Sidney Roy BARRY

BARRY, Sidney Roy

Service Number: VX18976
Enlisted: 29 May 1940
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 2nd/2nd Pioneer Battalion
Born: Manchester, England, 28 October 1900
Home Town: Yannathan, Cardinia, Victoria
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Not yet discovered
Died: Murdered (POW of Japan), 80k Camp, Burma, 9 September 1943, aged 42 years
Cemetery: Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, (Burma)
A9 A 10,
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Lang Lang War Memorial
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World War 2 Service

29 May 1940: Enlisted Private, VX18976, Caulfield, Victoria
29 May 1940: Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, VX18976, 2nd/2nd Pioneer Battalion
30 May 1940: Involvement Private, VX18976, 2nd/2nd Pioneer Battalion, Malaya/Singapore
9 Sep 1942: Involvement Private, VX18976, 2nd/2nd Pioneer Battalion, Prisoners of War

VX18976 SR Barry

Remembering Sidney Roy Barry, my Mother's Uncle, on ANZAC Day 2018.

Your service and sacrifice are remembered on what will be the 75th anniversary of your untimely and cruel death.

God bless you Sidney for allowing us the freedom we now enjoy.

Private Sidney Barry

We as a family sadly never got to meet Sidney my Grand-Mothers brother, she would have been devastated to know how he met his death. She spoke of him fondly for years. We never knew if he married or had any children who would have been my Mothers cousins. He had English relatives and American relatives living in North Carolina, his sister Isobel went to live with her daughter Sandra Sidney’s neiece who is still living and my mother also is still alive...He was one of 9 children from Manchester. My Grand-Mother was Emma May. Bertie his brother died only a few years ago from Hyde, a small suburb of Greater Manchester. He also has a niece Bertie’s Daughter alongside all of us 5 girls Great nieces living around the greater Manchester area and 3 great nieces in America.

I am very proud and sad to hear how Sidney met his death, and now I think of him every year with a heavy heart knowing he fought for us to live the life we have now; When November comes around now, I feel extremely emotional knowing I had a relative who suffered at the hands of the Japanese...I am extra thankful for the soilders and witnesses that gave evidence at the War Crimes Trials...

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Biography

The War Crimes tribunal recorded that Pte. Barry, who was suffering chronic malaria and dysentry, was too ill to attend work. Korean (Civillian) guard - Masaki Fumio (recordsearch.naa.gov.au) then dragged Pte. Barry from his hut, beating him and kicking him severely. Pte Barry was forced to attend work, where he collapsed and was taken back to camp. Pte. Barry received further beatings that day, and he died the following day. 

At War's end, at the War Crimes trial of that guard, he denied the charges against him.

Masaki Fumio (recordsearch.naa.gov.au) was convicted of War Crimes against Australian, British and American POW's. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.

The National Archives of Australia (NAA) has the digitized file of those court proceedings against Masaki Fumio, including photos of him on Page 51 and 55 at THIS LINK (recordsearch.naa.gov.au)

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