The Soldier's Details
- Surname:
- Greaves
- First Name:
- Leonard
- Rank:
- Corporal
- Regimental #:
- WX8373
- Classification:
- Driver
- Company:
- ‘A’ Company, 4 Platoon
- Enlisted:
- 3.09.1940
- Discharged:
- 11.01.1946
- DOB:
- 15.04.1915
- Place of Birth:
- Greenhills, Western Australia
- Father's Name:
- Richard Broddon Greaves
- Mothers's Name:
- Mary Alice Greaves
- Religion:
- Church of England
- Pre-war Occupation:
- Timber Worker
- Singapore:
- Selarang Camp Changi
- Force:
- ‘A’ Force Burma, Green Force, No.3 Battalion
- Camps Thailand:
- Tamarkan
- Camps Burma:
- Reptu 30km Camp
- POW#:
- 2919
- Japan:
- Awa Maru Party (soldier remained at Saigon)
- Return Details 1945:
- Saigon-Bangkok-Singapore by aircraft; Singapore-Sydney, HMT Highland Chieftan; Sydney-Perth by troop train
General Description
Greaves enlisted AIF 3 Sep 1940 and later joined 2/4th MGB’s ‘A’ Company 4 Platoon as a Driver.
Greaves was wounded in action at Buona Vista on 15 February 1942. Admitted to 2/13th Australian General Hospital on 16 February 1942 with a shrapnel wound to lumbar region of his back. Discharged to unit on 22nd February 1942.
Greaves was selected to work in Japan with the ‘Awa’ Maru Party, however on reaching Saigon, he was too ill to travel and with Harold Clayden remained behind in Saigon as the Party moved out.
He was recovered from Saigon at war’s end in September 1945.
__________
His parents Richard ‘Dick’ Broddon Greaves and Mary Alice Cross married 12 Nov 1911 Perth. They had five children residing in the Greenhills area.
(Bowelling is the location of a former railway station in the south west W.A. A former railway station at the junction of Narrogin to Collie (Usually known as the Bowelling to Narrogin railway) and the Wagin to Collie (Usually known as the Bowelling to Wagin railway) railway lines.
Narrogin and Wagin were the locations of junctions on the Great Southern Railway, while the railway to Collie connected with the South Western Railway at Brunswick Junction.)
In 1940 Len marries Emily Irene Hughes at Duranillan 11 Nov 1940. During their marriage they have three daughters.
In the Electoral Rolls for 1843, 1949, 1954 and 1963 Len and Emily are found residing at Duranillan, with Len working as a log hauler and in the timber industry.
His parents Dick and Mary live at Culbin which in on the Williams-Darkan Rd, 160 km south of Perth with Williams as the closest largest town. Not so distant from Duranillan. Dick Greaves died August 1951 and Mary died 1954. Mary was buried at Darkan.
Len and Emily later move to Kojonup. He died 18 May 1974 and Emily died 19 Nov 1995. They are buried at the Kojonup Cemetery.
Camp Locations:
- Selarang Camp Changi - Singapore
- Tamarkan, Tha Makham 56k - Thailand
- Reptu, Retphaw, 30Kilo 385k - Burma
