The Soldier's Details

McNulty enlisted AIF 23 Oct 1940 and later joined 2/4th’s Headquarters Company No 1 Platoon Signals under CO Lt Curnow as a signaller.  He recorded his mother Maude Walls as his NOK.

Taken POW of Japan when Singapore fell on 15 Feb 1942 Mac was sent with ‘D’ Force Thailand V Battalion to work on the Burma-Thai Railway.  D Force suffered very high numbers of illness and death.  Please read further.

Many of the 2/4th survivors of V Battalion were then selected as fit to work in Japan.  Mac was fortunate to avoid this Party, possibly because he was ill at Tamarkan hospital Camp.

Mac was recovered fro Kachu Mountain Camp at the end of the war.

Mac died 18 March 1979 aged 72 years and was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery.

McNulty arrived on ‘Osterley’ at Fremantle on 24 December 1928 aged 22 years.  He was one of four children born to parents John Thomas McNulty and Maude Evelyn Maddison who married 1906 Tynemouth, England.

In the 1911 Census England his father was working as a ship plater and his mother as seamstress at home.  He was aged 4.  He had younger brother John Gerald then aged 2 years. John died 1941.

In 1932 McNulty was recorded Electoral Roll as residing Perenjori, working as a labourer.

In 1937 Electoral Roll McNulty is recorded working as prospector at Rothsay, Mt Leonora.  Rothsay is a long abandoned small gold mining town between Dalwalinu and Mt Magnet.

He enlisted from Spargoville which is in the Coolgardie Shire, WA Goldfields, located between Coolgardie and Widgiemooltha. A small settlement from the 1890’s goldrush, nothing remains of the town today.

‘Apart from modern and abandoned goldmines, there are several historic specimen mines/prospects in the area, often difficult to locate in the thick scrub. A further few are leased by local prospectors and are off limits. These mines have produced elbaite, rose quartz, common opal and andalusite. The Giles prospect has arguably produced the world’s best ferrocolumbite crystals.’

After the war, McNulty returned to mining in the WA Goldfields.

Below:  in 1947 McNulty is recorded residing and probably working as a miner in Collie.  There was a large number of 2/4th boys from Collie, and no doubt McNulty was in touch with his POW mates.

In 1949 Electoral Rolls McNulty was working as a miner and living Pincep St, Collie.

In the 1954 Electoral Rolls, McNulty is recorded living Northcliffe, tobacco farmer.  He would have successfully applied for land through Returned Soldier Settlement.  Sadly, the tobacco industry was a failure.

In 1972 and 1977 McNulty is residing 48 Hampton Road, Fremantle.  There is no occupation recorded. There were many former POW mates residing around this area.

He died 18 March 1979 aged 72 years at Fremantle.  He was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery.