Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ronald Percy WORBY was born on 14th July, 1918 at Iron Knob, South Australia

His parents were Arthur WORBY and Gertrude May MARSHALL

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Two of his brothers also served in WW2

1. Kenneth Leslie WORBY (SN S39183) discharged 1943

2. Lawrence Arthur WORBY (SN SX39067) &  (SN S24102) discharged 1946

Ronald Percy Worby was born on the 14th of July, 1918 at Iron Knob, South Australia. His parents were Arther Worby and Gertrude May Marshall. Two of his brothers also served in WW2, Kenneth Leslie Worby (SN S39183) discharged 1943, and Lawrence Arthur Worby (SN SX39067) discharged 1946. Ronald Worby’s Attestation Form states that his family is Methodist which is very common at the time. Ronald and his family lived in Pt Pirie, South Australia and he and his two brothers attended Port Pirie High School. After school he worked as a Labourer. On the 3rd of September 1939, the Prime Minister of Australia, Robert Gordan Menzies announced the commencement of Australia’s involvement in the Second World War. Ronald Worby was only 21 when he enlisted to fight in the Australian Military forces in Adelaide on the 16th of July, 1940. He was then allocated army service number SX8947 and was assigned to the 8th Division Salvage Unit.

The 8th Division Salvage Unit was formed at Wayville, South Australia on the 4th of December 1940. The unit was under the command of Lieutenant Jack Thomas The 43 soldiers that made up the salvage unit we’re one of several small support units. The unit’s purpose was to scavenge the post battlefields for ammunition, equipment, and arms after the fighting in the area had moved on. After they had gathered the equipment, they would be responsible for repairing and re- distributing it to other fighting units in the 8th Division.

Although Salvaging was their main purpose, the salvage unit didn’t always perform these duties. Firstly, posted to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory in early 1941 they worked as labouring troops. In late July 1941 they left to join the rest of the 8th Division in Malaya and Singapore. However, they started off as labouring troops before finally using their specific skills in salvaging and reassigning military equipment, when the Japanese attacked Northern Malaya and started making their way down the headland.

On the 19th of June 1942 Ronald Worby was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese in Malaya/ Singapore. He was one of over 2000 Allied prisoners of war held in the Sandakan POW camp in north Borneo, having been transferred there from Singapore as a part of E Force to build and construct a military airstrip for the Japanese. 500 Australian and 500 British POW's who made up E Force, left Changi on 28 March 1943, on board the S.S. DeKlerk arriving at Berhala Island (nearby to Sandakan Harbour) on 15 April 1943. The POW's were held there until 5 June, when they were taken by barge to Sandakan. The next day they were transferred to the 8 Mile Camp, which was about half a mile from the B Force compound. (Commonwealth War graves commission database). The conditions of Sandakan camp we’re dreadful and unliveable. They were starved, beaten and forced to work long hours doing tasks for the Japanese. They were treated like animals and if they acted out there would be harsh punishments. Private Worby, aged 26, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 19 June 1945. When the war finally ended, of the 43 men that we’re part of the 8th Division Salvage Unit, only 22 returned in late 1945. Ronald Percy Worby is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 31.