The Gunbar was originally built for the North Coast Steam Navigation Company of Sydney, coming to Australia from Scotland in April 1912. She was requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper, moving to Darwin in January 1942 for mine-sweeping, cargo-carrying and boom gate duties. At the time of the attack HMAS Gunbar was acting as a Water Carrier. At 9:57am on 19 February 1942, Japanese Zeros hit the Gunbar as she went out through the boom gate, "...turning my ship into a colander, with their machine guns", said her Captain, Norman Muzzell. HMAS Gunbar was the first vessel to be attacked. She suffered eighteen separate attacks from ahead and astern. Eighteen times the enemy planes swept down on her, knocking out her single machine gun. HMAS Gunbar limped back into the harbour, discharged five wounded and then stood by the stricken merchant ship Portmar while evacuating her crew. Nine were wounded in the attack, with Jack Shepherd later dying of his wounds on board HMAHS Manunda at 02:05 on 21 February 1942. He was nineteen years old.,

Notes

Metadata: Attribution International 4.0 (CC-BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, Photo of HMAS Gunbar from Australian War Memorial, Public Domain.,

Language

English,

Subject

Second World War, 1939-1945, Bombing of Darwin, Roll of Honour, Northern Territory history, HMAS Gunbar,

File type

image/jpeg,

Use

No known copyright,

Copyright owner

Australian War Memorial,