The Soldier's Details

 

Billy Castles enlisted AIF 12 Oct 1940 and later joined 2/4th’s ‘B’ Coy 8 Platoon.  He was a Scout  under CO Lt MacKinnon.

As a POW Billy was one 3,000 Australians who departed Singapore crowded  onto  small very old ships to sail to south west Burma, where they would repair airfields at Victoria Point, Tavoy, and/or Ye.  On completion about end of September 1942 the POWs made their way to begin work on the Burma end of the Burma-Thai Railway, to Thabyuzyat before arriving Kandau 4 Kilo Camp.

Other POW Camps Billy worked from included Thetkaw 14 Km, Meiloe 75 Km, Ankanan 105 Km from where he was evacuated ill  to 55km Hospital Camp on 5 Jul 1943.    He was then evacuated to Tamarkan Hospital Camp 1 Jan 44.

He would return to work at Hindato, Chungkai, Ratburi, Petchaburi.  Bill was recovered from Najom Nayok at the end of war.

 

Bill and Eric Fraser at a 2/4th reunion

Above:  19 May 1991 – Bill Castles loses his home at Savoy Hotel.  (from Beattie Collection)

 

Bill’s parents Albert Thomas Castles and Elizabeth Kennefick married in 1915 Dubbo, NSW.  Elizabeth died in 1923 at Queens Park, WA.  Albert died in 1962.

 

 

In 1949 Bill was living and working at Kalgoorlie as a miner.  He soon moved to Perth and gained work as a hospital orderly at Hollywood Hospital.

 

 

 

 

Bill Castle’s sporting achievement in cycling – a very popular choice by so many of that time.

 

 

Read further about Bill’s POW life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below:  Following was published in July 1992 ‘Borehole’ and written by Vern Roach from NSW who was in ‘A’ Force Burma with the men mentioned – Stan Lance, Tom Pilmoor, Bill Carlyon, etc.

 

 

Vale W.T. (Bill) Castles

On Christmas Day 1991, our long standing Committeeman Bill Castles passed away.

With Bill’s passing a long association with ex-members of our Battalion and all Jap POWs ended and the Hay Street Office closed.

Bill had a long association with the ‘Borehole Bulletin’ in the early years of publication he wrote about different members he met in various places around the state and in the Eastern states. He was employed at Hollywood Hospital and never missed called on battalion members. When he retired he still visited Hollywood and reported progress on the different men who were admitted. Bill used to make a country run every now and again and call on all the various members in all the towns he could.

Each year with a couple of mates, he would travel to Tasmania to the 2/40^th Btn. Reunion and bring back a lot of news from the Apple Isle.

All interstate and country ex Japanese POWs were able to get information from Bill in the Hay Street Mall, our Perth ‘Office’. Bill was a mind of information on members, what they were doing and where they could be found.   He will be sadly missed.

There was a large contingent of 2/4^th and other POWs at his funeral in January (1992).

Rest In Peace – Bill

(included in Borehole Bulletin April 1992)