John Roy (Jack) Thorpe OAM

John Roy (Jack) Thorpe OAM

Jack prior to embarkation to the Middle East
Jack in winter uniform while serving with the Occupying Force in Japan
Personal Information
Date of Birth	9 Nov 1921
Place of Birth	Claremont, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	22 years, 1 month
Description	5'11" (1.80m) tall ; ; medium complexion ; brown eyes ; dark hair
Address	Armadale, Western Australia
Military Information
Reg Number	WX10477
Date of Enlistment	20 Dec 1940
Rank	Sergeant
Unit/Formation	105th Transport Company
Date of Embarkation	18 Sep 1941 ‒ 20 Oct 1941
Ship Embarked On	SS Marnix van Sint Aldegond Melbourne to Port Tewfik
Fate	Captured Java 1942 POW Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan Returned to Australia Served with Japanese Occupation Force
Medals	1939-45 Star Pacific Star War Medal 1939-45 Australian Service Medal 1939-45 Order of Australia Medal

Pre War

Jack's first few year were spent living in a tent on the Peel Estate before his father purchased land that would later become the Kwinana Golf Course. In 1924 the family moved to Jarrahdale where his father ran a bus service from Jarrahdale to Perth. He, Thorpe Snr, later purchased the Armadale Bus Service followed by the Cannington Bus Service before selling out to the Metro Bus Company in 1938. The family then relocated to Three Springs. Prior to enlistment he had ben an apprentice diesel mechanic with the Metro Bus Company.

War Service

On reporting to the Northam camp, he was placed in the 2nd Recruit Training Depot. After months of training he became annoyed at not being included for a draft overseas so volunteered to join a Mechanised Cavalry Unit which required him to travel to Puckapunyal in Victoria for training.

Granted pre-embarkation leave, he then boarded the SS Marnix van Sint Aldegonde as part of Convoy 12B which departed Melbourne on 18 Sep 1941, and arrived in Fremantle on 26 Sep 1941. The convoy departed on 28 Sep 1941 and after reaching the Indonesia archipelago turned west and headed for Colombo, and eventually Port Tewfik in Egypt where they arrived on 20 Oct 1941. They then travelled by train to Kantara where they crossed the canal and travelled by trucks across the Sinai Desert to a camp north of Gaza in Palestine.

After training in Palestine, they reversed the journey to Port Tewfik and embarked on SS Orcades along with the 2nd/3rd Australian Machine Gun Battalion, and during the afternoon of 1 Feb 1942 the Orcades sailed alone as Convoy JS2 for Colombo where it refueled on 8 Feb 1942. The next morning it sailed for Oosthaven in Sumatra where it arrived on 15 Feb 1942, the day Singapore surrendered. The next day they sailed for Tanjung Priok (port for Batavia or Jakarta as it is now known), arriving there on 17 Feb 1942. Two days later they disembarked and Jack spent time driving his truck and avoiding the Japanese until his unit surrendered. Jack was to spend several months in captivity on Java before being loaded onto an old ship for Singapore where they were sent to Changi POW camp.

After three days in Singapore they were again loaded on to a ship whip eventually transported them in terrible conditions to Rangoon (Yangon) harbour in Burma (Myanmar) where that night they survived an allied air attack on the wharf area. The next morning they sailed for Moulmein (Mawlamyine), 300 km to the south east. On arrival hey boarded a train for several hours until it reached the end of the railway line, the northern end of the Burma - Thailand railway which was to be build by the POWs. Camps that Jack was to work from included 25 Kilo (Kunknitk); the 8 Kilo camp; the 55 Kilo camp; the 75 Kilo camp

Refusing to accept that his back injury would improve with time, and should therefore accept his discharge, Jack was sent to the Point Walter camp. Eventually he was told that he had to either accept discharge or join an active unit. He chose to join the 66th Battalion which was being formed from previous 9th Division personnel and was based in Bathurst, but preparing to join the occupation forces in Japan. As an ex-POW Jack was closely vetted before he was accepted, lest he be going to seek retribution. The unit landed at Kure in Japan in late February 1946, and was transported to temporary barracks near Hiroshima before having a base camp built at Hiro where they spent the majority of their time in Japan. With the imminent disbandment of the 2nd AIF, Jack was asked to joint he Regular Army which he did just before returning to Australia on leave in 1947. However, for compassionate reasons he was granted a compassionate discharge to look after his father's hotel in Three Springs and was discharged on 17 Sep 1947.

Post War

Notes

At enlistment gave his age as 9 Nov 1918. Jack Thorpe OAM has written an account of his service experience "Bloody Lucky", Hesperian Press, 2006.