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The Naval Association

of Australia

Top Stories - From Navy News Edition 5006, April 19 2007 -

Special visit - Fleet Commander awards commendation to Grahame Thomson, long-standing member and former Treasurer of the White Ensign Magazine Committee.

FOR SERVICE: RADM Thomas presents the commendation to Grahame Thomson at the Brisbane Waters Private Hospital.

The Commander Australian Fleet, Rear-Admiral Davyd Thomas, made a special visit to a NSW central coast hospital to honour Grahame Thomson, a seriously ill WWII veteran.

Rear Admiral Thomas presented him with a commendation for his services to the RAN and to the RAN Corvettes Association.

As a long-standing member of the executive committee of the association (NSW), Grahame compiled and maintained a register of all who served in the 56 Bathurst-class corvettes built during WWII. This was invaluable in tracing ex-sailors to invite to commissioning of the new Armidale-class patrol boats and de-commissioning of the Fremantle-class patrol boats. Most of these vessels bear the names of WWII corvettes. The register also enabled the Navy to locate ladies who could name the new boats.

Grahame Thomson was yeoman of signals in the corvette HMAS Cairns, which served in four war theatres –the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Pacific.

She joined the British Pacific fleet in January 1945 and took part in attacks on Japanese home islands.

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