Warrant Officer Terence William Jackman
Born 22 June 1922. Enlisted 15 May 1942. Completed 37 ops. Discharged 4 Dec. 1945.
Son of Howard and Maud, Terance William (Bill) and his son, David provided much material for this story including copy of the Jackman Family Bible. Sadly, both died of cancer in 2015. Bill was born on 6th June 1922 in Forestville, South Australia. By 1924 the family had moved to Kooyong, Victoria and he schooled at Scotch College. Until the age of 18 he was known as William Terence Jackman. On obtaining a birth certificate in order to register for nation service he discovered that his correct name is Terence William Jackman. However, he was always known as “Bill”.
After leaving school in 1938 he worked in the wool industry at Dalgety & Co. Geelong until enlisting. He was called up in 1941 and joined the RAAF. He trained as a pilot at Narandera on Tiger Moths and at Uranguinty on Wirraways. After about 2 weeks before passing with wings, he crash landed a runway and was subsequently scrubbed. After a short spell training as a wireless/navigator he went on to fly as an air gunner. Bill was posted to the United Kingdom and joined the crew of David Scholes who was with him at Scotch College. They flew 37 trips over Europe. After a small mishap he was sent on leave meeting his wife Margaret Bowie Wight at Edinburgh. They returned to Australia soon after. They were married in Edinburgh on 25th April 1945.
Australian electoral roles show that he lived in Mitcham (1949-1954) and subsequently Elsternwick (1963) in Victoria and worked as a wool buyer for HB Smith Ltd before moving to Balnarring where he was the shopkeeper for the Balnarring store in the 1960’s. The hours and work were quite arduous so late 1967 they gave it away and moved to Queensland.
Running a general store was hard work and entailed long hours. The store was a centre for the community. It was where people came to collect their supplies and was also something of a social hub where local people met and exchanged gossip. The owner had to order in and stock a wide range of products, from newspapers to gumboots, from fuel to biscuits. He probably also made deliveries. Balnarring was still mainly a rural community in the 1960s. People would phone through their orders which would be delivered on a certain day. They opened early and closed late. There would also have been a certain amount of ‘tourist’ traffic. Visitors travelling to beach destinations such as Flinders and surfers going to Pt Leo. People going to the horse races at Emu Plains. They would also have been expected to know people and places and give directions.
In 1984, the store and residence, which were originally moved to the site in 1898 from Crib Point, were demolished to make way for a new supermarket and shopping centre.
He was Secretary of the Graziers Association of Central & Northern Queensland based at Longreach until 1978. He moved to Brisbanr and became secretary to 8 small industrial Associations until retirement in 1983.
Bill died on 7th July 2015 at North Lakes, Queensland as a result of cancer. Son David who had taken over the family historian role, died soon after, also due to cancer, on Christmas Day 2015. Bill’s wife, Margaret died on 21st June 2018 at Oz Care, Currimundi, Queensland.
Whilst on leave in Scotland. Bill met Magaret at a local dance. at the time she was working at the telephone exchange in Edingburgh. They were married on the 25th April 1945. She travelled to Australia as a war bride soon after.
28 Feb 2004. Officers Mess Dining In.
Bill Jackman at Skellingthorpe 2012
Skellingthorpe. Bill's son sign's the visitors book
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