Wallace Gordon BLATCH

Wallace Gordon BLATCH Update Details

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BLATCH, Wallace Gordon

Service Number:	NX10791
Enlisted:	19 May 1941, Paddington, NSW
Last Rank:	Gunner
Last Unit:	2nd/15th Field Regiment
Born:	Wellington, New South Wales, Australia, 5 September 1919
Home Town:	Strathfield, Strathfield, New South Wales
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Bank Officer - Union Bank
Died:	Illness whilst a Prisoner of the Japanese, Borneo, 1 June 1945, aged 25 years
Cemetery:	Labuan War Cemetery 14 C 4
Memorials:	Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Melbourne Union Bank of Australia Limited 'In Memoriam' WW2 Honour Roll

World War 2 Service

3 Sep 1939:	Involvement Gunner, NX10791
19 May 1941:	Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX10791, 2nd/15th Field Regiment, Paddington, NSW
29 Jul 1941:	Embarked AIF WW1, Gunner, NX10791, 2nd/15th Field Regiment, Disembarked in Singapore 15/08/1941
15 Feb 1942:	Imprisoned Was listed as being POW over the radio. Died during the second Sandakan March

Help us honour Wallace Gordon Blatch's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Daryl Jones

Son of Reuben Percival Charles and Susan Blatch; husband of Joyce Blatch. of Strathfield. New South Wales.

MUCH LOVED HUSBAND OF JOY SON OF PERCY & SUSIE BLATCH, YEOVAL, NSW

Wallace died whilst prisoner of war on the death march at Sandrakan , Borneo.

Ever remembered by his father and mother, brothers and sister.

Biography contributed by Shari-Lei McLean

While his headstone reads his death was 16/06/1945, there is a letter from the Army to his wife Joyce that lists his date of death as 01 June 1945. He passed while on the second (of three) Sandakan Death March. These marches began in March 1945 and required the soldiers to march from Sandakan to Ranau.
By the end of June there were only 6 Australian and 1 British Soldiers still alive.

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