SALTER, Donald Barclay
| Service Number: | TX8178 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 September 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/29th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 6 March 1922 |
| Home Town: | Hobart, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Storeman |
| Died: | Presumed, At sea (South West Pacific Area), 26 June 1944, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Singapore Memorial - Column 132. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Singapore Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Private, TX8178 | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Sep 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, TX8178, 2nd/29th Infantry Battalion | |
| 15 Jun 1942: | Embarked Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, TX8178, 2nd/29th Infantry Battalion, embarked Sydney for Singapore |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Private Donald Barclay Salter (Service No:TX8178) served in the Militia and the ACMF (Service Nos:T30102/49678) from 1939 and was Discharged for being under age. On 24 June 1941, he enlisted in the RAAF at No 6 Recruit Centre Hobart as an Aircraftman I (Service No:31229) - mustered as Office Orderly - and was at Signal School Point Cook when he was Discharged on 30 August 1941. On 11 September 1941 he enlisted in the AIF and was attached to 2/43 Infantry Battalion. On 15 January 1942 Private Salter was attached to 2/29th Infantry Battalion when he embarked with his Unit from Sydney for Singapore. Reported Missing on 20 June 1944, Private Salter was confirmed a PoW of the Japanese on 8 January 1943. On 26 June 1944, Private Salter was a PoW on board a Japanese transport (Harukiki Maru) that was torpedoed off the coast of Sumatra. Private Salter was presumed drowned. Private Salter's older brothers - Ted and Rex - also served in WWII.
Don was born in Hobart, Tasmania in 1922, youngest of three children of Eric Harold Salter (b1892 in St Marys, Tasmania) and Eileen Victoria Nichols (b1894 in Richmond, Tasmania). Eric worked as a Railway Porter in St Marys and Oakland before enlisting for WWI (Lieutenant; Service No:2276). Eric was a Clerk with the Department of Treasury in 1919 when he and Eileen married in Hobart, where they settled and raised their family. Eric served as a Lieutenant in the Army Reserves and worked as a Clerk.
Don was working as a Storeman in Hobart when he enlisted for service in WWII. Following his death, his family posted a Memorial Notice on 26 June annually 'In proud and loving memory of our dear son and brother, TX8178, Private Donald Barclay Salter, who gave his life for us on June 26, 1944' (Trove).