Douglas Norman BEDKOBER

Douglas Norman BEDKOBER Update Details

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BEDKOBER, Douglas Norman

Service Number:	NX26676
Enlisted:	20 June 1940
Last Rank:	Lieutenant
Last Unit:	'M' Special Unit
Born:	Sydney , New South Wales, Australia, 20 April 1918
Home Town:	Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Clerk
Died:	Illness, Rabaul, New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, 4 January 1944, aged 25 years
Cemetery:	Rabaul (Bita Paka) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea Plot E, Row D, Grave 15
Memorials:	Australian Commando Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial

World War 2 Service

3 Sep 1939:	Involvement Lieutenant, NX26676, 'M' Special Unit
20 Jun 1940:	Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Lieutenant, NX26676, Z Special Unit
16 Jun 1943:	Imprisoned
4 Jan 1944:	Involvement Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Lieutenant, NX26676, 'M' Special Unit , Intelligence Special Unit

Captured assisting others escape

Captured assisting others escape

From
https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/pby/A24-43.html

April 1943, Catalina A24-43 is dropping supplies to the commando camps near Aita, Bougainville and crashes. 6 RAAF personel survive the crash . On June 16, Lt Bedkober 's camp is then looking after 2 badly wounded RAAF A24-43 , 2 other RAAF A24-43 less injured, and there are three other AIF there, Sgt. Florence, L/Sgt. Martin and Spr. Cassidy.

On the morning of June 16, the Japanese raided the camp. Most escaped but the two wounded RAAF did not, and notably Lt Bedkober remained behind using an Owens gun until he ran out of ammunition. This apparently allowed the others to escape,and doomed Bedkober to the torture and tragic end as a PoW of the Japanese. Two A24-43 crew were later captured by the Japanese later, and the three A24-43 crew captured did not survive being PoW...

(I don't have at hand info about Florence, Martin or Cassidy, at hand, although this may be info easily found !)

Two A24-43 crew did escape Bougainville and survive the war due to AIF assistance.

Biography contributed by Elizabeth Allen

Douglas Norman BEDKOBER was born in Sydney on 20th April, 1918

His parents were Carl Francis BEDKOBER & Ethel Grace McDOWELL who married in Sydney in 1914

He was engaged to be married to Margaret BREADEN

He was taken as Prisoner of War on 16th June , 1943 and died of Illness in Rabaul on 4th January, 1944

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His sister Grace Everill BEDKOBER (SN NF462242) served during WW2 with the Australian Womens Army Service and was discharged in 1946

Virtual
War Memorial
Australia