KIRK, William John
| Service Numbers: | QX12929, QX12929 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 July 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 26th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Warwick, Queensland, Australia, 28 February 1906 |
| Home Town: | Gympie, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 24 June 1970, aged 64 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 23 Jul 1940: | Involvement QX12929 | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jul 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, QX12929 | |
| 23 Jul 1940: | Enlisted | |
| 23 Jul 1940: | Enlisted Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, QX12929, 26th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements | |
| 30 Jul 1941: | Embarked Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, QX12929, 26th Infantry Battalion, emplaned for Singapore per EE | |
| 18 Apr 1942: | Imprisoned Malaya/Singapore, Reported Missing | |
| 30 Nov 1943: | Imprisoned Malaya/Singapore, Confirmed Japanese PoW Transferred to Thai Camp: 3 December 1943 Recovered from Japanese: 6 October 1945 | |
| 28 Oct 1945: | Embarked Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, QX12929, 26th Infantry Battalion, emplaned Singapore for Brisbane, QLD | |
| 14 Dec 1945: | Discharged | |
| 14 Dec 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, QX12929 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
William was the second of five children (sons) of Thomas Kirk (born 1879 in Glasgow, Scotland) and Johanna (Hannah) Sophia Hartvigsen (born 1882 in Tiaro, QLD). Thomas immigrated to QLD with his parents in 1883 on board the Berwick Law, and was working as a Labourer in 1903 in Gympie QLD. Hannah was a Domestic Servant at the Railway Hotel in Gympie QLD in 1903, and in 1904 Thomas and Hannah were married in Gympie. They lived at Inglewood, Gympie, Warwick, Kingaroy and Childers where Thomas worked as a Labourer.
William was living in Gympie and working as a Labourer when he married Edith May Blackburn (born 1907 in Gympie, QLD) in 1927. William and Edith lived in Gympie before moving to Gunalda at Tiaro in QLD, and in July 1940, William enlisted in the Australian Army. He served as a Private (Service No:QX12929) with 2nd Reinforcements 26th Infantry Battalion in Singapore. Reported missing in Singapore in April 1941, William was confirmed a Japanese PoW in November 1943, and was moved to a Thai Camp in December. Recovered from the Japanese on 6 October 1945, William emplaned for Brisbane, QLD from Singapore on 28 October 1945. Two of William's younger brothers - Thomas Edward (Service Nos:QX60248//Q5650) and Leonard (Service No:QX:26767) also served in WWII.
William returned to Gympie and worked as a Labourer and Hotel Keeper before he and Edith moved to Brisbane, QLD in 1950. William worked as a Labourer in Brisbane, and following Edith's death in 1951, remarried Gladys May in 1953 in Brisbane, QLD. William and Gladys moved to Brighton in Sandgate, QLD in 1954, where William worked as a Storeman until his death in 1974. Gladys died in 1977.
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