Soldier profiles

Name : MCGRATH, FRANCIS XAVIER
Service Number : VX30028
Date of Birth : 18/02/1907
Place of Birth : BRUNSWICK, VIC
Known as : FRANK
Occupation on Enlistment : PLUMBER, JOINER
Date of Enlistment : 04/06/1940
Locality on Enlistment : EAST BRUNSWICK, VIC
Place of Enlistment : ROYAL PARK, VIC
Next of Kin : MCGRATH, IRIS
Rank (at time of discharge / death) : CORPORAL
Service : ARMY
Final Posting : 2/2 PIONEER BATTALION
Position / Platoon / Company (as 2/2 Pioneer) (date / details) : D COMPANY
Unit Transfers / Promotions (date / details) :
Theatres of War : SYRIA, JAVA
Actions : FORT MERDJAYOUN (SYRIA)
Wounded (date / details) : 18/06/1941 FORT MERDJAYOUN (SYRIA) ABRASIONS
Discharged : N/A
Date Died : 14/09/1944
Age at Death : 37
Community Roll of Honour : UNKNOWN
Buried Location / Memorial (P.O.W., D.O.W., K.I.A.) : LABUAN MEMORIAL, MALAYSIA. PANEL 19. / AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL COMMEMORATIVE AREA PANEL 73
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) : 14/09/1944 / PRESUMED DROWNED / RAKUYO MARU AT SEA S/W PACIFIC
P.O.W. Camps (details) : THAILAND
Recovered P.O.W. (location/s) : NO
Honours and Gallantry : None for display
Applicable Australian War Memorial circulars : Australian War Memorial B-JAVA-0056 Missing & POW Circular
References found (entries & photos) : National Archives of Australia (Barcode 6202163 [DIGITISED]), WW2 Nominal Roll, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Australian War Memorial, Death notice (The Argus 07/11/1944)

Background : Son of John and Margaret Mary McGrath; husband of Iris Ethel McGrath, of East Brunswick, Victoria. Apparently, after most of the Japanese had left in lifeboats, Frank McGrath spent his time not looking for something buoyant to float on, but for remaining Japanese whom he could do in, or throw off the Rakuyo Maru.

Service & personal summary At enlistment : married. No previous military experience. Grey eyes, brown hair. Marks / scars : nil.

Service record
04/06/1940 Taken on strength Recruit Reception Depot Royal Park, Victoria.
13/06/1940 Posted to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria.
14/11/1940 Transferred to X list. At Detention Barracks Bendigo, Victoria.
26/11/1940 Returned to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria from Dentention Barracks Bendigo, Victoria by order of A.P.M.
26/11/1940 Off X list. Returned from Detention Bendigo.
07/01/1941 Admitted 7 Australian General Hospital Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria with appendicitis & injury to left XXXX finger.
19/01/1941 Discharged fit to unit.
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.
05/06/1941 Graded Group III Concretor.
17/06/1941 Wounded in action.
18/06/1941 Evacuated to 1 Australian General Hospital with abrasions and transferred to X list.
24/06/1941 Evacuated from 1 Australian General Hospital to 1 Australian Convalescent Depot with multiple abrasions, anxiety state.
18/08/1941 Discharged 1 Australian Convalescent Depot and transferred to Pioneer Training Battalion.
18/08/1941 Marched into Pioneer Training Battalion.
03/10/1941 Appointed Lance Corporal.
14/10/1941 Relinquished Group III Concretor.
15/10/1941 Promoted to Lance Corporal.
29/10/1941 Marched out to Headquarters Section Pioneer Training Battalion Middle East.
29/10/1941 Taken on strength from Reinforcements.
23/11/1941 Reverted to Private on evacuation to hospital Middle East.
23/11/1941 Evacuated to 8 Australian Special Hospital.
29/12/1941 Discharged 8 Australian Special Hospital and marched into camp.
29/12/1941 Promoted to acting Corporal Pioneer Training Battalion.
21/01/1942 Marched out to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion.
21/01/1942 Taken on strength 2/2 Pioneer Battalion from Pioneer Training Battalion.
22/01/1942 Rank of Corporal confirmed.
31/01/1942 Embarked Middle East on S.S. Orcades.
18/02/1942 Disembarked Batavia, Java.
07/03/1942 Reported missing in action.
30/04/1942 Battalion casualty. Reported missing in action (Java) and transferred to X list.
07/09/1942 Reported missing in action believed prisoner of war.
18/09/1943 Reported prisoner of war.
08/12/1943 Reported interned in Thailand prisoner of war camp and transferred to Thailand prisoner of war camp.
22/12/1943 Reported interned in Thailand prisoner of war camp.
29/10/1944 N.R.M. (?new report made) believed drowned on or after 12/09/1944.
18/10/1945 Became missing 14/09/1944 for official purposes presumed dead.