The Soldier's Details

Frank Evans enlisted 11 June 1941 from Leonora where he was born 1922 to parents Clifford Statin Howard and Ivy Lillian Evans. Frank was working in the mines as a supervisor.

He left Northam as one of 146 reinforcements to  8th Division Singapore, half of these joined 2/4th MGB, boarding ‘Aquitania’ on 15 Feb 1942 and sailed the following day to Singapore.  He joined ‘E’ Company’ Special Reserve Battalion Platoon No. 2 as Corporal to CO Lt Till.    He was promoted to Corporal on 7 Feb 1942 at Singapore.

Bluey was wounded at Bukit Timah on 13 Feb 1942, admitted to 2/10th Field Ambulance with  gunshot wound to his left leg.  Transferred to 13th Australian General Hospital on 16 February and discharged to his unit on 22 Feb 1942.

As POW Singapore’s Selarang Barracks Bluey was engaged in wood carting. At Adam Park he took part in work parties to wharves and go downs. Also constructing road around Golf Course and Japanese Shrine.

From Selarang he was selected to work on  Burma-Thai Railway with ‘D’ Force Thailand, V Battalion. V Battalion left by train from Singapore on a 4-day horror journey on 17^th March 1943 with about 25 men per carriage headed to Bampong,
Thailand.   They were housed at the Komna Transit Camp before being taken ton Kanchanaburi by lorries. It had commenced raining and the next day were ordered to march (in the rain) to Kinsaiyok Camp.

Here the POWs worked on rail cuttings, embankments, constructing low bridges, cutting and hauling timber for the bridges.

Bluey became very sick and the accompanying doctors requested the sick be sent south. After long discussions the Japanese guards finally allowed only 6 of the sick men onto a truck travelling to Tamarkan. Bluey was one of the six.

Following three months at Tamarkan Hospital Camp Bluey worked on the bridge and then transferred to Nacompaton where he was one of a party of men constructing camp huts.
Speedo was over and the Japanese began moving the POWs south from the rail link. The buildings at Nacompaton was one of several main hospital camps for the sick and others in transit on their journey back to Singapore.  Nacompaton was located 30 miles west of Bangkok.
Several months passed, the Allies commenced their air attacks and Bluey was included in a work party of 100 POWs to Non Pladuk and then to Kao Rin Specialist Camp. Bluey was here when the war finished.   He was moved to Tamuang before travelling to Bangkok and accommodated at the stadium.

He made his way to Don Muang airport where he managed to hitch a ride with a Lancaster Bomber flying to Singapore. He made his way to a holding Camp where he was fed and clothed.

He few out of Singapore to Morotai on a DC3, then Wewak, New Guinea overnight before flying to Townsville for 2 days, to Sydney for 2 days, Melbourne 2 days and Adelaide where he caught the train to WA. Bluey got off the train at Kalgoorlie where he knew his mother was near-death in the hospital at Leonora. He later travelled to Perth and admitted to 110(P) MH (Hollywood Hospital) then sent to Point Walter to convalesce before being discharged in February 1946.

Read about Nacompaton Camp.

Back Row L-R: Jim Burns, John Lane, Jim Elliott, Cowboy Matthews, Frank Evans, Alf Worth, Trevor James, Wally Lynn, Les Cody, Owen Morris
Front Row L-R: Greg Burdon, Ron Badock, Des Coleves, Jim Gilmour, Joe Pearce.

‘Bluey’ on Left

Please listen to interview with ‘Bluey’ Evans