The Soldier's Details
- Surname:
- Armstrong
- First Name:
- Charles William
- Nick Name:
- Blondie/Charlie
- Rank:
- Private
- Regimental #:
- WX7370
- Company:
- ‘B’ Company, 8 Platoon
- Enlisted:
- 6.08.1940
- Discharged:
- 9.01.1946
- DOB:
- 10.04.1920
- Place of Birth:
- Harvey, Western Australia
- Father's Name:
- Horace Lewis Armstrong
- Mothers's Name:
- Jessie May Armstrong
- Religion:
- Methodist
- Pre-war Occupation:
- Miner
- Singapore:
- Selerang Camp Changi, Johore Bahru, Adam Park, Selerang Barracks Changi.
- Force:
- 'D' Force Thailand, S Battalion.
- Camps Thailand:
- Tarsau, Kanu II, Tamuang
- Camps Japan:
- Yamane, Niihama.
- POW#:
- 1/6862, 8747, 1560.
- Japan:
- Rashin Maru Party
- Return Details 1945:
- Wakayama‐Okinawa, USS Sanctuary, Okinawa-Manila, USS Bingham, Manila-Morotai-Darwin, PBY Catalina aircraft A24-306, Darwin-Perth by aircraft 10.10.1945.
General Description
Charles enlisted AIF 6 Aug 1940 and later joined 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion’s ‘B’ Coy, 8 Platoon under C.O. Lt MacKinnon. Len was the older of the two brothers. He enlisted 25 Oct 1940 and joined ‘A’ Coy 5 Platoon.
Charlie and Len left Singapore to work on the Burma-Thai Railway with ‘D’ Force Thailand S Battalion. Please read further
Having survived working on the railway, the brothers were included in the work force considered fit to go to Japan. They sailed on the Byoke Maru. Please read further
Both Len and Charlie were recovered from Japan at the end of the war.
Charlie was born April 1920 at Harvey to parents Horace Lewis (Len) Armstrong and Jessie May Pearce who married 1905.
Tragically less than a month later, his 9 year old brother Cecil died.
Charlie married 10 Dec 1954 to Beatrice (Betty) Christine Kirby. Betty’s first husband Raymond David James Young died 1954.
Charlie Armstrong passed away 14th November 1996. His wife Betty had died earlier on 4 May 1995.
Charlie was the father of two sons and several grandchildren.
Please go to Len Armstrong to read further about their family.
Camp Locations:
- Adam Park Camp - Singapore
- Johore Bahru, - Malaysia
- Selarang Barracks Changi - Singapore
- Selarang Camp Changi - Singapore
- Kanu II, 152.30k - Thailand
- Tamuang, Tha Muang 39k - Thailand
- Tarsau, Tha Sao 125k - Thailand
- Yamane, Hiroshima #3-D - Japan
