The Soldier's Details
- Surname:
- Jaensch
- First Name:
- Lawrence
- Rank:
- Private
- Regimental #:
- WX15402
- Company:
- Headquarters Company
- Enlisted:
- 25.07.1941
- DOB:
- 30.06.1907
- Place of Birth:
- Adelaide, South Australia
- Father's Name:
- John Friederich Wilhelm Jaensch
- Mothers's Name:
- Ellen Jaensch
- Religion:
- Roman Catholic
- Pre-war Occupation:
- Farmhand
- Memorial:
- Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Collective Grave, Plot 10, Row C, Grave 3-5, Age 36.
- Singapore:
- Selarang Camp and Barracks Changi
- Force:
- 'D' Force Thailand V Battalion
- POW#:
- 4/6259 & 2259
- Cause of Death:
- Acute Enteritis and Malaria
- Place of Death:
- Kuii
- Date of Death:
- 6.10.1943
- Buried:
- Grave No. 193, Kuii.
General Description
Selected from Selarang for Don Force ‘V’ Battalion to work on the Railway. They left 17th March 1943 by trucks to Singapore Railway station for their four-day train trip to Thailand.
Travelling via Kanchanaburi and Tarsao, ‘V’ Battalion Group 6 arrived Kinsaiyok Camp on 31 March 1943 and remained here until 1 May 1943. At Kanchanaburi they met up with Major Cough’s group and thereafter moved off under his command.
Kinsaiyok was already occupied by 300 British and 600 Dutch POWs. Major Gough’s ‘V’ Battalion consisted of 5 officers and 482 other ranks – ‘V’ Battalion would suffer more than any other ‘D’ Force groups with heavy loss of life.
The first task at Kinsaiyok was to cut a truck in the jungle ahead of the rail laying gangs and the excavation of a long cutting. 7 men were to die at this camp during the 32 day work schedule.
2nd May 1943 – ‘V’ Battalion moved north to staging overnight at Rin Tin Camp. The next day they set out arriving at Hindato Camp at the 197.75 kilo point, again staging overnight. The following day the moved another 10 kilometres to Brankassi Camp – arriving 5th May 1943.
Brankassi-Onte-Gangan Camps 5/5/1943 to 10/7/1943
Brankassi Camp was located at 20-8.11 km point on the railway. Working conditions, accommodation and food would be the same as they would encounter from July at Hindaine Camp. It was judged as being worse than Kinsaiyok with mud contributing to the discomfort.
27 men would die at Brankassi including 5 machine gunners including William ‘Bill’ Andrew Dyer had been in a weak and delirious state thought to be brought on by cerebral malaria.
Read further D’ Force Thailand V Battalion and Kuii Camp
Photograph taken January 2018, C. Mellor
Camp Locations:
- Selarang Barracks Changi - Singapore
- Selarang Camp Changi - Singapore
- Kuii, Kui Yae, 185.6k - Thailand
