CHRISTENSEN, Ronald Alfred
| Service Number: | NX72729 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 April 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/20th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ballina, New South Wales, Australia, 11 July 1916 |
| Home Town: | Ballina, Ballina, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Mill Hand |
| Died: | Ballina, New South Wales, Australia, 29 July 1998, aged 82 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
East Ballina Cemetery, NSW |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 8 Apr 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX72729, 2nd/20th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Jul 1941: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX72729, 2nd/20th Infantry Battalion, embarked Sydney for Singapore in a convoy including HMAS Sydney | |
| 12 Mar 1942: | Imprisoned Malaya/Singapore, 23 Nov 1943: confirmed PoW held by Japanese – initially imprisoned in Changi PoW camp and allocated to external work parties. Held in PoW Camps in Thailand & Malaya | |
| 13 Mar 1946: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX72729, 2nd/20th Infantry Battalion, embarked Singapore for Sydney on board the Moreton Bay | |
| 22 Mar 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX72729, 2nd/20th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Eldest of two brothers (Ron and Jim) who served in WWII, Private Ronald Alfred Christensen (Service No:NX72729) enlisted in the AIF on 8 April 1941 with General Details Depot (GDD), and marched out to 1st and then 5th Infantry Training Battalions. Private Christensen was attached to 2nd/20th Infantry Battalion on 29 July 1941 when he embarked with his Unit from Sydney for Singapore. Reported as Missing on 12 March 1942, Private Christensen was confirmed a PoW held by the Japanese on 23 November 1943. Initially held in Changi PoW Camp and allocated to external work parties, Private Christensen was then held in PoW Camps in Thailand and Malaya. On 12 January 1945 his mother 'received a card from her son, Pte Ron Christensen, dated 1 January 1944, from a PoW Camp in Thailand. He stated he was in good health, working and receiving mail' (Trove; 1945). Private Christensen embarked on 13 March 1946 from Singapore for Sydney on board the Moreton Bay, and was attached to 2nd/20th Infantry Battalion at Discharge on 22 March 1946.
Ron was born in Ballina, New South Wales in 1916, second of ten children of Alfred James Christensen (b1892 in Ballina, New South Wales) and Dorothy Sonter (b1893 in Ballina, New South Wales). Alfred and Dorothy married in Wardell via Ballina in 1914, and settled in Ballina where they raised their family. Alfred worked for Messrs Bagot Bros Timber Mill in Ballina as a Mill Hand and Fireman until his death in 1937.
Ron was a member of the Ballina Rowing Club and a Labourer/Sawmill Hand in 1941 when he enlisted in the Army. Following his Discharge and return to Ballina, in 1951 Ron married Beryl Audrey Austen (b1931 in Cowper, New South Wales) - Beryl was a Shop Assistant in Ballina. Ron and Beryl settled in Ballina, where they raised their family and Ron worked as a Carpenter until retirement. Ron died in 1998 and Beryl in 2008.
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