Soldier profiles

Name : GORDON, JOHN VIVIAN
Service Number : VX18525
Date of Birth : 27/01/1919
Place of Birth : BEAUDESERT, QLD
Known as :
Occupation on Enlistment : LABOURER
Date of Enlistment : 29/05/1940
Locality on Enlistment : SOUTH MELBOURNE, VIC
Place of Enlistment : CAULFIELD, VIC
Next of Kin : GORDON, BERNARD SYDNEY
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 : 25/01/1946
Date Died : 29/09/1971
Age at Death : 52
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) : JAVA
Recovered P.O.W. (location/s) : THAILAND
Honours and Gallantry : None for display
Applicable Australian War Memorial circulars : Australian War Memorial B-JAVA-0033 Missing & POW Circular
References found (entries & photos) : National Archives of Australia (Barcode 6204833 [DIGITISED]), WW2 Nominal Roll, Australian War Memorial, Past article (size 948kB), Past article (size 364kB)

Background : Repatriated to Australia on Circassia.

Service & personal summary At enlistment : single. No previous military experience. At discharge : height 5 feet 9 inches, blue eyes, fair complexion, fair hair. Marital status : single. Children : no. Marks / scars : small left foot scar, right wrist scar, right shoulder blade. Full time war service : A.I.F. 29/05/1940 to 16/01/1946 which included 2068 days active service (83 days within Australia & 1672 days overseas). Operational service : Middle East area (embarked from Australia 07/04/1941, disembarked in Australia 03/11/1945). War badge no. 290548. Discharge certificate no. 486314.

Service record
29/05/1940 Taken on strength Recruit Reception Depot Caulfield, Victoria.
30/05/1940 Posted to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria.
06/09/1940 Admitted 4 Australian General Hospital Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria with traumatic testes.
09/09/1940 Discharged to unit Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria.
20/01/1941 Posted to X list. Reported sick whilst on pre embarkation leave. Admitted to C.R.G.H.
20/01/1941 Admitted R.G.H. 6, Caulfield, Victoria with injury left testes.
24/01/1941 Discharged to Broadmeadows Convalescent Depot, Victoria.
24/01/1941 Admitted from R.G.H. 6 to Broadmeadows Convalescent Depot, Victoria.
29/01/1941 Discharged fit to R & T Camp, Caulfield, Victoria.
29/01/1941 Taken on strength R & T Camp from Broadmeadows Convalescent Depot, Victoria.
30/01/1941 Transferred from R & T Camp to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria.
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.
02/07/1941 Evacuated to 1 Australian General Hospital with malaria and transferred to X list.
17/07/1941 Discharged 1 Australian General Hospital Middle East and transferred to Pioneer Training Battalion.
17/07/1941 Marched into Pioneer Training Battalion from 1 Australian General Hospital.
22/08/1941 Discharged 1 Australian General Hospital with constipation. Marched into camp.
11/09/1941 Marched out to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion Middle East from Pioneer Training Battalion.
12/09/1941 Taken on strength 2/2 Pioneer Battalion from Pioneer Training Battalion.
13/12/1941 Evacuated to 2/2 Field Ambulance Main Dressing Station with malaria and transferred to X list.
31/12/1941 Evacuated from 2/2 Field Ambulance Main Dressing Station with pneumonia to 1 Australian Corps Rest Station.
21/01/1942 Discharged and returned to unit.
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 Reported missing in action, Java date unknown and transferred to X list.
16/12/1942 Reported missing in action believed prisoner of war.
21/06/1943 Previously reported missing believed prisoner of war now reported prisoner of war interned Java camp.
28/07/1943 Reported prisoner of war (Java).
15/08/1945 Granted proficiency pay.
20/08/1945 Alive in Siam. Recovered from Japanese.
18/10/1945 Embarked Singapore on Circassia.
03/11/1945 Disembarked Melbourne, Victoria.
03/11/1945 Marched into General Details Depot, Victoria ex Circassia.
08/12/1945 Marched in from General Details Depot, New South Wales for leave.
08/01/1946 Admitted 115 Australian General Hospital, Heidelberg, Melbourne, Victoria with acne vulgaris.
18/01/1946 Discharged to Prisoner of War Wing, Watsonia, Victoria.
18/01/1946 Marched into General Details Depot, Victoria ex 115 Australian General Hospital, Heidelberg, Melbourne, Victoria.
24/01/1946 Marched into Discharge Depot, Victoria ex Leave and Transit Depot, Victoria for discharge.
25/01/1946 Discharged.
19/06/1946 Reconciled.