Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Before enlisting, Alan was a fitter and turner for the Advertiser newspaper in South Australia. His mechanical skills were utilised in No 1 Squadron RAAF, where he worked to maintain the engines of the Lockheed Hudson bombers.

He deployed in 1940 to Singapore with his squadron, and then in 1941 to Kota Bahru. He remembered that Kota Bahru was attacked a few hours before Pearl Harbor. He recalled draining oil from engines, and it being full of shrapnel.

He recalled evacuating to Singapore, and then Sumatra. He recalled the excitement everyone had over the Dutch beer. He recalled that Palembang #1 suffered the retaliatory strikes from his squadron's strikes (launched from Palembang #2).

He recalled the boat to Java. There was a plan to evacuate in flying boats, which would have been perilous in the surf. There was little time to execute these plans in the chaos before the island was overrun. A radio announcement asked allied troops to report to the nearest town to turn themselves in.

He experienced life as a POW for the next 3.5 years, which including work on the Burma railroad. He recalled having to risk his life, on Doctors order's, to steal some blood from a cow to make a dried blood cake.

He recalled that the Australians initially worked hard, completing their work allocation (move a cubic metre / day) in the morning so they could rest in the afternoon heat, but the captors soon doubled the work allocation to fill the day.

He recalled digging what they thought were execution pits, but they were fortunately liberated the following day.

After liberation, they had made their way to Bangkok, and reported to the docks for repatriation to Australia. Despite being very unwell, and weighing only about 8 stone each, the navy officers told them that the senior service (RAN) would be repatriated first, and the junior service (RAAF), would be repatriated last.

He recalls a RAAF pilot, "Smokey" Douglas, came to the barracks to find them, and flew more than 20 starved, 8 stone, airmen back to Australia for the medical attention they needed. The flight back involved island hoping via Borneo to Darwin.

He suffered several dozens of bouts of Malaria over that time, with the last being back in South Australia.

Alan preferred not to talk about his war experience until the last years of his life. I wasn't aware of this, but found he was happy to answer my questions.

Born 10-Nov-1916 at Fullarton, South Australia