FOSTER, Andrew Joseph
| Service Number: | NX69365 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 March 1941, Paddington, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/22nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Wellington, New Zealand, 9 August 1908 |
| Home Town: | Maroubra, Randwick, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Shop Assistant / Drapery |
| Died: | Died at sea (Montevideo Maru), South China Sea, 1 July 1942, aged 33 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| 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 Private, NX69365 | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX69365, 2nd/22nd Infantry Battalion, Paddington, NSW |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of William and Emily FOSTER, Wellington, New Zealand
Private Foster enlisted on 10th March 1941 and served in New Britain. Following the Japanese invasion of January 1942, he was taken prisoner of war (POW) and held at Rabaul. On 22nd June 1942, Private Foster was presumed to be one of an estimated 845 POWs and 209 civilians who embarked from Rabaul aboard the Japanese transport ship MV Montevideo Maru. The POWs were members of 2/22 Battalion, No. 1 Independent Company, and other units of Lark Force. Civilians included officials of the New Guinea Administration and missionaries. The ship sailed unescorted for Hainan Island. On 1 July 1942 all the prisoners died when the Montevideo Maru was torpedoed by a US Navy submarine, USS Sturgeon, off the coast of Luzon Island in the Philippines.
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