Soldier profiles

Name : O'BRIEN, THOMAS
Service Number : VX36898
Date of Birth : 15/01/1904
Place of Birth : ELPHINSTONE, VIC
Known as : TOM
Occupation on Enlistment : SHIRE CLERK
Date of Enlistment : 12/08/1940
Locality on Enlistment : SUNSHINE, VIC
Place of Enlistment : ROYAL PARK, VIC
Next of Kin : O'BRIEN, M
Rank (at time of discharge / death) : STAFF SERGEANT
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 : 29/04/1946
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) : YES
Died P.O.W. (date / details) : N/A
P.O.W. Camps (details) : THAILAND
Recovered P.O.W. (location/s) : YES
Honours and Gallantry : British Empire Medal (2/2 Pioneer Battalion) for valuable service & devotion & also as POW presented at Parliament House, Melbourne, Victoria on 15/03/1949. London Gazette 06/03/1947, page 1088, position 78. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette 06/03/1947, page 747, position 66
Applicable Australian War Memorial circulars : Australian War Memorial B-JAVA-0067 Missing & POW Circular, Australian War Memorial Awards Circular
References found (entries & photos) : National Archives of Australia (Barcode 6132972 [DIGITISED], Barcode 478983 [OPEN]), WW2 Nominal Roll, Australian War Memorial, Past article (size 364kB), Past article (size 182kB), Past article (size 38kB), Recommendation for B.E.M.

Background : Husband of Mrs. M. C. O'Brien. No previous military experience.

Service & personal summary At enlistment : married. Marks / scars : scar right knee. At discharge : height 5 feet 11 inches, brown eyes, dark complexion, dark brown hair. Marital status : married. Full time war service : A.I.F. 07/04/1941 to 03/11/1945 which included 2087 days active service (177 days within Australia & 1672 days overseas). Operational service : Middle East & Java area, embarked from Australia 07/04/1941, disembarked in Australia 03/11/1945. War badge no. 278968. Discharge certificate no. 508299.

Service record.
12/08/1940 Taken on strength Recruit Reception Depot.
13/08/1940 Transferred to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion.
14/08/1940 Posted from Recruit Reception Depot to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion Puckapunyal, Seymour, Victoria.
19/10/1940 Appointed Group III Special (1st Reinforcements Concretors).
19/11/1940 Appointed acting Lance Corporal.
07/04/1941 Embarked Sydney, New South Wales on H.M.S. Queen Mary (H.M.T. N.N.).
03/05/1941 Disembarked Port Tewfik, Suez.
24/05/1941 Relinquished trade group grade III.
25/05/1941 Promoted to Corporal.
12/06/1941 Transferred to Pioneer Training Battalion A.I.F.
12/06/1941 Marched into Pioneer Training Battalion.
21/07/1941 Promoted to acting Staff Sergeant.
18/08/1941 Taken on strength Headquarters Section, Pioneer Training Battalion.
04/11/1941 Rank of Staff Sergeant confirmed.
13/12/1941 Transferred to Reinforcements.
13/12/1941 Marched in from Headquarters Section to Reinforcements.
18/12/1941 Marched out from Pioneer Training Battalion to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion.
20/12/1941 Taken on strength from Pioneer Training Battalion.
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 & transferred to X list.
01/12/1942 Previously reported missing in action now believed prisoner of war.
04/11/1943 Reported prisoner of war.
22/12/1943 Reported interned in prisoner of war camp.
20/08/1945 Reported alive in Siam recovered from Japanese.
18/10/1945 Embarked Singapore on Circassia.
03/11/1945 Disembarked Melbourne, Victoria.
03/11/1945 Marched in from Circassia to General Details Depot.
29/04/1946 Discharged.
06/03/1947 Awarded British Empire Medal (B.E.M.).