MCFARLANE, John
| Service Number: | WX7227 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 August 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, 1 August 1907 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Blacksmith Striker |
| Died: | Illness, Borneo, 20 June 1945, aged 37 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Labuan Memorial, Labuan, Malaysia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Boyup Brook Sandakan Prisoner of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Sapper, WX7227 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, WX7227 |
Help us honour John McFarlane's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoff Tilley
John McFarlane was born in August 1907 at Paisley, Scotland to parents Thomas and Jean McFarlane. John was one of 6 siblings. The family emigrated to Australia with John’s father arriving in Fremantle in December 1913. The mother arrived with 5 siblings the following year in October 1914.
In 1937 John married Pauline Ballans at Mount Margaret near Laverton in the Goldfields of Western Australia. John was working as a labourer with their only son born in 1938.
John enlisted into the AIF at Claremont on the 1st August 1940 where he was attached to various training units. On enlistment he recorded his occupation as a Blacksmith Striker.
John embarked for overseas service in May 1940 from Fremantle, disembarking in Singapore in June 1941, he was attached to the 2/6 Australian Field Park Company which was attached to the Australian Engineers.
John records indicated that he served in Malaya during the latter half of 1941 before falling back to Singapore due to the Japanese Army advancing through Malaya. John was eventually captured and became a prisoner of war when Singapore fell to the advancing Japanese on 15th February 1942.
John with many of the Australian prisoners was held in Changi Prison at Singapore. It was in July 1942 that John was transported from Singapore as part of B Force and was held in the Sandakan prisoner of war camp in Borneo. Over 2000 prisoners were sent to this prisoner of war camp. It was during 1942 – 1943 that the prisoners were made to work on airfield construction who were subject to severe conditions.
In 1945 in response to an order by the Japanese High Command, that no prisoners were to survive the war. Those that still could walk were sent on death marches with others left behind starved to death. It was on the 20th June 1945 that John died as a result of illness.
Sapper John McFarlane, Service number WX7227 of 2/6th Field Park Coy died whilst a prisoner of war in Borneo on 20th June 1945. He was 37 years of age.
He is commemorated at the Labuan Memorial Malaysia and is remembered with honour.
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