ADAMS, William James
| Service Number: | SX5457 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 June 1940, Wayville, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion |
| Born: | Parkstone, England, 27 August 1906 |
| Home Town: | Yorketown, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | (POW of Japan - Rakuyo Maru), South China Sea, 12 September 1944, aged 38 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Panel 18, Labuan Memorial, Labuan, Malaysia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Labuan Memorial, Labuan Federal Territory, Malaysia |
World War 2 Service
| 15 Jun 1940: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Corporal, SX5457, 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW2 | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Corporal, SX5457 | |
| 15 Jun 1940: | Involvement Private, SX5457, 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW2 | |
| 15 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Private, SX5457, Wayville, South Australia | |
| 28 Apr 1941: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Corporal, SX5457, 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion, Middle East / Mediterranean Theatre | |
| 28 Apr 1941: | Embarked Corporal, SX5457, 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion | |
| 7 Dec 1941: | Involvement Corporal, SX5457, 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion, Malaya/Singapore | |
| 15 Feb 1942: | Imprisoned Malaya/Singapore, POW - Burma Thailand Railway | |
| 12 Sep 1944: | Involvement Corporal, SX5457, 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion, Prisoners of War |
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Father William James Adams and Louie Adams, of Ravenshoe, North Queensland.
15 June 1940 Enlisted at Wayville
became postman to the 2/3MG Bn at Woodside, South Australia
28/4/1941 Embarked
7 Divisional Postal Unit, attached to 2/3 Machine Gun Battalion (2/3MG Bn)
The battalion embarked for the Middle East in late April 1941 and served in Syria until Japan entered the war when the battalion was withdrawn to Java during February 1942.
Corporal Adams became a prisoner of war and worked for some time on the Burma Thailand Railway from the camp near Moulmein, Burma. On completion of the railway many of the prisoners were transported to Japan.
Corporal Adams was killed when the Japanese prison ship in which he was travelling, the Rakuyo Maru, was sunk by the United States Navy submarine USS Pampanito on 12 September 1944 (aged 38 years).
Commemorated at Labuan Memorial, Labuan, Malaysia
His name is located at panel 74; Supplementary panel 11 in the Commemorative Area (www.awm.gov.au) at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT.
Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan. 19 August 2014. Lest we forget.
"SX5457 Corporal (Cpl) William James Adams, 7 Divisional Postal Unit, attached to 2/3 Machine Gun Battalion (2/3MG Bn). He enlisted in the AIF on 15 June 1940 and became postman to the 2/3MG Bn at Woodside, South Australia. The battalion embarked for the Middle East in late April 1941 and served in Syria until Japan entered the war when the battalion was withdrawn to Java during February 1942. Cpl Adams became a prisoner of war and worked for some time on the Burma Thailand Railway from the camp near Moulmein, Burma. On completion of the railway many of the prisoners were transported to Japan. Cpl Adams was killed when the Japanese prison ship in which he was travelling, the Rakuyo Maru, was sunk by the United States Navy submarine USS Pampanito on 12 September 1944. He was aged 38 years." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
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