GANNON, William John
Service Numbers: | QX17342, QX 17342 |
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Enlisted: | 26 July 1940 |
Last Rank: | Lance Bombardier |
Last Unit: | 2 Field Regiment AMF |
Born: | Townsville, Queensland, Australia , 28 May 1919 |
Home Town: | Julia Creek, McKinlay, Queensland |
Schooling: | Julia Creek State School, Julia Creek, Queensland, Australia |
Occupation: | Trainee Doctor. |
Died: | Illness while a POW of the Japanese, Borneo, 17 June 1945, aged 26 years |
Cemetery: |
Labuan War Cemetery Section 7. Row A, Grave No 5 |
Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Julia Creek War Memorial, Sandakan Prisoner of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
3 Sep 1939: | Involvement QX17342 | |
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26 Jul 1940: | Enlisted | |
26 Jul 1940: | Enlisted Lance Bombardier, QX 17342, 2 Field Regiment AMF, Place of Enlistment Kelvin Grove Brisbane Queensland | |
26 Jul 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Bombardier, QX17342, 2nd/10th Field Regiment | |
1 Jan 1942: | Imprisoned Japanese POW, Changi | |
15 Apr 1943: | Imprisoned Taken to Sandakan Subar Malaysia POW Prison Camp where he died 17th June 1945 | |
17 Jun 1945: | Discharged |
Lance Bombardier William John Gannon
Lancr Bombardier William John Gannon, 2/10th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery. He was one of over 2000 Allied prisoners of war (POW) held in the Sandakan POW camp in north Borneo, having been transferred there from Singapore as a part of E Force. The 500 Australian and 500 British POW's who made up E Force, left Changi on 28 March 1943, on board the S.S. DeKlerk arriving at Berhala Island (adjacent to Sandakan Harbour) on 15 April 1943. The POW's were held there until 5 June, when they were taken by barge to Sandakan. The next day they were transferred to the 8 Mile Camp, which was about half a mile from the B Force compound. Lance Bombardier Gannon, aged 26, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 17 June 1945. He was the son of William George and Olivia Amanda Gannon, of Nundah, Qld. He is buried in the Labuan Cemetery Section 7, Row A, Plot 5. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)
Submitted 13 March 2021 by Lynette Turner