The Soldier's Details
- Surname:
- Hurst
- First Name:
- Patrick George
- Nick Name:
- Pat
- Rank:
- Private
- Regimental #:
- WX17351
- Company:
- 'E' Company, Special Reserve Battalion
- Enlisted:
- 22.10.1941
- DOB:
- 11.01.1922
- Place of Birth:
- Mile End, London, England
- Father's Name:
- George Hurst
- Mothers's Name:
- Edith M. Billingsley
- Religion:
- Church of England
- Pre-war Occupation:
- Farmhand
- Memorial:
- Epitaph, Singapore Memorial, Column 136, Age 20.
- Cause of Death:
- Killed in Action
- Place of Death:
- South‐West Bukit Timah
- Date of Death:
- 11.02.1942
General Description
Patrick Hurst was a Kingsley Fairbridge Farm Schoolboy. He arrived aged 12 years in Australia on ‘Baradine’ Christmas day, December 1934. Although not recorded on his enlistment papers, and perhaps he did not know, Hurst’s parents were George Hurst (Snr) & Edith M. Millingsley.
Hurst enlisted at Claremont and initially recorded the Fairbridge Headmaster as his next of kin, later changing to his then wife Patricia May (Martain) whom he married in 1941.
His widow Patricia remarried in 1947.
It is possible those in above photo included all or some other Old Fairbridgians from ‘E” Coy. There were 5 Fairbridgians in ‘E’ Coy – the other three were Reg Tooze, Ronald Burchell and Gustav Davies. “Cowboy” Matthews was the only one of the five from ‘E’ Coy to return home. In total there were 18 Old Fairbridgians in 2/4th, tragically 11 did not return home.
On the day Pat Hurst was KIA, he had earlier shown up with 2 Japanese leather cases and a pocket watch. Wally Holding said of him, “Pat was a good bloke”. He died on 11 February 1942 during a Japanese Ambush at South West Bukit Timah. Only about 88 of the 200 men survived.
Please read about ‘E’ Company.
