Douglas Kevin Ian Higgins (1915 - 1942)

Born 19 Jun 1915 in Prospect, South Australia, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 27 in Drowned at sea off the Philippines

Biography

Douglas Higgins was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Douglas Higgins died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

Douglas was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1915, the third child of Laura and William Higgins.

On 27 Sep 1939 he enlisted in the Australian Army (Militia) as a Gunner (47547) in the Royal Australian Artillery at Fort Largs, S.A. At the time he was 24, single, a salesman and living with his parents at Millswood Estate, S.A. He was 5 ft 11 in tall, with brown hair and blue eyes.

He served with the 120 Heavy Battery at Fort Largs. He was appointed Lance Bombardier on 28 Aug 1940 and promoted Bombardier on 16 Sep 1940.

He was mobilised on 26 Feb 1941, retaining the rank of Bombardier (as S14132) and was transferred to the Special Coast Defence Force (part of Lark Force). He disembarked in Rabaul in the Territory of New Guinea on 29 Apr 1941 and joined the garrison artillery.

When the Japanese invaded in Jan 1942 he was captured at the Kokopo Hospital on New Britain (so may have been sick, or injured during air attacks) and became a Prisoner of War, initially held at Rabaul. 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.

He was posthumously enrolled in the 2nd AIF as SX11426.

After the War, a large memorial was erected at Rabaul to commemorate the loss of lives of thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen of Australian, British and Papua / New Guinea forces and civilians.
Douglas was twenty seven when he died.

A History of the Weidenhofer Families in Australia 1846 - 2004. Written by Wyn Allen (née Weidenhofer) 2004 ©. Reproduced with permission of Stewart Allen, Barry Malcolm and Carlien Melrose.

Sources

• Information taken from the Weidenhofer Database compiled from family input and research for the book “A History of the Weidenhofer Families in Australia 1846 – 2004© ”.
  
• Reproduced with permission of Stewart Allen, Barry Malcolm and Carlien Melrose.
  

• Birth - South Australia BDM Birth index - genealogysa.org.au - HIGGINS Douglas Kevin Ian; M; William John HIGGINS; Adelaide; 963/247; 1915

• WW2 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - HIGGINS DOUGLAS KEVIN : Service Number - SX11426 : Date of birth - 19 Jun 1915 : Place of birth - ADELAIDE : Place of enlistment - WAYVILLE : Next of Kin - HIGGINS LAURA - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6394973

• Bombardier Missing (1942, July 9). News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128362680

• Private Casually Advices (1945, October 10). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), p. 9. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48671821

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1690132

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2615790/douglas-kevin-ian-higgins/