People - Anthony Richard John Fox

Private - A.I.F. 2/22 Battalion

Born: 26 June 1910.  Died: 1 July 1942.

Tony was born 26th June 1910 although his original war record, which has been corrected, states he was born 1920. He was 32 when he died in 1942. I was named after him.

My grandmother, his sister Ruth, was born exactly 2 years later on 26th June 1912. His brother Ray was born 1914 and sister Enid 1916, all in Macarthur in Western Victoria.

Tony's parents were Richard James Fox and Emma Levett. Tony was married to Jean Gaskin and they had no children before his death.

My grandmother was present when Tony's mother Emma received the telegram at the end of the war. It came as such a shock to her that her son was dead and not a prisoner that she fainted.

Thanks for providing this wonderful memorial to those that lost their lives at Rabaul, or on the Montevideo Maru. Tony's record, which is digitally available from the National Archives web site states he was aboard the Montevideo Maru. Prior to that I only knew he was lost in the Pacific. My dad knew a bit but I initially wasn't game to ask. I still remember the family reaction when Tony was spoken about when I was only a kid. Tony was much loved and much missed by his family and I always remember there was quite a bit of anguish whenever they spoke of him as they never felt they were told the full story regarding his death.

Related Entries

• A.I.F. 2/22 Battalion, Australian Infantry
• Montevideo Maru
• The Rabaul Memorial, Bita Paka Cemetery

© Tony Watt 2011