Community
23 April, 2025
‘Cop’ never to be forgotten
OVER the past four years, the ‘Goss’ has celebrated numerous heroes, gaining this particular title for many different reasons.
There is no better example, in my opinion, than Mossman identity John ‘Cop’ Hingley, (right) who was 105 when he died in 2019.
Reaching 105 is a story in itself, but this local hero, sadly, didn’t receive his World War II medals until his 101st birthday.
At the Douglas Shire Historical Society’s monthly meeting on April 1, his friend Jeanette Gray told how she discovered that he was too ashamed to march on Anzac Day, because he had never received his service medals.
Ms Gray, therefore, set about a letter-writing campaign to have them awarded, contacting Senator Jacquie Lambie, Sir Peter Cosgrove and Michael Robertson, the Minister for Veteran’s Affairs.
Within 13 days, she had responses to her impassionate letter, announcing that Mr Hingley would receive four medals, not just the single one he thought he was entitled to.
“He had been home on leave from his New Guinea campaign to help his father with the sugar harvest and while he was absent, his unit was demobbed and the war was over. He was deemed to be absent without leave (AWOL) and so did not receive his medals” Ms Gray said.
On his 101st birthday, on May 31 2015, John Hingley was ceremonially awarded the Pacific Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal 1939-45 and the Australia Service Medal 1939-45. Sergeant Major David Ashley presented them in Mossman before a crowd of 200 with a guard of Vietnam veterans from the Patriots Military Motorcycle Club.
Jeanette Gray has since collected all the newspaper articles about this historic ceremony so that they can be enjoyed at future local displays.
The society is mounting a display to commemorate Anzac Day at the Douglas Shire Council foyer in Front Street which started on Thursday, April 17 until May 1 with a changeover to a display on Douglas history until May 15.
There is a book available called Diggers of Douglas from www.douglashistory.org.au under the shop menu.
And a new website commemorating people who enlisted in World War I from Douglas is at www.douglasdiggersww1.org.au.
Read More: Port Douglas
