FITZGERALD, Joseph Bruce
| Service Number: | TX4367 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 February 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia , 30 October 1921 |
| Home Town: | Colebrook, Southern Midlands, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Died at sea (Montevideo Maru), South China Sea, 1 July 1942, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Rabaul Memorial, Rabaul, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Rabaul Memorial, Rabaul Montevideo Maru Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Gunner, TX4367 | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Feb 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Gunner, TX4367 | |
| 22 Jun 1942: | Imprisoned POW at Rabual and transported via Japanese merchant ship Montevideo Maru with no signals indicating it was a POW transport or hospital vessel. Montevideo Maru was unescorted for Hainan Island and was sunk by the USS Sturgeon Submarine 2 July 1942 transporting an estimated 845 military personnel and up to 208 civilians, who lost their lives in the tragedy Montevideo Maru sank by the stern in as little as eleven minutes from the torpedo impact. Although the Japanese crew were ordered to abandon ship, it does not appear they made any attempt to assist the prisoners to do likewise. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Nigel Robertson
Joe was the son of Kathleen Muriel Robertson, Colebrook Park, Colebrook Tasmania.
As Joe's mother was a single mum at the time of birth and given the perseaved embarrsasment by others, Joe was placed into foster care and raised by the Fitzgerald's in Hobart Tasmania.
During Joe's time in foster care with the Fitzgerald's, it appears that Joe did adopt the surname of Fitgerald sometime in his later in his youth and was extremely bonded towards his foster brother Jack Fitzgerald.
Sometime during Joe's youth and with the greatly assisted help of Joe's maternal uncle (Roy Augustus Robertson 'Chum'), Joe did return to live with his mother (Kit) sometime in the 1930's.
As both Joe & Jack were very close, they enlisted together in 1941 and were sent to the AIF training camp in Trawool (near Seymour) Victoria. After weeks of training, they eventually ended up in Rabual.
Sometime during their time in Rabual of early 1942, Jack sufferred a head injury and was rehabilitated back to Australia.
Unfortunately and as well documented, with the fall of Rabual to the Japanese in early 1942, Joe was captured along with 1000+ POW's and transported to Hanian Island for obvious slave labour in the Japanese coal mines.
Joe along with the other 1000+ POW's never made this destination and were drowned at sea (South China Sea) as a result of the submarine USS Sturgeon torpedoing the transport ship (Montivideo Maru), which can only be described as a callous/murderous result of the Japanese NOT to indicate that the ship was transporting POW's. The crew of the ship (Montivideo Maru) at the time of the sinking made no attempt to release the POW's from the ship's locked cargo holds and only concentrated on saving themselves.