COLYER, George William
| Service Number: | NX25213 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 June 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | Australian Army Provost Corps (WW2) |
| Born: | Berry, New South Wales, Australia, 5 December 1913 |
| Home Town: | Nowra, Shoalhaven Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Jamberoo Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of Illness (POW of Japan), Borneo, 12 February 1945, aged 31 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Labuan Memorial, Labuan, Malaysia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Jamberoo Memorial Arch, Labuan Memorial, Labuan Federal Territory, Malaysia, Nowra All Saints Anglican Church WW2, Wagga Wagga Sandakan Prisoner of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 5 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Private, NX25213, Paddington, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Corporal, NX25213 | |
| 23 Aug 1940: | Transferred Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, Australian Army Provost Corps (WW2), 8th Divisional Provost Corps | |
| 2 Feb 1941: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, NX25213, Australian Army Provost Corps (WW2), HMT QM, Sydney. Disembarked Singapore | |
| 14 Feb 1941: | Promoted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Corporal, Australian Army Provost Corps (WW2) | |
| 16 Feb 1942: | Imprisoned Malaya/Singapore, 8th Divisional Provost Company, Malaya | |
| 12 Feb 1945: | Involvement Corporal, NX25213, Australian Army Provost Corps (WW2), Prisoners of War |
Help us honour George William Colyer's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Barbara Krnos
George William Colyer's parents were Jesse and Louisa Colyer from Berry. He had 6 brothers and 3 sisters, and maried Elsie May Wilkie (who later married Colin Werninck) on 8th April, 1939. The family lived in Berry, then later in Nowra.
He joined the army on 5th June, 1940 and was reported as missing in Borneo on 26/3/1942. He is reported as a POW one year later, at Sandakan POW Camp, and reported died there 12/2/1945.
"...NX25213 Corporal George William Colyer, 8th Divisional Provost Company, Australian Army Provost Corps. He was one of over 2000 Allied prisoners of war (POW) held in the Sandakan POW camp in north Borneo, having been transferred there from Singapore as a part of B Force. The 1494 POW's that made up B Force, were transported from Changi on 7 July 1942 on board the tramp ship Ubi Maru, arriving in Sandakan Harbour on 18 July 1942. Corporal Colyer, aged 31, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 12 February 1945. He was the son of Jesse and Louisa Isabel Colyer, and the husband of Elsie May Colyer, of Nowra, NSW. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 30..." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
Click images to start slideshow.