BELLAMY, George James
| Service Number: | QX7564 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 25 May 1940, Cairns, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/26th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Mackay, Queensland, Australia, 5 December 1914 |
| Home Town: | Herberton, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died at sea (POW of Japan - Rakuyo Maru), South China Sea, 12 September 1944, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Panel 15, Labuan Memorial, Labuan, Malaysia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Labuan Memorial, Labuan Federal Territory, Malaysia |
World War 2 Service
| 25 May 1940: | Enlisted Private, QX7564, Cairns, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 May 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, QX7564, 2nd/26th Infantry Battalion | |
| 12 Sep 1944: | Involvement Private, QX7564, 2nd/26th Infantry Battalion, Prisoners of War |
George James Bellamy POW
Born to George & Mary Bellany of Atherton, Queensland on 5 December 1914, George enlisted in the A.I.F. on 25 May 1940 at Cairns, Queensland.
He was one of several members of 2/26 Battalion chosen as part of "A" Force, which left Singapore in 1942. The majority of "A" Force were never to return to Singapore.
He was assigned to a work party under Lt. Col. George Ramsay of 2/30, which was to be known as Ramsay Force, and slaved on the Mergui - Burma end of the Railway.
On completion of the railway, many members of "A" Force were kept in various POW Camps throughout Thailand, with a majority being sent to Bangkok from where they were selected to go to Japan to work in the mines.
The unmarked Japanese P.O.W. Ship Rakuyo Maru was sunk by a U.S. Submarine on its way to Japan. Very few P.O.W. were rescued.
He is commemorated in Australia at Mackay, Queensland; The Australian War Memorial at Canberra; and the P.O.W. Memorial Wall at Ballarat, Victoria.
Submitted 19 November 2023 by Lynette Turner
Biography contributed by Daniel Bishop
Father: George James BELLAMY and Mother Mary Ann Burkett (nee WHITE) BELLAMY.
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