William George Apsey (abt. 1920 - 1942)

Born about 8 Feb 1920 in Prahran, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1 Jul 1942 at about age 22 in At Sea

Biography

William Apsey was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

William Apsey died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

William George Apsey was born at Prahran, VIC, probably in 1920. He was the only son of George Apsey and Eliza Robinson (who died at Gardenvale, VIC in 1943). He was known as Bill.

He enlisted in the Australian Army Militia for part time service at Ripponlea, VIC on 09 Jan 1937 as a Private (39006, later V39006) in the 46th Bn. He lied about his age, claiming to be 18. He was 5 ft 7 in tall.

From 21 Oct 1939 he served under War Service conditions.

He was still serving in the Militia when he enlisted in the Australian Army for overseas service at Caulfield, VIC on 16 Jul 1940 as a Private (VX46493). At the time he was single, a tile layer and was living at Gardenvale, VIC with his parents. He had brown hair and blue eyes.

He was posted to 2/22nd Bn at Puckapunyal, VIC on 19 Jul 1940.

He entrained from Victoria on 11 Mar 1941 with part of the Bn for Sydney where he embarked on HMT "Katoomba" on 12 Mar 1941 for Rabaul, New Britain in the Territory of New Guinea. He disembarked there on 28 Mar 1941 where his unit was to form the core of "Lark Force" for the defence of the Territory.

After the Japanese invasion of 23 Jan 1942 he was captured at Gyabira and became a Prisoner of War, initially held at Rabaul.

Interestingly, enquiries to the Red Cross about whether he was a POW came from the Indian Red Cross.^[1]

He died on board the "Montevideo Maru" when it was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of the Philippines on 01 Jul 1942, en route from Rabaul to Hainan where he was destined for forced labour.

Research Notes

Birth not located in Victoria to Mar 1921.

Death of mother - Family Notices (1945, September 8). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 12. Retrieved June 13, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205651824

Sources

1. ↑ Red Cross POW Enquiry cards - https://gallery.its.unimelb.edu.au/imu/imu.php?request=multimedia&irn=25487

• Australian Army Militia Service File - National Archives of Australia - Apsey, William George; Army Number - 39006; Date of birth - 09 January 1919 - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=9261147

• WW2 Australian Army Service record - APSEY WILLIAM GEORGE : Service Number - VX46493 : Date of birth - 08 Feb 1919 : Place of birth - PRAHRAN VIC : Place of enlistment - CAULFIELD VIC : Next of Kin - APSEY GEORGE - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6137064

• In Memoriam On Active Service - Family Notices (1946, July 1). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 9. Retrieved June 13, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206374627

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1710189

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2615321/apsey,-william-george/

See also:

• Virtual War Memorial Australia: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/618307
• The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial (https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/ : accessed 7 Mar 2024) database entry for William George Apsey