Cecil Cross by Charlotte Lockwood

Cecil Grant Cross was born in Cobar NSW, 712 Km northwest of Sydney, in the year 1920. He was one of 5 children to parents Frank Cross and Ethel Maud Satterthwaite married in the year 1910.

On the 5th of March 1941 at the age of 21 Cross enlisted in the Merchant Navy as the 7th engineer on the ship Neptuna. Neptuna was a cargo ship used to transport people, troops, and supplies. On the 19th of February 1942 when the first Japanese attack occurred. The ship was moored at Stokes Hill Wharf in Darwin Harbour where it suffered from three direct hits from the bombers. The ship eventually exploded killing forty-five men. The explosion was so extreme, it killed both crew and people on the wharf. As well as shooting shrapnel hundreds of metres in all directions.

 Although he has no known grave, Cecil is commemorated on the commemorative roll in a book, at the Australian War memorial. He is also remembered at the Adelaide River War cemetery via a memorial plaque.

Documenting the lives of veterans is crucial for keeping their stories and legacies alive. Cecil Cross sacrificed as much as everyone else who fought in the war however there is very little documentation on him. This is an example of the importance of writing biographies and documenting the stories even if they are short and simple because it is an acknowledgement of these people who sacrificed so much for us all.