ACW Alice Rasmine Nielsen

ACW1 Alice Rasmine Nielsen served in the Women’s Australian Auxiliary Air Force (WAAAF) in 1943-1946. She was born in Aarhus in 1924, but her parents had emigrated to Australia as early as in 1914.

Alice Rasmine Nielsen was born on 30 May 1924 in Aarhus, Denmark, daughter of labourer Peter Frederik Nielsen and Jeppeline Cathrine Nielsen (née Madsen).^[1]

Emigrating to Australia

A year later, the couple left Denmark for Australia leaving London on-board the SS Rimutaka on 5 October 1914 and arriving in Cairns on 28 November 1914.^[3]

The meat works were closed on 17 March 1920,^[5] and it seems likely that the loss of their work was the reason, the family left Darwin for Sydney on 26 April 1920 (by the SS Montoro).^[6] Nielsen’s elder siblings—John Alex and Phillys Bodil—were born, while the family lived in Darwin.^[7] The family lived in Ingham, Queensland, in 1920-24.^[8]

The family visited relatives in Denmark in 1924-1926, and Nielsen was born during this stay. The family arrived in London, England, from Brisbane on 22 May 1924 (by the SS Orsova). Nielsen was born only eight days later. The family lived in Aarhus during the visit,^[9] while also visiting Nielsen’s maternal grandmother, Anne Madsen, in Tønning.^[10]

The family settled in Giru, Queensland and Nielsen's father was naturalised in Australia on 28 July 1930.^[11]

Women's Australian Auxiliary Air Force

Nielsen enlisted in the Women’s Australian Auxiliary Air Force at the 3 Recruitment Centre in 35-37 Creek Street in Brisbane on 12 May 1943.^[12]

This unit was responsible for RAAF recruitment throughout Queensland. Mobile Recruitment Teams from the centre visited towns and cities across the state encouraging enlistments and conducting an on-the-spot initial assessment of each applicant. Nielsen may have been in touch with one of these teams before enlisting.^[13]

Nielsen was mustered as an Office Aid with the rank of ACW1 Class on enlistment and posted to WAAAF Initial Training Section at RAAF Sandgate. She attended 42 WAAAF Recruit Drill Course at this station from 13 May to 10 June 1943. A week later, having passed the course, she was posted to RAAF Command HQ.

She was re-mustered as Clerk Medical Assistant on 8 March 1945 and posted to 2 Medical Rehabilitation Unit at Clydesdale and Jervis Bay on 28 April 1945. She was posted to 3 Personnel Depot on 19 September 1945 to serve in the staff of this unit.

A year later, on 16 September 1946 she was posted to 5 Personnel Depot and three days later, she was discharged.^[14]

Endnotes

[1] DNA: Parish register, Skt. Johannes Sogn, Fødeanstalten.

[2] DNA: Parish register, Skt. Andreas Sogn.

[3] Ancestry: UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960; Web: Queensland, Australia, Immigration Indexes, 1848-1972.

[4] Breaches of the War Precautions Act and Regulations of 1914-1919, New South Wales Police Gazettes, 13 Oct. 1920, p. 574. The parents were wanted by police as they did not report to authorities after arriving in Sydney. According to the notice the father held a work certificate No. 125-877 and the mother No. 133-865 issued at Vesley’s meat works.

[5] Vestey’s Meatwork, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestey%27s_Meatworks (accessed on 17 October 2020).

[6] Breaches of the War Precautions Act and Regulations of 1914-1919, New South Wales Police Gazettes, 13 Oct. 1920, p. 574.

[7] Ancestry: Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922. Only the record for John Alex Nielsen is found in the source, but it is presumed, that Philis Bodil was born in Darwin as well as she was born in 1919 while the family lived here.

[8] NAA: A1, 1929/11355.

[9] DNA: 1925 Census, Aarhus, Bøgegade 7.

[10] DNA: 1925 Census, Tønning.

[11] NAA: A1, 1929/11355 (Certificate of Naturalization No. C.C.1058)

[12] NAA: A9301, 101487.

[13] RAAF No.3 Recruiting Centre Unit, Queensland WWII Historic Places, https://www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/place?id=174 (accessed on 17 October 2020).

[14] NAA: A9301, 101487.