REA, George Christopher
| Service Number: | WX6366 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 July 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | Infantry Training Battalions |
| Born: | Kookynie, Western Australia, 13 May 1914 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | truck driver |
| Died: | Perth, Western Australia, Australia, 1 May 2014, aged 99 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Western Australia |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 16 Jul 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Corporal, WX6366, Infantry Training Battalions | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jan 1941: | Embarked Private, WX6366, 2nd/28th Infantry Battalion, from Fremantle to the Middle East; disembarked 2 Feb 1941 | |
| 17 Jun 1941: | Involvement Lance Corporal, WX6366, appointed Lance Corporal |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jul 1941: | Wounded Lance Corporal, WX6366, evacuated to 4 Australian General Hospital, shrapnel wound left wrist and forearm; to 63 British General Hospital 17 Jul then to 1 Australian General Hospital 4 Aug; rejoined 2/28 23 Aug | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Feb 1942: | Involvement promoted to A/Corporal on 14 Feb 1942, reverted to Lance Corporal 7 Mar |
World War 2 Service
| 27 Jul 1942: | Imprisoned officially declared POW Nov 1942; interned Benghazi 2 Aug 1942, camp 75 20 Nov 1942, camp 57 in Italy 26 Nov 1942, then Camp 106 25 Apr 1943, entered Switzerland Oct 1944 |
|---|
World War 1 Service
| 13 Oct 1944: | Embarked Lance Corporal, WX6366, to Melbourne, Australia; by train to Perth, arriving 22 Nov 1944 | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Apr 1945: | Involvement Lance Corporal, Infantry Training Battalions |
World War 2 Service
| 24 Jul 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Corporal, WX6366, Infantry Training Battalions |
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Help us honour George Christopher Rea's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Cherilyn McMeekin
George was the third of five children born to Robert and Eva REA. His older brother Robert served in WWII, and one of his younger sisters, Gleneva, served in the RAAF.
George was captured at Ruin Ridge, El Alamein, when his battalion was surrounded by enemy tanks. He was a POW 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. George was one of 122 Australian POWs to survive the incident.
It seems George never married after his return to Australia. He died at age 99, only days before his 100th birthday.
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