Soldier profiles

Name : CORNELIUS, LEO GEORGE
Service Number : VX34456
Date of Birth : 07/09/1917
Place of Birth : BURNIE, TAS
Known as : LEO
Occupation on Enlistment : CLERK
Date of Enlistment : 22/07/1940
Locality on Enlistment : BRIGHTON, VIC
Place of Enlistment : ROYAL PARK, VIC
Next of Kin : CORNELIUS, WILLIAM
Rank (at time of discharge / death) : CORPORAL
Service : ARMY
Final Posting : 2/2 PIONEER BATTALION
Position / Platoon / Company (as 2/2 Pioneer) (date / details) :
Unit Transfers / Promotions (date / details) :
Theatres of War : SYRIA, JAVA
Actions :
Wounded (date / details) :
Discharged : 28/05/1945
Date Died : 16/11/1993
Age at Death : 76
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) : THAILAND
Recovered P.O.W. (location/s) : AT SEA
Honours and Gallantry : Mentioned in Despatches for distinguished service in S/W Pacific Area. London Gazette 06/03/1947, page 1098, position 177. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette 06/03/1947, page 747, position 99
Applicable Australian War Memorial circulars : Australian War Memorial B-JAVA-0019 Missing & POW Circular, Australian War Memorial Awards Circular
References found (entries & photos) : National Archives of Australia (Barcode 6128807 [DIGITISED], Barcode 1033019 [NOT EXAMINED]), WW2 Nominal Roll, Australian War Memorial, W_HAMMERTON_5.jpg, C_HAMLEY_1.jpg, C_HAMLEY_2.jpg, Gold Coast Bulletin Funeral Notice 18/11/1993

Background : Knew VX23638 Edward Francis Buerckner (2/2 Pioneer). Survivor of the hellship Rakuyo Maru torpedoed on 12/09/1944 by the Balao class submarine U.S.S. Sealion (SS-315) at around 5:00am in the South China Sea, east of Hainan in position 18§42'N, 114§30'E. Japanese hellships were used to transport slave labour (including prisoner of war) under horrendously disgusting conditions. Rescued by Gato class U.S.S. Barb (SS-220). Late of Mermaid Waters.

Service & personal summary At enlistment : single. No previous military experience. At discharge : height 5 feet 7.5 inches, hazel eyes, medium complexion, brown hair. Marital status : married. Full time war service : A.I.F. 22/07/1940 to 28/05/1945 which included 1992 days active service (222 days within Australia & 1791 days overseas). Operational service : Middle East and Java areas (embarked from Australia 07/04/1941, disembarked in Australia 18/10/1944). War badge no. 72505. Discharge certificate no. 172076.

Service record
22/07/1940 Taken on strength Recruit Reception Depot Royal Park, Victoria.
07/10/1940 Posted to Australian Army Pay Corps.
07/10/1940 Promoted to Corporal.
07/10/1940 Detached 2/2 Pioneer Battalion Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria.
11/10/1940 Attached to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion.
23/10/1940 Admitted to Puckapunyal 4 Australian General Hospital, Seymour, Victoria with ?AB reaction.
25/10/1940 Discharged to unit.
29/11/1940 Promoted to Lance Sergeant.
07/04/1941 Rank of Lance Sergeant confirmed.
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.
03/05/1941 Taken on strength from Australian Army Pay Corps 3 Military District (Victoria).
03/05/1941 Detached to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion.
03/05/1941 Attached from Headquarters Australian Imperial Forces Base Area Units Finance Section.
15/06/1941 Evacuated to 1 Australian General Hospital for investigation and transferred to X list.
01/07/1941 Discharged from 1 Australian General Hospital (infective hepatitis) and transferred to Pioneer Training Battalion Australian Imperial Forces.
01/07/1941 Marched in.
04/07/1941 Marched out to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion.
04/07/1941 Taken on strength from Pioneer Training Battalion.
05/07/1941 Attachment from Headquarters Australian Imperial Forces Base Area Units Finance Section terminated.
05/07/1941 Transferred to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion.
05/07/1941 Reverted to Private at own request.
06/07/1941 Appointed Lance Corporal.
29/09/1941 Promoted to acting Corporal.
05/10/1941 Reverted to Lance Corporal.
31/01/1942 Embarked Middle East on S.S. Orcades.
18/02/1942 Disembarked Batavia, Java.
30/04/1942 Reported missing in action, Java and transferred to X list.
10/10/1944 Prisoner of war recovered from the Japanese.
10/10/1944 Admitted 20 United States Station Hospital.
14/10/1944 Evacuated to Australia.
18/10/1944 Arrived Australia.
18/10/1944 Disembarked Brisbane, Queensland ex U.S.S. Monadnock and marched into General Details Depot.
30/10/1944 Marched into General Details Depot Royal Park, Victoria ex General Details Depot, Queensland for R/A.
29/01/1945 Medical class assessed as B1.
01/03/1942 Promoted to acting Lance Sergeant.
02/04/1945 Evacuated to 107 Convalescent Hospital, Ballarat, Victoria from General Details Depot Royal Park, Victoria.
02/04/1945 Admitted from General Details Depot with lability.
07/04/1945 Married - next of kin now wife as over.
18/04/1945 Evacuated to 30 Convalescent Hospital with malaria.
18/04/1945 Admitted from 107 Convalescent Hospital, Ballarat, Victoria with malaria.
01/05/1945 Evacuated to 107 Convalescent Hospital, Ballarat, Victoria with malaria.
02/05/1945 Admitted from 30 Convalescent Hospital with malaria.
08/05/1945 Medical classification assessed as A1 Melbourne, Victoria.
24/05/1945 Discharged to General Details Depot Royal Park, Victoria with malaria.
24/05/1945 Marched in for reallotment ex 107 Convalescent Hospital, Ballarat, Victoria.
28/05/1945 Discharged Royal Park, Victoria.
06/03/1947 Mentioned in despatches.