Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

KEITH ERNEST WATSON VX50027

Keith played ice hockey for the Bombers at St Moritz ice rink St Kilda.
He was a member of the Royal Brighton Yacht Club. As a teenager he crewed on the yacht "Tahiti" BJ11 and later, with his brother Jack, built his own yacht.

Keith enlisted at Royal Park on 27th February 1941 and assigned to the 2/4th Reserve Motor Transport Co. 2/AIF. He embarked on the ship S.S. Nieuw Amsterdam which sailed on 11th April 1941 The convoy of ten ships, included Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth.

Keith disembarked in Singapore and was bussed to Jasin Camp Malacca. He worked as a carpenter for "E" Section, of the 2/4th RMTC, he also drove trucks including the Ford Marmon Herrington "Blitz" trucks. In August1941 he worked some time for the British R.A.S.C. He was admitted to the13 Australian General Hospital(13th AGH) late December 1941 suffering pyrexia (high fever). With the Japanese onslaught he was returned to Singapore.

With the Fall of Singapore he became a POW, imprisoned in Changi. After spending time in Changi he was selected to work on the "Death Railway". He was assigned to "F" Force, said to have suffered the worst of all railway work groups.

"F" Force, consisting of 3,400 Australians and 3,600 British, left Changi 16-24 April 1943 and was railed to Bampong, Thailand, in suffocating rice trucks. From there "F" Force was force marched 300kms, mostly at night, to central Thailand, the area known as Sonkurai. There were five camps, the hospital was located in Tanbaya. Major Bruce Hunt was the medico in charge. The railway was completed 17 October 1943. Most of the work groups made their way back to Changi, some arriving as late as April 1944.

Keith died 7th May 1944. His death certificate states he died of Malaria in Malaya. He is buried Kranji War Cemetery, a short distance from the CBD of Singapore. The grave reference is 2.D.8.His friends included Les Baird VX50190 and Jack Lardner VX31398