Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Robert ROLLS, 316 Bellair Street, Kensington, Vic.

Captured by Japanese forces at the age of 15, Robert Bruce Rolls was the youngest Australian survivor of Changi prisoner of war (POW) camp.

When Ron Rolls joined the Army to see the world, his younger brother Robert (‘Bob’ to his mates, and later ‘Pop’ to Trent) only wanted to do the same.  

Their father – who fought in France during World War I – knew well and truly that war was no place to seek adventure. But Ron and Bob couldn’t be deterred. After several attempts at different recruiting posts, the underage Bob was accepted into infantry training. 

From there, he joined Australia’s 2nd/29th Battalion, engaging in multiple actions during WWII as the Japanese advanced through Malaya into Singapore.  

Word from Bob’s father eventually reached the Army, revealing that Bob was underage and should be sent home. Arrangements were made to do so, but sadly too late.  

“Singapore fell to the Japanese in February 1942 and Bob became a prisoner of war – six weeks before his 16th birthday.

Bob spoke little of his time in Changi, eventually sharing snippets of memories when Trent joined the Army. 

“He told some really good stories about when they were in the camp with other Allied POWs. The Brits would always walk past a pond and say, ‘If only we had a fishing line’. The Australians, on the other hand, managed to rig up a mosquito net and catch fish that way.” 

“He talked about how times would get particularly tough, and their humour would get them through or band them together more.” 

After four birthdays in captivity, Bob was finally freed by Indian troops in 1945. 

“He suffered significant malnutrition, which caused lasting health problems throughout his life. He was legally blind by the age of 30.” 

“He always slept in a separate bed from his wife, and it wasn't until later in life that anyone realised why; he was afraid of harming her in his sleep. Such is the nature of the mental injuries that those guys succumbed to.”