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Re: Seeking military information for Robert L Johnson
Garren,
Do you have any additional information on your grandfather such as a name, DOB, place of birth?
Thanks,
Elliot Schneider
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Re: Seeking military information for Robert L Johnson
Unfortunately we are very limited in information. I was told he was a lawyer but unsure of how correct this is. We expect he would have been born about 1920 +/- 5yrs. A person who I have a distant DNA match with in USA believes he may have been a Captain (I don't know if you can tell by the uniform?) On the photo the A.P.O. says 923 and 933 (the 2 and 3 are on top of each other ?typo). I was always told that he had to leave Australia due to having a heart condition and was sent back to US just after my nanna become pregnant. He supposedly asked her to return to America with him but she declined. My mum was born Feb 1945 so we assume he left Australia approx July/August/September 1944. My mum has a lot of Ancestry DNA matches in Illinois and surrounding states. Unfortunately there are no immediate family matches and some closer matches haven't responded to my request for information. I hope I've given some info that might be of use in my search. Regards Garren
He was supposedly based in Brisbane, Queensland
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Re: Seeking military information for Robert L Johnson
Was your grandmother Mary Ursula Battley, who married in 1942 in Queensland?
If that is her, and you don't already have it, here is a link to purchase the marriage image or certificate from the Queensland government. The husband's name was Robert Lewis Johnson. The document may have more info that would help you.
If this is not your grandmother, if you don't mind sharing, what was her name?
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Re: Seeking military information for Robert L Johnson
My grandmothers name was Winifred Metta Ebner. Her and Robert Johnson did not marry.
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Re: Seeking military information for Robert L Johnson
Here are a few items based on the APO and phone exchange.
From Numerical Listing of APO’s: January 1942 – November 1947, prepared by Army Postal Service and Strength Accounting Branches, AGO (Adjutant General’s Office)
https://www.7tharmddiv.org/docrep/Location%20of%20APOs%201942-1947.pdf
APO 923 – Brisbane, Australia (from March 1942 - May 1946)
APO 933 – Shanghai, China (from Apr 1946 - May 1947
Both had a postmaster address of San Francisco.
The National Archives of Australia has 1945 Telephone Directory, US Army Headquarters at Victoria Park.
On the right, you can select whether you wish to view this as a PDF or a digital copy.
The exchange MLX 400 (on book page 17) is for the following:
Signal Depot (Banyo)
---Duty Officer (5 p.m. to 8 a.m.) MLX 285, 292, 400
I don’t know if this will help get you further ahead, but it does seem to confirm the idea that Robert was stationed in Brisbane. Maybe someone out there can tell you more about Signal Depots or what was going on in Banyo.
Sometimes rank can be figured out from a photo. You could post it here (you could block out the face if you wished) and I’m sure someone with expertise could advise you.
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Re: Seeking military information for Robert L Johnson
Thank you for your assistance Grace. Is there a website available to search for names of service personnel based in specific areas. I'm more than happy to put photo on here, however don't know how to do it using mobile phone device. Any assistance you can give is appreciated.
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Re: Seeking military information for Robert L Johnson
I also wonder about searching departure records of personnel around the time Robert left Australia mid 1944. Is there anywhere online we can search these records?
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Re: Seeking military information for Robert L Johnson
To answer (sort of) your questions:
To Post a Photo
When I add a photo, I usually copy the image and then paste it into the box where I am typing. History Hub has an article that explains another way to add a photo.
https://historyhub.history.gov/docs/DOC-1351
Departure/Arrival Records
Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and FindMyPast.com all have some ship manifests. I checked the sites and didn’t see any entries that immediately stood out as your Robert. There are a lot of Robert Johnsons so it is hard to say for sure. I don’t know if U.S. military returning from Australia would be included in these civilian lists, or if they were transported by military ships.
List of Service Personnel
There may be one somewhere, but I don’t know how to help you locate it. You could try researching the Signal Depot at Banyo. NARA may have something that could help with this. Sometimes there are veteran/military groups or locations that may put this info, or where to find it, online. They may also help you figure out what 283 Rep. Co means/connects with.
Good luck!
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Re: Seeking military information for Robert L Johnson
Jacob Seley
Feb 10, 2021 10:18 AM
Dear Mr. Arroita,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
We suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs and individual medical reports for officers of the U.S. Army who were separated from the service after June 1917 and before 1959 are in the custody of NARA's National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. In many cases where personnel records were destroyed in the 1973 fire, proof of service can be provided from other records such as morning reports, payrolls, and military orders, and a certificate of military service will be issued. Please complete a GSA Standard Form 180 and mail it to NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests.
We searched National Archives Catalog and located the World War II Operations Reports, 1940-1948 in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1917-1985 (Record Group 407) that may include records of the 283rd Replacement Company during WWII. For more information about these records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov. Replacement units were often used to muster in soldiers as replacements or when a soldier is being mustered out.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2. Also, the NPRC is closed except for emergencies. Currently, NPRC will continue servicing requests ONLY associated with medical treatments, burials, and homeless veterans seeking admittance to a homeless shelter. If your request is urgent, please see Emergency Requests and Deadlines. Please refrain from submitting non-emergency requests such as replacement medals, administrative corrections, or records research until NPRC returns to pre-COVID staffing levels. Please check archives.gov/veterans for updates to the NPRC operating hours and status. We apologize for any inconvenience.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!