NEIGHBOUR, Keith
| Service Number: | 8141 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 January 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Warrant Officer |
| Last Unit: | No. 1 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Goolwa, South Australia, 13 June 1919 |
| Home Town: | Goolwa, Alexandrina, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Goolwa Primary School and Victor Harbor High School |
| Occupation: | Architect |
| Died: | Natural causes, Adelaide, South Australia, 4 February 2011, aged 91 years |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 23 Jan 1940: | Involvement Warrant Officer, 8141 | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jan 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman 2 (WW2), 8141, Laverton, Victoria | |
| 23 Jan 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Warrant Officer, 8141 | |
| 10 Dec 1945: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Warrant Officer, 8141, No. 1 Squadron (RAAF) |
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KEITH Neighbour survived nearly four harsh years as a prisoner of war to become a leading and respected architect, a statesman of the profession but also a peacemaking negotiator.
He was born to Arthur and Ivy Neighbour, educated at Victor Harbor High School and studied sculpting and painting at the South Australian School of Arts and Crafts.
In 1941, he married Lorna Pauline with whom he had two daughters.
Keith joined the RAAF air crew in early 1940 as a wireless air gunner. He trained at Point Cook, Victoria, and was posted to 2 Squadron in Laverton, before flying to Singapore in late 1941. The crew was taken to Kota Bharu to wait a return trip to Australia but right then Japan entered the war.
The RAAF men were bundled into planes to fly out. He was then with 1 Squadron in Lockheed Hudsons operating out of Singapore, transferring to Sumatra the day before Singapore fell. But the Sumatra airstrip was taken over by the Japanese and the group moved to Java where after a month they had to surrender, in March 1942.
Keith was a PoW in Changi and then other camps as he worked on the Burma railway. He was PoW for 1248 days. He drew sketches of camp life and Allied war graves, sketches which were later recovered from being hidden and now displayed in museums.
He and fellow prisoners suffered cruel hardships. But he did his best to maintain spirits, helping write and run concerts and working with Major "Weary" Dunlop. ...
For further reading please view THE ADVERTISER MAY 07, 2011 Obituary link to the left of this page
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