John “Skip” Bailey

Prologue

The fate of John (Skip) Pretty Bailey, my uncle, now deceased, was told to me as a young man, but in particularly as how his death was part of a series of tragedies suffered by my auntie Alice Margaret Mary Buzzard (nee Bailey, nee Cuming).

Having written the stories of a number of my ancestors, the death of Skip Bailey stands out as one where historical documents, concerning his death at the hands of Japanese Naval troops during World War 2, were plentiful.

The interest in my past ancestors was shared by Nigel Peacock, of Norfolk, England, after I discovered my great-great grandfather (William Hunt) was originally from Tharston, the village Nigel calls home. When William settled in New Norcia, Western Australia (W.A.), the family was under the impression he was a schoolmaster in the old country. William, however, arrived in W.A. as a convict, convicted of being a petty thief and sentenced to seven years transportation to the Swan River Colony (W.A.) of Australia. William’s story, together with other ancestors of mine, are documented on Nigel’s website.

Family records helped piece together Skip’s life and extensive National Archives of Australia records also provided details of the circumstances surrounding his death.