Norman Lenard (Bob) Dunnell

Norman Lenard (Bob) Dunnell

Personal Information
Date of Birth	11 Apr 1921
Place of Birth	Subiaco, Western Australia
Death	20 Jun 2013, aged 92
Place of Death	Rockingham, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	19 years, 7 months
Occupation	Carpenter
Religion	Church of England
Address	Kelmscott, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father , Mr Harry Dunnell
Military Information
Reg Number	WX17595
Date of Enlistment	10 Nov 1941
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	2nd/4th Australian Machine Gun Battalion 'D' Company, 13 Platoon
Fate	POW Returned to Australia
Medals	1939-45 Star Pacific Star Defence Medal War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45

War Service

Enlisted on 10 Nov 1941. Bob was one of many reinforcements who had travelled by train from Northam Training Camp to join the 2/4th Battalion on the 15th January 1942 when the HMT Aquitania dropped anchor in Gage Roads. He had undergone about 2 months training! In another month, Bob aged 21 years would be facing the invading Japanese Army.

No doubt Bob was one of the very lucky reinforcements to survive the battle. Taken on strength by the 2/4 Machine Gun Battalion in Fremantle on 16 Jan 1942,he was posted to 13th Platoon, D Company.

Captured Malaya (Singapore), he spent ime in the Selarang Camp Changi, the River Valey Road camp and the Selarang Barracks at Changi before being allocated to 'D' Force Thailand, V Battalion, with POW Number 3/7638. They left Singapore by train on 17 Mar 1943. This Battalion was to endure one of highest death rates of all Australian work parties on the Burma Railway. He was at Kinsaiyok Main camp 170.2K, Kuii Kui Yae camp 185.6k, and Brankassi Prang Kasi camp 208K in Thailand before Bob, along with many other POWs was sent to labour camps in Japan.

In his case as a member of the Aramis Party. On arrival he was sent to Fukuoka Sub camp No. 17-B at Omuta Miike, Japan from where he was eventually repatriated. He had first been identified as a POW by the Red Cross in Thailand, until then his wife and family were uncertain if he had survived the battles for Singapore.

Bob's journey home began in Nagasaki when he embarked on USS Haven for Okinawa. here he was flown to Manila by US military aircraft, and then from Manila to Darwin via Morotai on PBY Catalina A24-359. The last stage was Darwin to Perth, again by aircraft (unknown)

Discharged 29 Mar 1946.