The Soldier's Details

Bill Jeffery was POW at Brankassi, he provided the following affidavit about events leading up to Bill Dwyer’s death at Brankassi Camp, Thailand to the War Crimes in 1946 (also POW Dave Runge of 2/20th Btn in Japan).

Jeffery was one of 9 children born to Arthur James Jeffery and Maude ‘May’ Matilda Farrell who married Northampton 1912 the family lived Yuna.

Below:  Bill’s grandmother Helena Farrell d. 1941.

Bill Jeffery enlisted AIF 5 Nov 1941 and soon after joined the 2/4th reinforcements on the ‘Aquitania’ at Fremantle Gage Roads to sail to Singapore on 16 Jan 1942. He was with No. 3 Platoon under Commanding Officer Lt. Harry Mazza who died at the ambush Bukit Timah on 11 Feb 1942 when nearly half the Company was KIA or injured.

Below:  Bill is first reported to be seriously ill in Singapore ’42.

As a POW in Singapore he joined ‘D’ Force V Battalion under Commanding Officer Alf Gough.  They endured horrific conditions at their Thai Camps with very high numbers of deaths.

Having survived this terrible ordeal, he was deemed fit by the Japanese and selected to work in Japan with ‘Aramis’ Maru Party where he was sent with others to the notorious Omuta Camp run by Mitsui.

Bill was recovered from Omuta at the end of the war 1945.

He married about 1948 in Geraldton to Olive Nancy Barham.  The couple had 3 daughters.  Bill tragically drowned at Geraldton 14 Oct 1967 aged 44 years.  He was cremated at Utkarra Cemetery, Geraldton.

Bill’s father died Geraldton 1951 and his mother ‘May’ died 1969. His brother Arthur Roy Jeffery was KIA New Guinea 1943.

Below:  notice of Bill’s father’s funeral Mar 1951.

Below:  Olive Nancy’s father d. 1951 in a workplace accident.