Reuben John BLECHYNDEN

Reuben John BLECHYNDEN Update Details

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BLECHYNDEN, Reuben John

Service Numbers:	2812, W70688
Enlisted:	1 March 1916, Perth, Western Australia
Last Rank:	Lance Sergeant
Last Unit:	Volunteer Defence Corps (SA)
Born:	Bridgetown, Western Australia, 20 February 1895
Home Town:	Bridgetown, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Western Australia
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Bank clerk
Died:	Natural causes, Western Australia, 1 July 1981, aged 86 years
Cemetery:	Not yet discovered
Memorials:	Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Bridgetown Memorial Park, Homebush Western Australian Bank WW1 Roll of Honor, West Leederville St Barnabas Anglican Church Honour WW1 Board, West Leederville State School Honour Board

1 Mar 1916:	Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2812, Perth, Western Australia
17 Jul 1916:	Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2812, 10th Light Horse Regiment, RMS Mongolia, Fremantle
17 Jul 1916:	Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2812, 10th Light Horse Regiment, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: RMS Mongolia embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: ''
3 Nov 1916:	Transferred AIF WW1, Trooper, 1st Battalion Imperial Camel Corps
19 Apr 1918:	Imprisoned Egypt and Palestine - Light Horse and AFC Operations
3 Jul 1919:	Discharged AIF WW1, Trooper, 2812, 1st Battalion Imperial Camel Corps

30 Apr 1942:	Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Sergeant, W70688
30 Apr 1942:	Enlisted Private, W70688, Volunteer Defence Corps (SA), Balingup, Western Australia
1 May 1942:	Involvement Lance Sergeant, W70688, Volunteer Defence Corps (SA), Homeland Defence - Militia and non deployed forces

Biography contributed by Lindsay Adams

Below is an updated version of the bio previously shown on the AWM website. It corrects a couple of key details. (AWM bio now corrected as per below)

2812 Trooper (Tpr) Reuben John Blechynden, Imperial Camel Corps, from Bridgetown, Western Australia, on left, and 1351 Signaller (Sig) Duncan Leslie Richardson, 1st Light Horse Regiment, from Broken Hill, NSW, on right. Tpr Blechynden enlisted on 1 March 1916 at the age of 21 and embarked for overseas with the 10th Light Horse Regiment on 17 July 1916 aboard RMS Mongolia. He was captured at Gaza on 19 April 1917 and held as a POW in Yarbaschi, Amanus District, Turkey. On 7 August 1918, he wrote "Shall be very pleased when money and parcels sent come to hand. P.A. O'Hare of the 3rd Company I.C.C. [Imperial Camel Corps] an Australian captured on 19/4/17 is here with me, he has not received any letters whatever since being here, although we other Australians who were captured the same time have been receiving letters from home at intervals for 8 or 9 months." Tpr Blechynden was repatriated to Cairo on 28 November 1918, to England on 17 December and arrived back in Australia on 17 March 1919.

Biography contributed by John Edwards

"...2812 Trooper Reuben John Blechynden, Imperial Camel Corps, from Bridgetown, Western Australia... enlisted on 1 March 1916 at the age of 16 and embarked for overseas with the 10th Light Horse Regiment on 17 July 1916 aboard RMS Mongolia. He was captured at Gaza on 19 April 1918 and held as a POW in Yarbaschi, Amanus District, Turkey. On 7 August 1918, he wrote "Shall be very pleased when money and parcels sent come to hand. P.A. O'Hare of the 3rd Company I.C.C. [Imperial Camel Corps] an Australian captured on 19/4/17 is here with me, he has not received any letters whatever since being here, although we other Australians who were captured the same time have been receiving letters from home at intervals for 8 or 9 months." Tpr Blechynden was repatriated to Cairo on 28 November 1918, to England on 17 December and arrived back in Australia on 17 March 1919..." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)

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