William Peter (Bill or Molly) MILROY

MILROY, William Peter

Service Number: WX6564
Enlisted: 12 September 1938
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 2nd/28th Infantry Battalion
Born: Katanning, Western Australia, 20 October 1920
Home Town: North Perth, Vincent, Western Australia
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: stockman
Died: Perth, Western Australia, 26 October 1960, aged 40 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: Not yet discovered
Memorials: Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial
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World War 2 Service

12 Sep 1938: Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, WX6564, 2nd/28th Infantry Battalion
30 Sep 1942: Imprisoned Middle East / Mediterranean Theatre, missing in action from 27 Jul 1942; interned in Italy Camp 29 and 82, then transfered to Stalag VIII (POW No. 86652), then to Stalag 7a and then Stalag 8c; deplaned in UK in Apr 1945; returned to Australia Jul 1945
23 Oct 1945: Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, WX6564, 2nd/28th Infantry Battalion

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Biography contributed by Cherilyn McMeekin

William was the son of William and Fanny, the eldest of at least three sons. His parents married in Perth in 1919. His father, William snr, served in both WWI and WWII, enlisting in the latter at age 48.

William jnr gave his year of birth as 1918 when enlisting in the militia in May 1937. He was actually born in Oct 1920 (Katanning, reg. 299) so would have been just 16 at the time. When enlisted for war service in Sep 1938, not yet 18, he used the same date of birth. Both his older brother Raymond and younger brother Alexander also enlisted. 

William was appointed Acting Lance Corporal in Aug 1940, then promoted to Acting Corporal later that same month. On transfer to the 2/28th Battalion, he reverted to Private. He embarked for the Middle East in Oct 1940 with 2/16th Battalion. He was for a brief period promoted to Acting Corporal and then Acting Sergeant, before once again reverting to Private in Oct 1941.

He was transfered back to the 2/28th in Aug 1942, before being captured and held as a POW for almost two years. He was on board the Italian transport ship Nino Bixio when it was torpedoed by a British submarine in the Mediterranean on 17 August 1942. The Nino Bixio was transporting Allied POWs from Libya to Italy. William was one of the 122 Australian POWs to survive the incident. 

He married Gladys CORUNNA in Perth in 1949 and died in 1960 at only 40 years of age. 

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