Youngs Siding, Bornholm, Torbay, Kronkup

2/4th Soldiers from Youngs Siding, Bornholm, Torbay, Kronkup area (between Denmark and Albany)

 

 

 

We believe this area included  large numbers of Group Settlers.

Please also read about Denmark War Memorial and 2/4th men who enlisted from there.

 

WX12661 CAKE, William Ernest (Bill) enlisted 9 May 1941, joined ‘A’ Coy.  Went with ‘A’ Force to Burma to work on northern end of Railway. Bill survived sufficiently well enough to be selected ‘fit’ by the Japanese to work in Japan.  Sailed ‘Awa’ Maru Party and worked at Omuta Mine.  He was recovered from here
at the
end of the war. 

Please read further about Omuta

As you can see Bill’s
father Ernest William Cake
is included in following 
newspaper item. The family

farmed a Kronkup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WX16426 WOLFE, William John (Bill) enlisted 10 Sep 1941 and joined HQ Company,  Wolfe  also went with ‘A’ Force to Burma to work on the northern end of the railway.
Bill was recovered from Thailand at the end of the war.  His father Richard Wolfe is included in the above newspaper item – the family farmed at Bornholm.
Bill Wolfe married Maureen Goldsmith from same area.

 

Bill was son of Richard Travers Wolfe (born New Zealand) and Katherine May Leonard who married about 1908 Perth. Bill was the eldest of three sons and two daughters.

 

WX9253 ROSS, Donald (Don) was born Albany 1913, son of Alexander and Lillian Ross of Bornholm  (situated between Denmark and Albany on the railway line).   Don married Ada Bunker, daughter of George and Annie Bunker of Albany.   Ada’s brother WX9223 Harold Bunker, known as Harry was also a soldier with 2/4th MGB and had a miraculous escape from death, and returned home.  Read further about Harry Bunker.
Studio portrait of WX9253 Private (Pte) Donald Ross 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion, killed in action on 23 May 1945. He was one of over 2000 Allied prisoners of war (POW) held in the Sandakan POW camp in north Borneo, having been transferred there from Singapore as a part of E Force. The 500 Australian and 500 British POWs who made up E Force, left Changi on 28 March 1943, on board the S.S. DeKlerk arriving at Berhala Island (adjacent to Sandakan Harbour) on 15 April 1943. The POWs were held there until 5 June, when they were taken by barge to Sandakan. The next day they were transferred to the 8 Mile Camp, which was about half a mile from the B Force compound. Pte Ross, aged 32, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 23 May 1945. He was the son of Alexander and Lillian May Ross, and the husband of Ada Annie Ross, of Albany, WA. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 19. (Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)
Don Ross enlisted 30 October 19430 and was a Driver with ‘A’ Company as was WX9252 James Shackleton.  Harry Bunker was a rangetaker with ‘A’ Company.
Ross was selected as a POW from Selarang, Changi with ‘E’ Force to work in Borneo.  He died at Sandakan on 23 May 1945 aged 32 years, his death devastated the Ross and Bunker families of Albany. His name is on the Albany War Memorial.
Please read the tragic story of Sandakan