The Soldier's Details

 

Height 5′ 6 1/2″

This NCO served with British Army with Duke of Cambridge’s Own Middlesex Regiment (The Diehards) with Regimental No. 4720. He was wounded three times at Mons where his unit suffered many casualties

He also had previous service in Australia with the 28th Battalion Militia.

Jim Unsworth served as Acting WO 1 while in Changi. Post war he applied for but was denied to be officially promoted to WO 1.

Following capitulation by the Allies, Jim became POW of Japan at Selarang Camp, Singapore.

He was selected with ‘A’ Force Burma Green Force No. 3 Battalion to work on the construction of Thai-Burma Railway.

‘A’ Force consisted of 3,000 POWs and departed Singapore in 3 ships to sail to the South West coast of Burma.

For Green Force, their first stop was Victoria Point where most of the POWs worked on repairing the aerodrome then enlarging it.  Some men remained in Victoria Point working on the wharves unloading fuel.

 Please read ‘A’ Force Burma, Green Force No. 3 Battalion.

Towards the end of 1942, the POWs were transported to the northern point of the proposed railway.  Their first work camp was Kendau, followed by Thetkaw, Meiloe, Aunggangaung 105km.  Towards the end of 1943 and the railway was completed, the Japanese began to move the POWs in Burma southwards by train to one of 4 large camps in Thailand.  Jim was sent to Tamarkan, then Chungkai and Nacompaton.  These were all hospital camps.

James ‘Jim’ Unsworth married Mary ‘May’ Jane Kindred 1918 Bolton, Lancashire, England and later migrated to WA.  Jim and Mary had two sons Jim and Peter and a daughter Judith.

Jim died 27 April 1953 aged 59 years at Subiaco.  His wife May died 27 May 1958 at Bentley.  They are both buried at Karrakatta Cemetery.