MORGAN, Henry Charles Bassham
| Service Numbers: | S29366, SX11064 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 August 1940, Southwark, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Craftsman |
| Last Unit: | 27th Independent Brigade Group Ordnance Workshops |
| Born: | Waikerie, South Australia, 2 September 1917 |
| Home Town: | Barmera, Berri and Barmera, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Unknown |
| Occupation: | Driver |
| Died: | Died of Illness (POW of Japan), Borneo, 10 April 1945, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Panel 29, Labuan Memorial, Labuan, Malaysia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Barmera Memorial Gates |
World War 2 Service
| 7 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Private, S29366, Southwark, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Aug 1940: | Involvement Private, S29366, Homeland Defence - Militia and non deployed forces | |
| 22 Jan 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, SX11064 | |
| 25 Jun 1941: | Involvement Craftsman, SX11064, Australia's Northern Periphery | |
| 7 Dec 1941: | Involvement Craftsman, SX11064, 27th Independent Brigade Group Ordnance Workshops, Malaya/Singapore | |
| 16 Feb 1942: | Imprisoned Prisoners of War | |
| 10 Apr 1945: | Involvement Craftsman, SX11064, 27th Independent Brigade Group Ordnance Workshops, Prisoners of War, Died of Illness as a Prisoner of War |
Help us honour Henry Charles Bassham Morgan's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed
Henry Charles Bassham MORGAN was born in Waikerie, South Australia on 2nd September, 1917
His parents were John William MORGAN & Adelaide Jane BASSHAM who married in South Australia in 1906
He married Molly CHERRY in 1941
Biography contributed by Cornerstone College
Henry Charles Bassham Morgan was born in Waikerie, September 2nd, 1917. He spent his early life living in Waikerie and soon moved to Barmera where he found love, and on the 13th of May 1941 he married Molly Morgan his wife. They lived in Barmera and before his enlistment, he worked as a driver. Their address was 92 Welland Ave, Barmera. Henry enlisted on the 7th of Aug 1940.
He enlisted for the Homeland defence, at Southwark, SA. After his involvement there, Henry moved to the Australian Military Forces on the 22nd of January 1941. Later in June 1941 Henry was involved with Australia’s Northern Periphery as a craftsman. In this campaign Henry’s division was sent off to Singapore to serve and do garrison duties that involved guarding a building or a town.
Henry arrived at Singapore 15th August 1941; this would later be the place of his death. Upon doing garrison duties, Henry wast attacked by the Japanese, they captured Henry, and he became a POW on the 15th of February 1942 along with his Brigade group, the 27th Independent Brigade Group Ordnance Workshops. Skinner died on the 26th of December 1943, aged 34. Unfortunately, all of the other brigade soldiers also died from illnesses or due to the actions of the Japanese. Henry passed away from an illness contracted while on a death march on the 10th of April 1945 in Sandakan Borneo. Only 6 POWs ended up surviving the march.
Henry was most likely part of B force (there was E force and B force), B force embarked the Steamer De Klerk on March 29th, 1943, after 9 days on the ship in poor conditions the POW’s disembarked at Sandakan. Henry was a POW at one of the four camps in Borneo, Sandakan which was where majority of the Australian were stationed. Susumi Hoshijima was the captain and commanded the Sandakan camp, he made POWs like Henry construct a Military airfield. The conditions at the camp were cruel, POWs were given insufficient food and water and the living conditions were even worse. POWs had to sleep next to other dying POWs with rats and insects all over the place. And while the POWs were working it was common for Japanese soldiers to demand a near impossible task for an already weakened POW and when he failed, he would get beaten. But this is what Henry endured for years dying only a few months before the end of the war.
Lest we forget Henry.
Reference List
https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=722676&c=WW2#R
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=6411256
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