Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Geoffrey Singer died nearly 20 years before I was born. He was a cousin to my paternal grandmother, hometown of Brisbane. His service and death on the Thai Burma Railway were often recounted by my grandmother and her sisters.
As a child I overheard the tales.
My grandfather also served in WW2, in PNG, and whilst he never ended up in Thailand did have close friends from Queensland who did, including one (Norm Gray) who was present and witnessed when Geoffrey was struck on the head by an IJA guard with a shovel while working on the 'Hellfire Pass', resulting in his death. Whilst his officially recorded cause of death was 'illness', this was likely concurrent, but his death was undoubtedly the result of the violence inflicted.
Geoffrey's service records indicate all this detail.
The family including my grandparents and father (all now deceased) never forgot what happened or was recounted: a senseless, brutal waste of a young life for no benefit to anyone but life given in faithful duty of service to empire.
Norm Gray, who recounted the events in Thailand to my grandfather upon return to Brisbane was profoundly affected by the war and its events, according to my father, and turned to alcohol, foreshortening his life. My father, who died in 2023 documented all this in his memoirs, discovered after his own death.
Geoffrey came from a large group of siblings and was remembered by all for many years. He was never married, and pre-war had worked in 'motor assembly'.