EARLE, Roy Merrington
| Service Numbers: | 56074, VX35581 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 July 1940, Royal Park, VIC |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/22nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Mount Bryan, South Australia, 5 June 1892 |
| Home Town: | Launching Place, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Unknown |
| Occupation: | Clerk & Insurance Agent |
| Died: | Died at sea (Montevideo Maru), South China Sea, 1 July 1942, aged 50 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Rabaul Memorial, Rabaul, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Rabaul Memorial, Rabaul Montevideo Maru Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Jul 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 56074, 1st to 6th (SA) Reinforcements, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Marathon embarkation_ship_number: A74 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jul 1918: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 56074, 1st to 6th (SA) Reinforcements, HMAT Marathon, Melbourne |
World War 2 Service
| 9 Oct 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Australian Army Pay Corps (AMF) | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Jul 1940: | Enlisted Royal Park, VIC | |
| 11 Jul 1940: | Involvement Private, VX35581, 2nd/22nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 11 Jul 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, VX35581, 2nd/22nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 1 Jul 1942: | Involvement 2nd/22nd Infantry Battalion |
Roy Merrington Earle
Roy Merrington Earle was born Roy Merrington Uhrlaub in Burra, South Australia on 5th Jun 1892. He was a qualified mercantile clerk when he joined the AIF on 11 Apr 1918. He changed his surname from Uhrlaub to Earle on enlistment as it was less Germanic. After initial training he embarked for France and was allocated to the 10th Battalion however, after three months he was transferred to the Pay Corps located in London. He stayed in this posting and returned to Australia on the 19th Aug 19. He moved to Victoria and married in 1921.
On the 11th Jul 1940, he joined the 2nd AIF. He enlisted at the age of 48 but declared on his application that he was 40 (changed his birthdate from 1892 to 1900). In WW2 He served in the 2/22 Bn. Which was located at Rabaul, on the island of New Britain. Roy was captured by the Japanese and on 22 Jun 42 was part of a group of Australian prisoners and European civilians who were loaded aboard the Montevideo Maru to be transported to Hainan Island. The ship was sunk on 1 Jul 1942 by the submarine USS Sturgeon off the Philippines, killing all 1,053 prisoners and civilian internees.
Submitted 18 March 2021 by Gary Ewart
Biography contributed by Elizabeth Allen
Roy was born as Roy Merrington UHRLAUB in Mount Bryan, South Australia on 5th June 1892
His parents were Carl August Christian UHRLAUB & Elizabeth (Lizzie) Fuller KILLINGBECK who married in St Andrews Church in Walkerville, South Australia on 25th September, 1888
He served under the name of Roy Merrington EARLE
He married Evelyn MORLEY in Victoria in 1921
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