The Soldier's Details

Bob Knocker had been residing in Bridgetown working as a factory hand.  On  9 Nov 1939 he joined local militia – 25th Light Horse Machine Gun Regiment No. W1388.  He then enlisted early July 1941 with AIF, joining 2/3rd MGB and sent to Middle East.

Following Pearl Habour the Australian Government began bringing Australian troops back home from Middle East.  Bob boarded ‘Orcades’ heading for Australia – however was diverted to Java.  Please read the story

and this story about the ‘Orcades’.

Bob with members of 2/3rd made up Allied fighting force with local Dutch East Indies forces.  The Japanese outnumbered the local forces.  Bob was taken  POW of Japan in Java on 30th July, 1943 as a member of the 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion.  He was shipped in 1944 with a work Force from Java to Sumatra ato build the Sumatra Railway where workk and camp conditions were horrendous.  He  was one 26 Australians who died of illness in Sumatra .  Bob died on 23rd August, 1945 aged 30 years near Logas Camp and was buried at the Cemetery 2 kms NW Logas.  After the war the bodies were interred and  buried in the Jakarta War Cemetery, Plot 2, Row B, Grave 4.

Logas (Camp 9) was a major POW camp situated along the 220 km Sumatran Railway. The Logas segment featured heavy earthworkks, cliff-cutting and bridge construction.

Please read about the Sumatran Railway

He recorded his NOK as his sister Mrs Phyllis Balmer, Greenwich, Sydney.

His parents were Frank Richard KNOCKER & Mabel Sophia BECKETT  who married in England in 1908. Bob  was born London 14 Feb 1915.

Bob was one of the British Home Children who was sent to Pinjarra, Australia in 1925 on the ship ‘Demosthenes’ (Fairbridge Kids).  His other siblings were also sent to Australia – however not to Pinjarra except younger brother Malcolm who arrived Fremanlte May 1933.  Malcolm was five years younger.

His brother Malcolm Amos KNOCKER WX1261626 was also in the 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion and a POW. He  was discharged from the Army in 1946.

Please read further about Fairbridge Farm School

Below:  Ship details for Val 1925.

 

Review WX14789 Valentine Knocker‘s military records held at NAA.

 

 

Above: Interior of Old Boys Building.

 

Below:  Bob’s L/Horse information

 

 

 

Below:  from tthe Bridgtown Advocate 18 April 1940 – Knocker and his brother, also another Fairbridge boy Harry Lucas (2/4th).  Sgt G.C. MacKinnon enlisted 2/4th.

 

 

 

FAIRBRIDGE:

Nice pose by Miss Bruun, cottage mother of Nightingale with Ernest Jackson (1925-1929) , Roy Newton (1925-1931), Ernest Underhill (1925-1929) , James Hann (1925-1929) and Val Knocker (1925-1930). Photo circa 1925 when Nightingale cottage still existed. (Courtesy OFA Museum).

Below:  Details of Knocker family 1921 Census, the family was then all together.    Val was 7 years, 4 months old, Malcolm was 1 year 4 months.

 

Phyllis May Knocker b. 11 March 1909 Stockwell, London, England d. before 19 Aug 1987.  Was sent as a 15 year old from Dr. Bernardo’s Orphanage to Sydney, Australia.  Phyllis married North Sydney 1937 to George James Balmer

Richard Henry Knocker b. Jul 1912 Westminster, London, England d. 26 Sep 1986 Oshawa, Durham Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada.

Richard aged 11 years was sent from Dr. Barnardo’s home to Canada.

Kate Constance Knocker b. July 1910 England was sent to NSW, Australia where she m. 1935 to Vincent J. Knox, North Sydney, NSW, Australia

Ada Winifred Knocker b. 25 Feb 1917 Westminister, London, England sent 1928 aged about 11 years,  by Children’s Immigration Society, London on  ‘Ballarat’  to Fairbridge Home, 14629,  She d.7 Jun 2022 NSW, Australia.
In 1946 Ada m. Alan Keith Johnson.

The children’s mother was Mabel Sophia (nee Beckett) b. 1887 Pimlico, Middlesex, England died before 9 Nov 1922 Lambeth, London.

The children’s father Frank Richard Knocker b. before 10 Aug 1886 Whitechapel, London died Jul 1928 Lambeth, London.

Following the death of their mother, the children were obviously placed in a orphanage (whether all together or not is not known) and thereafter sent overseas with Child Migration with the children being split and sent to Canada, Western and Eastern Australia, thousands of miles apart.

The tragedy was the organisation’s policy to deliberately  split families – so the children were no longer together.

Even for the two boys Val and Malcolm at Fairbridge, they would have been placed in different Houses.

(I wish to acknowledge and thank Knocker distant relative George Moody for providing the information regarding the Knocker children)

Below:  Whether the following refers to Malcolm or Val is not known.