The Soldier's Details

Harry Lucas was a Fairbridge Farm Schoolboy.  

Harry arrived in Australia on 20th March 1928 on ‘Benalla’ aged 8 years. His was one of two sons.  His mother died in 1922 when Harry was 3 years old.

He attended Fairbridge school for 6 years before being assigned to work.

In 1935 Harry was working at Calingiri in 1936 and working for J. Thomson Esq, Yericoin.  The magazine “The Fairbridgian” wrote Harry stayed at Fairbridge for a visit in January and February 1936.  Other 2/4th boys staying about same time included Ted Leadbitter, Syd Osborne, and Rueben Goodwin – all three lost their lives.

Harry recorded his brother Frank as his NOK.  Frank was living in Windsor, England.

Harry was wounded in action at Hill 200, Ulu Pandan on 12/2/1942 and admitted to 2/13th Australian General Hospital with shrapnel and gunshot wounds to his left thigh. Transferred to 2/10th Australian General Hospital on 7/3/1942. Discharged to unit 23/3/1942.

After the war Harry returned to live in Albany where he married Frances Elizabeth (Betty) Morris in 1948. During the war Betty enlisted in the Australian Womens Land Army Girl working on farms in the south-west.

He died at Albany on 19th September 2000 and his wife ‘Betty’ died 19th October 2010.

Read about Harry’s friendship with Bill Cake WX12661

Bill Cake and Harry enlisted about the same time in May 1941, joining the 2/4th’s ‘A’ Coy, No 6 Platoon.

As reinforcements the two men boarded the ‘Aquitania’ at Fremantle to sail to Singapore on 16th January 1942.

Following the Allied surrender in Singapore they were both interned as POWs at Selarang Camp Changi.   It was not long after they were both selected to work on Burma-Thai Railway with ‘A’ “Force Burma Green Force, No. 3 Battalion which departed Singapore in May 1942.  ‘A’ Force comprised 3,000 men from the 8th Division and the first work party to depart Singapore.   They sailed north to Burma.

Read further about ‘A’ Force Burma Green Force No. 3 Battalion

It is highly unlikely they remained together during this time.    However following the end of ‘Speedo’ when the Burma work parties compiled of mostly sick POWs were sent south to Hospital Camps, Harry and Bill met up again because they were each selected with ‘Awa Maru’ Party Kumi No. 40 to go to Japan.

On arrival at Moji, Japan they were sent to work at Fukuoka sub-Camp No. 17 Omuta. POW life was terrible at Omuta, please read further

It is believed both men returned to WA from Japan on the same route.

Nagasaki – Okinawa – Manila on USS Cape Gloucester, then Manila – Morotai – Darwin by PBY Catalina aircraft A23-201 and finally from Darwin to Perth on B24 Liberator aircraft arriving 14 October 1945.

Harry remained in hospital in Darwin for several weeks before continuing onto Perth.