John T. Humphries

George Thomas Hughes was a quarryman in Redan,

History
John Thomas Humphries attended Redan State School and Ballarat Junior Technical School before joining the Royal Australian Navy on 18 July 1918 as a 15 year old. After 10 years service he d settled in Brisbane and served briefly with the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service before training as a diver on the Grey Street Bridge foundations. He later performing similar work on the Story Bridge and receiving high praise for his skills and courage. In 1938 he enrolled in the Royal Australian Fleet Reserve and mobilised on 4 September 1939, and in 1941 was sent to Bandar Shapur, Iran, as part of a combined Allied force. His work during this service saw him awarded the George Medal for his `skill and undaunted devotion to duty in hazardous diving operations’, the only such award made to an Australian rating during World War Two.