MORTIMER, John William
| Service Number: | WX13254 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 May 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/28th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | South Fremantle, Western Australia, 5 July 1919 |
| Home Town: | Hamilton Hill, City of Cockburn, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Perth, Western Australia, 17 December 1968, aged 49 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Western Australia Roman Catholic area, PD 137 |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 21 May 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, WX13254 | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 1941: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , 2nd/28th Infantry Battalion, from Fremantle to the Middle East | |
| 30 Sep 1942: | Imprisoned Middle East / Mediterranean Theatre, reported missing in action 27 Jul 1942; interned at various camps including Stalag 4B and 4D; returned to UK as recovered POW 23 Apr 1945; disembarked in Australia (Sydney) 17 Jun 1945 | |
| 9 Aug 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, WX13254 |
Help us honour John William Mortimer's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Cherilyn McMeekin
John was the fifth of seven children born to parents George and Margaret (Peggy). His eldest sister died in infancy; one of his three remaining sisters served in the Australian Army Medical Women's Service (AAMWS).
John 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. He was one of the 122 Australian POWs to survive the incident.
He married Ada Beryl LOUGHTON in 1946 in Perth (reg. 1779). She had served with the RAN in WWII as a Stewardess on HMAS Leeuwin. John died in 1968 aged only 49.