Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Rev. Harold Greenwood was the youngest of our chaplains.  He came to Malaya in the first convoy in February, 1941, as chaplain to the 2/10 Btn. (NSW), with whom he stayed to the end.  During the campaign he saw more actual fighting than any other chaplains of the denomination, having taken part in the battle of the Muar Road from B.... to Parit Sulong, and the subsequent trek through swamp and jungle to the British lines.   On Singapore Island his unit was on the north-east coast where the brunt of the Nipponese attack fell.  Once more he was cut off and had to fight his way out.  After both these actions he looked a very dirty and pugnacious young padre, and had earned golden opinions from his men for his gallantry under fire.

In Changi he remained with the 2/19 Btn. until the nucleus of that unit were sent to Borneo with "B" Force in August, 1942.  The whole force was sent first to Sandakan, but in October, 1942, most of the officers and some of the troops were moved to Kuching.   Three of the younger chaplains stayed with the troops and shared the tirals of Sandakan camp, culminating in the forced march to Ranau in mid 1945.  Harold survived the march only to die a month before the Nipponese surrender in August.  

His widow lives in Stanley, Tasmania, where he was minister beofre joining the A.I.F.  So passed our youngest padre, whose name had become a byword for bravyer.

The deceased young padre was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Wardale Greenwood, formerly of Portland.

Harold WARDALE-GREENWOOD was born on 20th March, 1909 in Durham, England

His parents were Harold WARDALE-GREENWOOD and Beatrice Mary WATTS who married in Durham in 1901

Harold married Marjorie Ada PHILLIPS in October 1938 in Stanley, Tasmania - they had one child Ian who was born shortly before he left to serve in WW2

He enlisted in Caulfield on 22nd August, 1940 with the 2nd/19th Infantry Battalion - he was a Captain with the Army Chaplains Department & left with the first convoy to Malaya where he saw action against the Japanese.  Falling back to Singapore with his battalion, he along with many of his fellow soldiers were captured and imprisoned in Changi  - they were later moved to Sandakan in Borneo - he survived the march only to die a month before the surrender of the Japanese forces in August 1945

He had a crisis of faith during the Sandakan death march and was given to despair & was heard to say

"There cannot be a God, there just cannot be a God,

for men to suffer and be treated like this"

Harold died of illness in Borneo on 18th July, 1945 as a Prisoner of War of the Japanese

His name is memorialised on the Australian War Memorial ,the Labuan Memorial and the Stanley War Memorial in Tasmania 

Medals: 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal & War Medal.

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His father Harold WARDALE-GREENWOOD served for 4 years in the Durham Volunteers in England before arriving in Australia and then enlisted for WW1 (SN 3163) with the 23rd Battalion.  He was 40 years old at the time and married with 6 children, living in Mentone, Victoria