Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Keith Whenan was born in Richmond, Adelaide, on the 9th of December 1920. He grew up on Sarah Street Richmond with his parents James Alfred and Blanche Victoria Whenan. He had blue eyes, was 163cm tall and was a Methodist.

He completed a 4-year apprenticeship at Ern Bateup's car dealership on Grote Street, Adelaide. This is where he became a motor mechanic. At this time Keith lived on Lincoln Avenue in the suburb of Black Forest. He would drive around town and was even fined for a
minor traffic offence.

Keith joined the Australian military forces at the Keswick Barracks in Adelaide. He was released on the 14th of January 1940 after serving for 1 year and 341 days to join the RAAF.

At the start of World War II Keith was a single 19-year-old man with mechanical experience. Like most men of this time Keith most likely felt the ‘lure of adventure’ and had the desire to ‘do one’s bit’ to protect Australia.  He moved with his parents to Ascot Vale Road, Moonee Ponds, Victoria.

Keith enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force on 15th of January 1940 when he was 19 years and 1 month. At the School of Technical Training, Keith studied as a pilot and learnt other general duties. He became a Corporal in the RAAF and served as a mechanical aircraft hand.
 
  
Service History with Royal Australian Air Force No 1 Squadron (RAFF) Malaya/Singapore

On the 28th of November 1940 Keith was posted to Sembawang Naval Base. This Base was located at the Northern tip of Singapore. From there he joined the No1 Squadron on 9th July 1941. The Singapore outpost was known for its relaxed tropical life surrounded by tea plantations and rubber mines. This was the perfect place for a naval base as it was near trade routes.

The No1 Squadron was armed with Lockheed Hudson petrol bombers. This Squadron launched a series of assaults on the Japanese in the Pacific War. The Hudson bombers attacked and sank a Japanese transport ship just hours before the Japanese attacked Pearl
Harbour on December 7, 1941. One of the bombers crashed into the sea and the sole survivor was captured by the Japanese and became a prisoner of war. This was the beginning of the bad luck for the No 1 Squadron. They were severely attacked by the
Japanese and had to withdraw to Australia, not before many were captured and became prisoners of war, Keith being one of them.

On the 15th of February 1942 the British commander, Lieutenant General Arthur Perciva, surrendered to the Japanese. 130,000 allied troops were captures as prisoners of war and Winston Churchill stated the fall was ‘the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British
history’. On the 16thof February 1942 it was reported that Keith was ‘missing believed POW (Prisoner of War) as a result of enemy occupation of Java.

Royal Australian Air Force No 1 Squadron (RAAF) Prisoners of War 

Over 30, 000 Australian service men were taken prisoner during the Second World War. Prisoners of war captured by the Japanese were subject to severe maltreatment. The Japanese did not observe the Geneve Convention. This convention set standards for the humane treatment of prisoners during war.

As a prisoner of war Keith was taken to work on the Thailand – Burma Railway. The Japanese wanted to improve the rail service between Burma and Siam. They separated the prisoners into two groups who then worked at either end to complete the construction. The Japanese wanted to complete 424 km long the railway in 14 months starting in October 1942.

It was reported that Keith Whenan died of illness while being a prisoner of war. The exact date was not recorded initially but eventually it was revealed that he passed away on the 7th of January 1944. He is buried in the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand, which is a
cemetery constructed for the prisoners of war who worked on the railway. It is located close to the prisoner of war camp, and he is buried along with 5084 other casualties of the Second World War.