Soldier profiles
Name : SPRAGUE, COLIN GEORGE
Service Number : VX54602
Date of Birth : 24/03/1918
Place of Birth : BAIRNSDALE, VIC
Known as :
Occupation on Enlistment : LABOURER
Date of Enlistment : 01/05/1941
Locality on Enlistment : COBURG, VIC
Place of Enlistment : ROYAL PARK, VIC
Next of Kin : SPRAGUE, GEORGE
Rank (at time of discharge / death) : PRIVATE
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 : 23/05/1945
Date Died : 13/02/2003
Age at Death : 84
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 : None for display
Applicable Australian War Memorial circulars : Australian War Memorial B-JAVA-0082 Missing & POW Circular
References found (entries & photos) : National Archives of Australia (Barcode 6117783 [DIGITISED]), WW2 Nominal Roll, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Australian War Memorial
Background : 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 U.S.S. Sealion.
