HODGES, John Allen
| Service Number: | NX86067 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 January 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/17th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia , 1 July 1920 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | 12 April 2009, aged 88 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, Ryde, New South Wales |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 27 Jan 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Sergeant, NX86067, 2nd/17th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Sergeant, NX86067, 2nd/17th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour John Allen Hodges's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Cheryl Thompson
Extract from Sydney Morning Herald 9/8/2008
It quotes Hodges, in part: "I was a member at the time of the Z special unit and we were sent to Morotai for an operation to Ranau. It appears word had come out that there were POWs there. They were in a very bad way and if they were to be saved they would have to be evacuated as soon as possible. We parachuted into a little village about 15 miles [24 kilometres] from Ranau, and the villagers gave us a great welcome. We patrolled out and eventually somebody came to tell us there were white men up the track. The first two people I saw, I remember, were Nelson Short and you, Keith [Botterill].
"Nelson was so bloated, but I thought Keith was the worst. I picked him up like a little baby he was so emaciated. I was only a comparative youngster, but I felt that this should happen to a fellow Australian soldier was [too much]. Then my reaction was just one of anger. I must confess I wore that anger for years afterwards."
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