Soldier profiles

Name : HAMLEY, COLIN
Service Number : VX14157
Date of Birth : 30/06/1919
Place of Birth : PERTH, WA
Known as : COLIN, COL
Occupation on Enlistment : CLERK
Date of Enlistment : 06/05/1940
Locality on Enlistment : MOONEE PONDS, VIC
Place of Enlistment : CAULFIELD, VIC
Next of Kin : HAMLEY, COLIN
Rank (at time of discharge / death) : PRIVATE
Service : ARMY
Final Posting : 2/2 PIONEER BATTALION
Position / Platoon / Company (as 2/2 Pioneer) (date / details) : SIGNALS HEADQUARTERS COMPANY (SYRIA)
Unit Transfers / Promotions (date / details) :
Theatres of War : SYRIA, JAVA
Actions :
Wounded (date / details) :
Discharged : 01/02/1946
Date Died : N/A
Community Roll of Honour : N/A
Buried Location / Memorial (P.O.W., D.O.W., K.I.A.) : N/A
K.I.A. (date / details) : N/A
D.O.W. (date / details) : N/A
M.I.A. (date / details) : N/A
P.O.W. (location/s) : JAVA
Died P.O.W. (date / details) : NO
P.O.W. Camps (details) : MOULMEIN (BURMA)
Recovered P.O.W. (location/s) : THAILAND
Honours and Gallantry : None for display
Applicable Australian War Memorial circulars : Australian War Memorial B-JAVA-0036 Missing & POW Circular
References found (entries & photos) : National Archives of Australia (Barcode 6210036 [DIGITISED], Barcode 478901 [OPEN]), WW2 Nominal Roll, Australian War Memorial, C_HAMLEY_1.jpg, C_HAMLEY_2.jpg, Letter

Background : Son of Colin Eric and Sadie Doris Hamley, of Moonee Ponds, Victoria, Australia. Brother of VX19013 Donald John Hamley (2/2 Pioneer). Attended No. 9 Regiment Signals (Infantry) Refresher Australian Imperial Forces (Middle East) Signal School from 06/09/1941 to 26/09/1941 [Qualified]. Worked in No. 5 Branch on the Burma Railway.

Service & personal summary At enlistment : single. No previous military experience. At discharge : height 5 feet 10 inches, grey eyes, fair complexion, fair hair. Marital status : single. Marks / scars : scars left and right legs. Full time war service : A.I.F. 06/05/1940 to 01/02/1946 which included 2098 days active service (102 days within Australia & 1660 days overseas). Operational service : Middle East and Java areas (embarked from Australia 07/04/1941, disembarked in Australia 22/10/1945). War badge no. 241661. Discharge certificate no. 488511.

Service record
06/05/1940 Taken on strength Recruit Reception Depot Caulfield, Victoria.
13/05/1940 Posted to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria from Recruit Reception Depot.
01/07/1940 Admitted Puckapunyal 4 Australian General Hospital, Seymour, Victoria with rubella.
03/07/1940 Discharged to unit.
19/08/1940 Appointed speciality Group II Signals pay 7/- day.
07/04/1941 Embarked Sydney, New South Wales on H.M.S. Queen Mary (H.M.T. N.N.).
03/05/1941 Disembarked Middle East.
31/01/1942 Embarked Suez, Middle East on S.S. Orcades.
18/02/1942 Disembarked Batavia, Java.
07/03/1942 Reported missing in action, Java.
30/04/1942 Reported missing in action, Java and transferred to X list.
26/09/1942 Reported missing in action believed prisoner of war.
01/10/1942 Reported missing in action believed prisoner of war.
02/12/1943 Now reported prisoner of war.
22/12/1943 Reported interned Thailand camp.
20/08/1945 Reported alive in Siam (Thailand). Recovered from Japanese.
06/10/1945 Embarked Singapore on M.V. Highland Brigade.
21/10/1945 Disembarked Melbourne, Victoria.
21/10/1945 Marched into General Details Depot, Melbourne, Victoria ex M.V. Highland Brigade.
23/11/1945 Admitted 115 Australian General Hospital, Heidelberg, Melbourne, Victoria with Amoebiasis and haemorrhoids.
28/11/1945 Evacuated to 2/2 Australian General Hospital.
28/11/1945 Admitted 2/2 Australian General Hospital.
25/01/1946 Discharged to prisoner of war wing Watsonia, Victoria with hookworm and Amoebiasis.
25/01/1946 Marched into General Details Depot, Victoria ex 2/2 Australian General Hospital.
31/01/1946 Marched out to Australian Military Forces Discharge Depot.
31/01/1946 Marched into Australian Military Forces Discharge Depot ex Leave and Transit Depot, Victoria.
01/02/1946 Discharged.