The Soldier's Details

Tom enlisted AIF 27 Oct 1941and was drafted into 2/4th reinforcements in late December, sailing on ‘Aquitania’ 16 Jan 1941 to Singapore.    Initially he was temporary Batman/Runner for Battalion Headquarters. He was later transferred to ‘D’ Coy, Platoon unknown.  He was one of 146 men selected in Northam to entrain to Fremantle on 15th Jan 1942.  Half of that number would make up the new E Coy SRB and the other half would reinforce 2/4th’s platoons.

As a POW in Singapore he went to work on the Burma end of the Railway line with ‘A’ Force Burma, Green Force No. 3 Battalion.

Please read about Green Force and the work camps Tom would have been in.  Green Force included a large number of 2/4th so Tom would have been with good mates.

When the rail link was completed towards the end of 1943, the Japanese brought all POWs in Burma to Thailand to one of several large camps.  Those too ill to make the journey remained at the larger Burma Hospital camps with orderlies to care for them.

Much of their journey was travelling on train over the track they had built, terrifying at times knowing how much they had sabotaged and deliberately hindered rail construction.

Tom arrived at Tamarkan, Thailand.  He was sent to Chungkai then to Kanchanaburi.  Most sent to Chungkai were sick –  which suggests Tom may have been sick when he arrived Tamarkan.  But like most POWs he fortunately recovered. Or this may have been the time he had appendicitis because we know he was selected for Japan but missed the draft due to appendicitis.  So whatever, he was a lucky man he missed out on being with the ‘Rakuyo’ Party which sank on 9 Sept with horrific loss of lives.

On recovery he was sent to Ratburi, Lopburi and was recovered from Nacompaton when the war ended.  Taken to Bangkok where he few to Singapore.  He returned to Fremantle on the ‘HMT Moreton Bay’

Tom Pilmoor was a Fairbridge Farm boy.  He arrived in Australia from England with older brother Robert on  3/10/1928.  Tom was 11 years old and Robert  13 years.  Tom was housed in Livingstone.  He was a student at Fairbridge for 5 years before being sent to work.

From 1933 to 1936 Tom was working for W. Green Esq., Mt Barker.

 

 

 

Matson WX16347 & Tom Pilmoor

 

The piece of hair belongs to Tom.  He was very fair-blonde.

 

Mavis & Tom Pilmoor.

 

Tom Pilmoor above and his brother Robert –  Fairbridge Remembrance Wall.  Most often siblings were not placed in the same cottage~!

 

Below:  Harry Blakiston and Tom Pilmoor 1985 Anzac Day Reunion

 

L-R McGhee, Mary Kemp, Tom Pilmoor, Les Kemp, Beryl Beattie

 

Trevor James, Jim Burns, Alf Worth, John Lane, Des Colevas, Bob Whitield, Joe Pearce (rear), Tom Pilmoor (front), Owen Morris, Jim Elliott, Ron Badock, Gordon Lynam.

Below:  Pilmoor family Anzac Day 2004.

 

Below:  Printed in July 1992 ‘Borehole’, the author Vern Roach from NSW,  was in the ‘A Force Burma Party with Stan Lance, Bill Carlyon, Bill Hood, Bill Castles.

 

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Tom passed away aged 88yrs, September 12,  2006, at Jane Brooke, WA.