Thomas Henry (Tom) Whitehouse
From Our Contribution
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Personal Information | |
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Date of Birth | 8 May 1921 |
Place of Birth | Kalgoorlie, Western Australia |
Death | 2 Aug 1997, aged 76 |
Place of Death | Dowerin, Western Australia |
Age at Enlistment | 20 years, 1 month |
Description | 5'8" (1.73m) tall ; ; fair complexion ; blue eyes ; fair hair |
Occupation | Farm hand |
Religion | Church of England |
Address | Byford, Western Australia |
Next of Kin | Father , Mr. Claude Whitehouse |
Military Information | |
Reg Number | W9184 & WX14338 |
Date of Enlistment | 18 Jun 1941 |
Rank | Private |
Unit/Formation | 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion |
Military Movement | |
1st Departure from Australia | |
Journey Dates | 7 Nov 1941 ‒ 22 Nov 1941 |
Transport Details | Queen Mary Fremantle to Port Tewfik |
Return to Australia | |
Journey Dates | 4 Jul 1945 ‒ 8 Aug 1945 |
Transport Details |
. Property "Returned Transport" (as page type) with input value "." contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process. UK to Sydney |
Post War Details | |
Fate |
POW Ruin Ridge 26/27 Jul 1942 Returned to Australia |
Monument(s) |
ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford) Byford WW2 Honour Roll |
External Monument(s) | The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial Ballarat, Victoria |
Medals |
1939-45 Star Africa Star Defence Medal War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45 |
Pre War
War Service
Original mobilisation was on 6 Mar 1941 as a part time member of the Militia's 16th Australian Infantry Battalion (Cameron Highlanders Regiment). On 30 Apr 1941 he was sent to the Melville Camp and while there reuried the services of the 8th Australian Casualty Clearing Station from 4 to 17 May 1941. his early training completed he was released back to employment on 10 Jun 1941. He subsequently enlisted in the 2nd AIF at the Claremont camp on 18 Jun 41 and two days later he was sent to the Naval Base Camp. On 10 Jul 1941 he was transferred to the 2/32nd Australian Infantry Battalion cadre forming up in Australia to later join the elements already in Britain, destined for the Middle East. His records also indicate an earlier attempt to enlist, but he was discharged as 'under age'.
On 7 Nov 1941 in Gage Roads, Tom embarked on HMT Queen Mary part of Convoy US13 for the Middle East via Trincomalee, disembarking at Port Tewfik (Suez) on 22 Nov 1941.
Tom was transferred from Stalag VIIA to Stalag 317 on 16 Feb 1945 and on 16 May 1945 he de-planed in the UK and was sent to No. 1 Australian Transit Camp UK. Given the option to continue to serve or otherwise, Tom chose to return home. On 4 Jul 1945 he boarded a ship for Australia, where he disembarked in Sydney on 8 Aug 1945. A week later on 15 Aug 1945 he was transferred to Western Command Recruit Reception & General Details Depot
Discharged 24 Sep 1945
On 8 Mar 1946 Tom re-enlisted into the "Interim Army" before being discharged on 11 Jul 1946
Post War
July 1970 at 74 Herdsman road, Subiaco
Notes