Donald Campell William Henderson

Donald Campell William Henderson

Donald's POW identity card
Personal Information
Date of Birth	2 May 1910
Place of Birth	Launceston, Tasmania
Age at Enlistment	29 years, 7 months
Description	5'10" (1.78m) tall ; ; fair complexion ; hazel eyes ; red brown hair ; tattoo of butterfly on right chest
Occupation	Labourer
Religion	Church of England
Address	Kelmscott, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Mother , Mrs. Grace Henderson
Military Information
Reg Number	WX1120
Date of Enlistment	11 Dec 1939
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion
Military Movement
1st Departure from Australia
Journey Dates	20 Apr 1940 ‒ 19 May 1940
Transport Details	HMT Y3 Nevasa Fremantle to Kantara, Egypt
Post War Details
Fate	POW Greece Returned to Australia
External Monument(s)	The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial Ballarat, Victoria

War Service

Enlisted at Subiaco and was taken on strength on 18 Dec 1939 by the 2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion. On 27 Dec 1939 Donald was sent to the Northan Training Camp. On 14 Feb 1940 the Western Australian members of the battalion travelled to Ingleburn in New South Wales. Donald was granted pre-embarkation leave, but was late returning, AWOL from 11:30pm 6 Apr 1940 until 10:00pm on 7 Apr 1940. Donald forfeited a days pay and was awarded 2 days Confined to Barracks (CB).

On 20 Apr 1940 Donald and the rest of the battalion boarded HMT Y3 Nevasa in Fremantle for Egypt, disembarking at Kantara on 19 May 1940. Following traiing in Palestine the battalion saw action for the first time at Bardia on 5 Jan 1941. As part of the Allied advance into Italian-occupied Libya, they fought at Tobruk on 21-22 Jan 1941, and they secured Derna airfield on 25 Jan 1941. The battalion was advancing to the south of Benghazi when the Italians surrendered on 7th February.

Identified as part of the force to be sent to Greece, they boarded the SS Pennland on 10 Apr 1941 in Egypt, and disembarked in Athens on 12 Apr 1941. Once ashore, they moved to Larissa where they were to hold the line. However, by 18 Apr 1941, the Allied forces were unable to hold the Germans back, and the 2/11th withdrew from its initial positions west of Kalabaka and they then remained on the move until they occupied rearguard positions at Brallos Pass a week later. They fought a fighting retreat through the pass, slowing the Germans there on 24 April before continuing its withdrawal to Megara on the coast. On 4 Jun 1941 Donald was listed as missing, and his German POW identity card (POW Number 92266 shows that he was captured on 6 Jun 1941.

Donald was interred by the Germans in Stalag VII A at Moosburg (the largest POW camp in Nazi Germany) in southern Bavaria. This camp was liberated on 29 Apr 1945 by the US 14th Armoured Division, but Donald's records indicate that he had been shifted to Stalag VIII B near Lamsdorf in south wwest Poland (later known as Stalag 344). Prior to the Russians arrival, the camp had been evacuated, with the inmates forced to march hundreds of miles to Lamsdorf. On 14 May 1945 Donald deplaned in the UK as a recovered POW and sent to the 1st AIF Transit Camp UK. He was embarked on a ship for aAustralia on 4 Jul 1945 and disembarked on 8 Aug 1945. Donald chosew to take his discharge in Tasmania as his mother now knew

Discharge 9 Oct 1945