William Rice Gregory
From Our Contribution
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 19 Nov 1912 |
| Place of Birth | Armadale, Western Australia |
| Age at Enlistment | 27 years, 10 months |
| Occupation | Miner |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr Joseph Gregory |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | WX8625 |
| Date of Enlistment | 18 Oct 1940 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation | 2/4th Australian Machine Gun Battalion, 'A' Company |
| Medals |
1939-45 Star Pacific Star War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45 |
Pre War
War Service
Enlisted at Claremont camp. Following training Bill was utilised as a Rangetaker in 'A' Company A member of 'Blackforce' that was captured in Java, he was to be repatriated from Thailand. Sent to Thailand as a member of 'A' Force Burma, Java Party No. 4 Black Force.
POW # 454? Kanchanaburi, 50k & Tonchan South, 131k and 133k camps - Thailand. Return Details 1945: Thailand‐Singapore by aircraft; Singapore-Fremantle, HMT Moreton Bay
Repatriated by aircraft from Thailand to Singapore, and then HMT Moreton Bay from Singapore to Fremantle.
Discharged 7 Jan 1946
Post War
After the war, William Rice returned to live in Armadale. In 1946 he married Candelaris Halliday. In 1954, William was recorded as being a butcher.
Notes
Missing West Aust 23 Jul 1942; POW 8 Sep 1943; The Argus, Saturday 22 September 1945, page 8 Captured Java, repatriated from Thailand