The Soldier's Details

Blakiston enlisted AIF Aug 1940 and later joined 2/4th MGB’s ‘B’ Company 9 Platoon as a Driver.

Above:  Harry’s mother dies in 1933.

Below: His younger brother dies in 1935.

Harry married 1940 to Roma Iris Braddock.

Harry’s parents George John Blakiston married 1911 at Northam to Mary Ellenor Hitchcock.  Harry was the eldest of eight children.

Harry was first cousin to Cyril ‘John’ McPherson WX7675, McPherson’s mother Ethel Margaret Hitchcock is sister to Harry’s  mother Mary Ellenor Blakiston (nee Hitchcock).

Below:  Harry’s maternal grandmother, his mother’s mother Martha Hitchcock died in 1940.

Below:  1985 Anzac Day Reunion – Harry and Tom Pilmour

Harry passed away aged 93yrs, February 7 2005, at Duncraig, WA.

Harry was selected to work on Burma-Thai Railway with ‘D’ Force Thailand, S Battalion.  This work party and ‘A’ Force Burma Green Force included the largest number of 2/4th men.  S Battalion departed Singapore Railway Station mid May 1943 heading for Thailand on a horrendous, crowded 4-5 day train journey to Thailand.

They first went to Tarsau Camp which would become Japanese HQ ‘D’ Force, and later their hospital Camp.  The men worked here for several weeks clearing land for rail link.  This easy work did not prepare them for the next camps. Konyu II was hell, working on the cutting in the Hellfire Pass area.  They worked long hours in terrible conditions, mostly without shoes and clothing to protect themselves chipping away at rock which often caused injuries leading to tropical ulcers.  It was ‘Speedo’, beatings, little food and too many tropical  illnesses for which there was no medicines.

Harry next went to Kanu I River Camp (from Konyu II S Battalion was disbursed to various camps) – it was here Harry contracted cholera, and was evacuated to Tarsau . He was one of the lucky to survive.  Tarsau Hospital Camp from many POWs was known as a ‘death’ hospital – if you didn’t get out, you would die!  Dick Ridgwell WX14197 from 2/4th, wrote when he was also a patient at Tarsau, he visited the various tents to find mates and would take them from their beds outside to bathe and feed them.  That is what mates did!

Those at Tarsau volunteered for work parties as soon as possible – no doubt Blakiston did just this, and went to Tardan to do bridge repairs.  He was then at Nacompaton for 3 months.  Nacompaton was a purpose built large hospital camp.  Following this he was sent to Tamuang then Tamarkan and back to Tamuang from where he was recovered at the end of the war.  Sent to Bangkok, the POWs took flights to Singapore to sail home.

Read further about ‘D Force S Battalion