The Soldier's Details
- Surname:
- Meakins
- First Name:
- Eric
- Rank:
- Private
- Regimental #:
- WX7241
- Company:
- 'A' Company, 4 Platoon
- Enlisted:
- 1.08.1940
- Discharged:
- 14.12.1945
- DOB:
- 1.02.1918
- Place of Birth:
- Mt Lawley, Western Australia
- Father's Name:
- Joseph Henry Meakins
- Mothers's Name:
- Charlotte Smith Meakins
- Religion:
- Church of England
- Pre-war Occupation:
- Milk Vendor
- Singapore:
- Selarang Camp and Barracks Changi
- Force:
- 'D' Force Thailand, S Battalion
- Camps Thailand:
- Tarsau, Kanyu II, Possibly Hintock, Kinsaiyok, Tamuang
- Camps Japan:
- Yamane, Nihama
- POW#:
- 8806, 1677
- Japan:
- Rashin Maru Party
- Return Details 1945:
- Wakayama-Okinawa, USS Sanctuary, Okinawa-Manila, USS Bingham, Manila-Morotai-Darwin, PBY Catalina aircraft A24-377, Perth by B24 Liberator aircraft A72-379.
General Description
Meakins was with ‘A’ Coy No. 4 Platoon
From Singapore Meakins was sent to work on the Burma-Thai Railway with ‘D’ Force Thailand, S Battalion. Entrained to Bam Pong Thailand from Singapore they first worked at Tarsau before arriving at Kanyu II on 25 April 1943 to work at the Hellfire Pass Cutting.
Towards end of 1943 and the completion of the railway, the POWs were concentrated in several large camps. It was a Tamuang Camp Eric was deemed fit by the Japanese to work in Japan. He was entrained back to Singapore where he sailed on the ‘Rashin’ (Byoki) Maru.
He worked at Yamane and Niihama, Japan from where he was recovered at the end of the war.
___________
Eric was the 3rd of six children born to parents Jospeh Henry Meakins and Charlotte Smith Davidson who married 1914, Perth.
Eric had one sister Dorothy and his four brothers enlisted in Australia’s military services. The eldest Ron Meakins b. 1914 WX20181. Athole b. 1917 WX1103, Douglas b. 1922 WX11968. Lastly William b. 1925 enlisted with RAAF his service No. 84588. The five Meakins brothers returned home at the end of the war.
Eric married Dorothy Florence Edwards.
Eric Meakins died at Blair Athol, South Australia on 28 May 1983 aged 63 years.
Camp Locations:
- Selarang Barracks Changi - Singapore
- Selarang Camp Changi - Singapore
- Nihama, Hiroshima #2-B- Japan
- Yamane, Hiroshima #3-D - Japan
