Who is Margaret Williamson?

By Bree Harding

Jul 18, 2024

National Archives of Australia is seeking information about Margaret Williamson. Photo by Contributed

National Archives of Australia needs the public’s help to find the last pieces of its puzzle to finalise the digitisation of its World War II service record.

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Margaret Williamson’s record will be the last of more than one million records to be digitised in the five-year project.

While Margaret Williamson (née McCredie) was born in Paddington, NSW, in 1920, her husband, Richard Williamson, was born in Kyabram.

National Archives is looking for her family.

Project director Rebecca Penna said finding Margaret’s relatives would be the perfect way to mark the end of the project.

“Margaret’s record reveals some clues about her life before and during the Second World War, but we would love to fill in the blanks with some help from her family,” Ms Penna said.

Margaret enrolled in the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force at 20.

Before enlisting, she trained at Bankstown Domestic Science School and worked in the mail order department at David Jones on Market St in Sydney.

During her time in the WAAAF, Margaret worked as a storekeeper and equipment assistant across various locations in Australia, including Robertson, Parkes, Point Cook, Laverton and Sydney.

She was promoted to sergeant in April 1944 and discharged on demobilisation in October 1945.

Her husband, whose record is also in the national archival collection, also served in World War II.

“We are inviting anyone who might have information about Margaret or her family to contact National Archives,” Ms Penna said.

“Margaret’s service record represents the culmination of years of effort to digitise these paper records, but also an opportunity to honour the memory of the many individuals who served their country.”

In 2019, the Federal Government granted $10 million to help National Archives digitise the remaining 852,000 World War II service records.

At the time, 200,000 had already been preserved and made available.

This time last year, one million World War II records had been digitised, with 45,000 remaining to close out the project.

Once Margaret’s record is digitised, the project will be complete.

Around 1,058,000 World War II service records are already available to view online.

The remaining one per cent of records are available free of charge on request.

To learn more about the World War II Digitisation Project, visit: Digitising World War II service records. For more information on war records in the national archival collection, visit: Defence and war service record.