Laurence
Joseph
"Laurie"
O'Brien
Born in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
[spouse(s) unknown]
[children unknown]
Died
at age 29
in At Sea
Profile last modified
| Created 1 May 2020
This page has been accessed 71 times.
Laurence O'Brien was a Prisoner of War during World War II.
Laurence O'Brien died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.
Biography
Laurence was born in 1913 at Hawthorn, VIC, the son of Joseph and Gladys Mary O'Brien.
He enlisted in the Australian Army for overseas service at Royal Park, Melbourne, VIC on 15 Jul 1940 as a Private (VX37429). At the time he was single, a bootmaker and was living with his sister Gladys in Kew, VIC. He had brown hair and blue eyes.
Although he was initially identified for the Australian Army Service Corps, he was posted to the Australian Army Ordnance Corps Ordnance Workshops at Seymour, VIC on 06 Dec 1940.
Following time spent in hospital he was transferred to 2/22nd Bn on 24 Mar 1941.
He entrained from Victoria for Sydney on 10 Apr 1941, embarking there on 12 Apr 1941 for Rabaul, New Britain in the Territory of New Guinea and disembarking there on 26 Apr 1941. His Battalion 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 Lassul Bay and became a Prisoner of War, initially held at Rabaul. Japanese records have him as a part of the Machine Gun Coy.
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.
Sources
- Birth - Victoria BDM Birth index - Event: births; Registration number: 4468 / 1913; Family name: OBRIEN; Given name(s): Lawrence Joseph; Place of event: HAWTHORN, Australia; Personal detail Mother's name: Gladys Mary; Mother's family name at birth: ATKINS; Father's Name: Unknown
- WW2 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - O'BRIEN LAWRENCE JOSEPH : Service Number - VX37429 : Date of birth - 28 Mar 1913 : Place of birth - HAWTHORN VIC : Place of enlistment - ROYAL PARK VIC : Next of Kin - GASCOYNE GLADYS - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6139299
- Deaths On Active Service - Family Notices (1945, October 29). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved May 2, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205655951 ... and ... Family Notices (1945, November 3). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved May 2, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205641391
- Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1682897
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2616109/o'brien,-lawrence-joseph/
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O > O'Brien > Laurence Joseph O'Brien
Categories: 2nd 22nd Infantry Battalion, Australian Army, World War II | Montevideo Maru Sinking, 1942 | Prisoners of War, Australia, World War II | Died while Prisoner of War, Australia, World War II