Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Charles Henry Harris was born in May 1915 at Picton Junction Bunbury, Western Australia to parents Edward and Ellen Curley Harris (nee Winwood). He was one of eight children with 4 brothers and 3 sisters.
 
Charles attended Picton, Capel and Boyup Brook schools where his family lived in Boyup Brook and worked as a farmhand.
 
Charles enlisted into the AIF at Claremont on the 1st August 1940 where he conducted his training in Northam, Darwin. It was in December 1941 that Charles embarked overseas from Fremantle attached to 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion A Company disembarking in Singapore in January 1942.  
 
Charles was immediately in action against the Japanese Imperial Army that was advancing through Malaya towards Singapore. It was on the 15th February 1942 that Singapore surrendered to the Japanese with Charles and many other Australians becoming a prisoner of war. Charles was held in Selarang Camp Changi.
 
It was in July 1942 that Charles was transported from Singapore as part of B Force to the Sandakan prisoner of war camp in Borneo. Over 2000 prisoners were sent to this prisoner of war camp where the prisoners were made to work on airfield construction working in severe conditions.
 
In 1945 in response to an order by the Japanese High Command, that no prisoners were to survive the war. The majority of prisoners that still could walk were sent on death marches with others left behind starved to death. Charles was left in the camp where he died of illness on the 27th May 1945.
 
Private Charles Harris, Service number WX7851 of 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion, died of illness whilst a prisoner of war in Borneo on 27th May 1945. He was 31 years of age.
 
He is commemorated at the Labuan Memorial Malaysia and is remembered with honour.