MORTIMER, Henry William
| Service Number: | NX26393 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 June 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/10th Field Ambulance |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 24 January 1900 |
| Home Town: | Canterbury, Canterbury, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Balmain Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Ambulance Officer |
| Died: | Illness whilst a prisoner of the Japanese , Borneo, 17 February 1945, aged 45 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 25. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Sergeant, NX26393 | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 1940: | Involvement NX26393, 2nd/10th Field Ambulance | |
| 24 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Sergeant, NX26393 |
Sgt Henry William Mortimer
NX26393 Sergeant Henry William Mortimer, 2/10th Field Ambulance, Australian Army Medical Corps.
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 B Force. The 1494 POW's that made up B Force, were transported from Changi on 7 July 1942 on board the tramp ship Ubi Maru, arriving in Sandakan Harbour on 18 July 1942.
Sergeant Mortimer, aged 47, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 17 February 1945.
He was the son of Henry Walter and Emily Jane Mortimer, and the husband of Veronica Beatrice Mortimer, of Lakemba, NSW.
He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 25, as he does not have a marked grave, like many in Labuan Cemetery.
He was the father of 6 children that he left behind.
Like a lot of others at the time he enlisted as he could earn more money for his family with military service then he made as an ambulance officer in Sydney, located at Canterbury Hospital.
Submitted 6 August 2016 by Garry Mortimer
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