The Soldier's Details

Whilst in Singapore he was admitted to AGM with beri beri on 13 June 1942 and again on 21 August 1942.

Gordon Dickie was selected to work on Burma-Thail Railway with D Force, S Battalion which departed by train from Singapore on  14 March 1943.  S Battalion firstly worked a few weeks at Tarsau Camp (D Force  Headquarters) before moving to Konyu II in the area of Hellfire Pass.  He was in Thailand from 25 April 1943 to 15 March 1943.

You can read further about ‘D’ Force S Battalion

He was selected from Tamuang Camp to work in Japan, sailing on ‘Byoki Maru’ a journey which took 70 days to reach Moji, Japan.

Please read further about ‘Byoki’ Maru

Gordon was recovered from Niihama Camp at the end of the war.

Gordon Dickie arrived at Fremantle from London in 1928 on the SS ‘Barcoola’.  He was 18 years of age and it was recorded he was a sawmiller.  Prior to boarding the ‘Barcoola’ Gordon was staying at Kincardineshire.

Unfortunately we have no record of where he worked either before the war or after – he returned to work at the farm of A.R. Harris.

Above:  from The Dowerin Guardian and Amery Line Advocate Wyalkatchem.

He died in 5 May1956 at Darlington, aged 46 years and is buried at Karrakatta.

Gordon Hickie enlisted with AIF for war, born England, sadly he had no close family in WA.  He survived being a POW of Japan for nearly 3.5 years, worked on the Burma-Thai Railway, sailed 70 days to Japan, and was recovered from Japan after the atomic bombs were dropped.

Gordon returned to and remained in WA in late 1945.   He never married, never had a family or really put down roots.   He initially returned to the Harris family where he had worked as a farm labourer before enlisting.    Within 11 years Gordon Hickie died at the age of 46 years.