List of former WW1 veterans who died on the Montevideo Maru
The following list of names of Australian WWI soldiers who are listed as dying on the Japanese prisoner transport ship, the MS Montevideo Maru, when this ship was sunk by an American submarine, the USS Sturgeon, on 1st July 1942, has been compiled from the records of the University of NSW, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, AIF Database Project’s website at https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au and the National Archives of Australia’s Montevideo Maru’s website at www.montevideomaru.naa.gov.au. They were all living and working in the New Guinea Islands as civilians when the Japanese armed forces invaded these Australian Territories in January 1942. A number of these former soldiers were highly decorated servicemen.
- Arthur Guy Allen, served in WWI. Regt No. 535, 5th Light Horse Regiment.
- Stanley Arthur Ashby, served in WWI. Regt No.6466, 9th Infantry Battalion.
- John Motley Atherton, served in WWI. Regt No. 377, 9th Infantry Battalion.
- Charles William Barnes, served in WWI. Regt No. 65004. Queensland Reinforcements.
- Norman Rawlinson Beck, served in WWI. Regt No. 4135, 7th Infantry Battalion.
- William Charles Box, served in WWI. Regt No. 1388, 15th Infantry Battalion & 5th Light Horse Regiment.
- Hamilton George Wentworth Brinston, served in WWI. Regt No. B2455. Depot Company. Discharged prior to leaving Australia. Appears to want to join the air force. (Records from the Discovering Anzacs website).
- Robert Aplhonse Leslie Brown, served in WWI. Regt No. 1731, Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force, Medical Corps.
- John Felix Bunney, served in WWI. Regt No. 1175, Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force, Medical Corps.
- John Dalton Burke, served in WWI. Regt No. 2595, 25th Infantry Battalion.
- Lewis (Louis) William Carson, served in WWI. Regt No. 2559, 57th Battalion.
- Ivan Clark, served in WWI. Regt No. 37168, Field Artillery Brigade.
- Robert Leeuwin Clark, served in WWI. Lieut., 4th Squadron, Australian Flying Corps.
- Forbes Cobb, served in WWI. Regt No. 523, 1st Field Artillery Brigade Ammunition Column.
- Morton Cameron Crocker MC, served in WWI. Regt No.251, Lieut. 26th Infantry Battalion.
- John Bertrand Cruise served in WWI. Regt No.1733, 15th Field Ambulance.
- Claude Thompson Drane served in WWI. Regt No.648, 1st Field Artillery Brigade.
- John Harold Edwards (used middle name) MC, DCM, MM, served in WWI. Regt No.845, Lieut., 21st Infantry Battalion.
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL/08995.004 and
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P04694.001
- Charles Thomas Ross Field MID served in WWI. Regt. No. 796, Captain 28th Battalion.
- Roland Noel Harrison Forsyth served in WWI. Regt No.1035, 36th Heavy Artillery Brigade.
- Tom Vernon Garrett served in WWI. Regt No. 119, 6th Light Horse Regiment.
- Allan Stanley Green served in WWI. Regt No. 908, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade.
- Henry Anthony Gregory served in WWI. Regt No. 34446, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade.
- John Edward Hamilton served in WWI. Regt No. 7061, 28th Infantry Battalion.
- Latham Hamilton served in WWI. Regt No. 1284, Lieut., 3rd Infantry Battalion.
- Edmund Martin Hawnt served in WWI. Regt No. 1534, Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, Medical Corps.
- Thomas Henry Herket served in WWI. Regt No. 3309, 2nd Infantry Battalion and later was attached to 53rd Battalion. Taken prisoner of war at Fleur Baix, Armentieres and interned in a German POW camp at Festings-Lazaretti. Portrait drawn by the noted Australian artist, Hilda Rix Nicholas, around 1920.
https://awm.gov.au/collection/ART96812/.
- Wilfred Leslie (Ledlie) Heron served in WWI. Capt., 59th Infantry Battalion.
- Gerald George Hogan MC MID served in WWI. Major, 1st Division Artillery.
- Harry Holden served in WWI. Regt No. 73, 10th Infantry Battalion.
- Herbert Champion Hosking served in WWI. Lieut., 10th Infantry Battalion.
- Colin Mackellar served in WWI. Regt No. 29123, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade.
- Richard Kingsmill Moore MC served in WWI. Regt No. 73, Lieut., 3rd Battalion, Imperial Camel Corps and 11th Light Horse Regiment.
- Patrick George Naulty served in WWI. Regt No. 55870, 43rd Infantry Battalion.
- Noel Alyoysius O’Dwyer served in WWI. Regt No. 1656, 13th Field Ambulance. (Records from Discovering Anzacs website).
- James Leonard Ormond served in WWI. Regt No. 472, 21st Infantry Battalion.
- Harold Hillis Page DSO, MC, MID, Croix de Guerre, served in WWI. Major, 25th Infantry Battalion.
- Arthur Reginald Parry served in WWI. Regt No. 7364, Casualty Clearing Station.
- Murray Bartlett Pickering served in WWI. Regt No. 5926, 1 Pioneer Battalion.
- Cedric Morton (Moreton) Pines served in WWI. Regt No. 9010, 5th Field Artillery Brigade.
- Arthur Ridley Reed served in WWI. Regt No. 35236, Field Artillery Brigade.
- John Arthur Reynolds served in WWI. 4th Light Horse Field Ambulance.
- Joseph Charles Sedgers served in WWI. Regt No. 5208, 4th Infantry Battalion.
- The Revd Herbert Bolus Shelton served in WWI. Regt No. 3135, 33rd Infantry Battalion.
- James Olivant Smith served in WWI. Lieut, 34th & 50th Infantry Battalion.
- James Wilton Smith served in WWI. Regt No. 3717, 50th Infantry Battalion.
- Robert Lewis (Louis) Solomons served in WWI. Regt No. 1816, 2nd Infantry Battalion.
- William George Stephen Staley served in WWI. Regt No. 2437, 6th Infantry Battalion.
- Harvey Herbert Cecil Symes served in WWi. Regt No. 9636, 13th Field Artillery Brigade.
- Henry (Harry) Orton Townsend OBE, MSM, MID, served in WWI. Regt No. 2432, Capt., 8th Infantry Battalion.
- Herbert John Washington served in WWI. Regt No. 1523, Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force, Medical Corps.
- William Martin Wilkin DCM served in WWI. Regt No. 426, Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force (Tropical) and Regt No. 1115 12th Light Horse Regiment and Camel Corps.
- Ray Moor (Moore) Youlden served in WWI. Regt No. 629, 8th Infantry Battalion.
If you have any names to update this list please advise [email protected]
Australian Military Awards
DSO : Distinguished Service Order
MC : Military Cross
MM : Military Medal
DCM : Distinguished Conduct Medal
MSM : Meritorious Service Medal
MID : Mentioned In Despatches
French Military Award
Croix de Guerre: This French military decoration was created in 1915. It has been bestowed on members of foreign military forces allied to France for distinguishing themselves by acts of heroism in combat with the enemy. This military award is similar in statue to Mentioned In Despatches.
Civilian Award
OBE: Officer of the Order of the British Empire. In today’s Australia Awards it is just below AM (Member of the Order of Australia) and DSO (Distinguished Service Order) .
Served at Gallipoli : Arthur Guy Allen, John Motley Atherton , Forbes Cobb, Morton Cameron Crocker, Claude Thompson Drane, John Harold Edwards ( used middle name or Jack ), Charles Thomas Ross Field, Tom Vernon Garrett, Latham Hamilton, Wilfred Leslie ( Ledlie ) Heron, Gerald George Hogan, Richard Kingsmill Moore, Harold Hillis Page, William George Stephen Staley, Henry ( Harry ) Orton Townsend, William Martin Wilkin and Ray Moor (Moore) Youlden. Edwards received a Military Medal for his outstanding service at Gallipoli and Page received his Croix de Guerre military award for his bravery at The Apex on the Gallipoli peninsula.
(Sources: Discovering Anzacs website at http://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au and Australian War Memorial’s Honours and Awards website at https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-search/honours_and_awards).
In addition to these 53 Australian WWI ex-servicemen who died on the MS Montevideo Maru at least five other men who had served in the 1st AIF during WWI are listed as dying on the MS Montevideo Maru on 1 July 1942. They were serving in the 2nd AIF during WWII when they died on this Japanese ship on 1 July 1942. These men were:
- William FrederickMcEwan. Served in the 5th Field Ambulance, Reg. No. 2931, including service at Gallipoli in 1915, during WWI. On 21 January 1942 he enlisted in the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, Lark Force, at Rabaul. Service number NGX476. Died on 1st July 1942.
- John Bernard Crosbie. Served with the Field Artillery Brigade 2, Reg. No. 11741. during WWI. On 9 September 1940 he enlisted again in the Australian Army. Service number QX64914. He was in the Lark Force Australian Canteen Service when he died on 1st July 1942.
- John Campbell Sherwood. Served in the 36th Heavy Artillery Brigade, Reg. No. 789 during WWI. Re-enlisted in the Australian Army on 20 June 1940, service number NX26627, and was in the 17 Anti-Tank Battery, Lark Force, when he died on 1st July 1942.
- Robert James Clarke. Served in the 10th General (Victorian) Reinforcements, Reg. No. 61121 during WWI. Re-enlisted in the Australian Army on 14 June 1940, service number VX23989, and was in the 2/22 Australian Infantry Battalion, Lark Force, when he died on 1st July 1942.
- Roy Merrington Earle. He changed his name from Roy Maddington Uhrlaub. He served in the 3rd General (South Australian) Reinforcements, Reg. No. 56074 during WWI. Re-enlisted in the Australian Army on 11 July 1940, service number VX35581, and was in the 2/22 Australian Infantry Battalion, Lark Force, when he died on 1st July 1942.
These men were all in their forties.
(Sources: WWII Nominal Roll, Montevideo Maru & Discovering Anzacs National Archives of Australia’s websites)
Note: The deaths of these 58 men on the MS Montevideo Maru have been noted on the Discovering Anzacs website at http://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au .
Patrick Bourke