Work Place Deaths & Accidents Pre-War & After War

Murray Climie at the age of 27 years was killed in a mining accident at Sons of Gwalia mine in 1910.   He was father to ‘Aussie’ WX4927 Austin Newman Climie who was about 3 years of age at the time and an only child.
Aussie was selected with ‘A’ Force Green Force No. 3 Battalion to work on the Burma end of the Railway.
At Tamarkan ‘Aussie’ was selected for Japan on 27th March 1944. Following the sinking of Rakuyo Maru in the South China Sea ‘Aussie’ (along with Bert Wall, Syd Clayden and others) was rescued by a Japanese Corvette, transhipped to Kibibi Maru via Hainan Island. (Wall, Clayden and Climie were all from ‘C’ Coy)

 

 

Having survived working on the railway, the sinking of Rakuyo Maru, being picked up by the Japanese, ‘Aussie’ was sent to work at the Kawasaki Camp where in July 1945 he was killed aged 37 years during an Allied bombing raid about one month before the war ended.

 

 

 

 

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Above under Boulder Perserverance Limited: 

 

 

 

John Livingstone Correy WX20018.  Known as Jack Correy, was selected to work on Burma end of the Railway with ‘A’ Force Green Force No. 3 Battalion. Livingstone suffered shock, cuts on head and burns to his hand.

 

 

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WX12252 Jack Edward Smith went to the Burma end of the Railway with ‘A’ Force Green Force No. 3 Battalion.  Returned home safely, married and died in a work place accident in 1955 aged 34 years.

 

 

 

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After the end of war, WX8478 Frank Thomas McGlinn returned home to discover his widowed mother (aged 58 years) had been murdered in 1943.  She had been assaulted and killed while walking home through a park from her daughter’s house during the day by a man she did not know.  It would have been a devastating blow for the McGlinn family and shocking news for Frank, the only boy in the McGlinn family.      Initially  he lived in Bunbury with one of his three sisters and it was here he wrote his memoirs.

Frank McGlinn was residing in Bunbury when he died in an accident 22 November 1948, he was 39 years old.
Prior to enlisting Frank had been a farmer. He never returned to farming. Perhaps his POW experience was the reason he became so involved in workplace safety. He had plenty of personal experience of unsafe work conditions!
During the battle for Singapore he fought with ‘C’ Coy at Hill 200, Ulu Padan on 11 February 1942 receiving a shrapnel wound to his left foot.  Admitted to AGH he was discharged to his unit about 15 days later.
Frank was selected to work on the Thai-Burma Railway with ‘D’ Force S Battalion.  He survived working at Hellfire Pass at Kanu II Camp and  Kanu I River Camp amongst others.  Then deemed fit by the Japanese to work in Japan.   He sailed 70 days on the very crowded ‘Rashin Maru’.  He was a POW at Yamane and Niihama working in the mines before being recovered from Japan in August 1945.
Frank’s first cousin WX11580 Donald Spencer McGlinn who enlisted in April 1941, was 6 years younger and a reinforcement who joined ‘C’ Coy with Frank (Frank was in No. 10 Platoon and Don in No. 11 Platoon) also went with ‘D’ Force S Battalion to work on the Burma-Thai Railway.  Don McGlinn worked at Kanu II at Hellfire Pass.  As Don died on 15 July 1943 it would be correct to assume he was evacuated from Kanu II to Tarsau where he died of dysentery and avitaminosis at the age of 28 years.  Don’s death would have been felt deeply by Frank.  Their fathers are brothers.

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On 22 January 1952 WX7869 Thomas ‘Tom’ Henry Green was killed in an mining accident at Muja near Collie.  (unable to locate the details of his death).   He was 33 years old.  He had grown up and lived his whole life in the Collie area.  Tom was married with a young son, Trevor.

 

 

 

 

 

WX6155 Leo Patrick ‘Paddy’ Byrne  with ‘Blackforce’ was evacuated from Java February 1942.  He sailed on the hospital ship H.M.’ Wuseh’ from Java to AGH at Colombo, Ceylon arriving on 4 March 1942.  He returned to Australia and was discharged from the Army.
Malcolm Byrne who was with 2/2nd Pioneer Btn and Paddy’s younger brother died in Java 14 April 1942.  At least one other brother died during WW2.  Joe was with the 2/16th.

 

 

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WX8765 Robert Russell Lyle, enlisted 23 October 1940 HQ Coy, No. 2 Platoon Ack Ack received shrapnel wounds in his back and bayonet wounds to his stomach.

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Below: Accidents in Mining were listed weekly.