Duncan, Kenneth Charles

19208 Private Kenneth Charles Duncan - Australian Army Medical Corps & WX29319 Major Royal Australian Engineers (WW2)

Kenenth Charles Duncan was born in Fremantle WA on the 13th April 1898 to James and Christina Duncan. He was one of three siblings, with Hugh 1891 and Robert 1900. After his birth the family moved to Guildford.

Ken was educated in Midland and during this time also served in the cadets of the Citizens Military Forces.

After leaving school Ken took up an Architecture apprenticeship with a Mr. JF Allen in Fremantle. This was of five years duration, with further study at Perth Technical College and Ken completed his apprenticeship before he signed up. During this time he was also serving with the Citizens Military Forces.

While he was working in Fremantle his parents and siblings were living in Guildford WA.

On the 17th August 1917 Ken enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 6 & 1/2 inches tall;

Weight - 142lbs;

Chest Measurement - 34-36 inches;

Complexion - Dark;

Eyes - Brown;

Hair - Dark Brown.

After his successful enlistment Ken was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the Australian Army Medical Corps. He trained in WA for the next few months.

On the 24th November 1917 Ken's AAMC reinforcement group was sent to Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship Canberra and set sail for England. The ship arrived at Egypt and the men were disembarked at Suez where they reboarded the ship Kashgar.  This ship then sailed, going via Taranto Italy and then arriving at Southampton on the 30th January 1918.

After being disembarked Ken spent the next several months in England, at the Australian Army Medical Corps Camp and then the Australian Service Corps Camp.

On the 30th August 1918 Ken was sent to England and then spent the next few weeks at the Australian Base Depot Camp at Rouelles. On the 18th September 1918 Ken joined the 2nd Australian Division Ammunition Column. He only spent a few days with them, as due to his AAMC training, on the 20th September Ken was transferred to the 5th Field Ambulance.

Ken served in the operations around Montbrehain in late September and early October 1918 helping to evacuate casualties from that battlefield. He came through this action unscathed and then his unit were withdrawn from the line for a rest period. On the 16th October 1918 Ken was transferred for duty to the 1st Sanitary Section AAMC.

He was with this unit when the Armistice was declared on the 11th November 1918 and then remained with them for the next few months. When the Germans had withdrawn to behind their own borders, the Australians were then sent into what had been German occupied parts of Belgium and France.

On the 24th February 1919 Ken was sent to the UK for a fortnight's leave period but then returned to France. On the 15th March 1919 he was then detached for duty with the 5th Sanitary section, and this attachment lasted till the 8th April when he was then transferred to the 2nd Sanitary Section.

On the 16th May 1919 Ken returned to England where he was sent to No.2 Group Camp at Sutton Veny. He would now wait to be assigned a berth on a troopship home but while he waited he was given AAMC duty at Camp.

On the 23rd July 1919 Ken boarded the transport ship Main and set sail for Australia, reaching Fremantle on the 27th September 1919.

Ken was discharged from the AIF on the 28th October 1919.

Ken then returned to his residence at 16 Olive street Guildford where he was working as an architect for the War Services Homes section of the Government. However he then went into private practice.

Ken married on the 24th November 1926 to Helen Jean McCutcheon in Perth, and a son John was born in 1928.

They then moved in 1931 to South Perth and was still working as an architect.

During the interwar period Ken continued to serve in the Citizen's Military Forces and had risen in rank to Major.

On the 30th October 1939 Ken enlisted into the Australian Army. Originally he was under the service number W237308 and served in the 5th Military District/Western Command HQ with the Royal Australian Engineers. He served in the Western Command district till 1942. He was then assigned the number WX29319 which meant that he could now serve overseas.

In his service for the Australian Army he began at the rank of Captain but was soon promoted to Major. From 1942 to 1944 he served within WA, but was then posted to Queensland. Ken also had a few months of service in New Guinea.

In 1945 he then was sent to NSW where he was on duty in line of communication area. He then returned to WA in October 1945. Ken spent another year in service and was then discharged from the Army in December 1946.

Ken then returned to life as an Architect in South Perth through the 1950's and 60's before he retired.

Duncan had been a long term member of the Architects Board of Western Australia and in 1959 he was the President of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.

Ken died on the 1st October 1983 in South Perth. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.