John George Stanley White (1919 - 1942)

Born 25 Jun 1919 in Durham, England, United Kingdom

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 23 in At Sea

Biography

Stanley White was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Stanley White died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

Stan was born in 1919 at Durham, England, the son of Thomas and Margaret White.

He and his parents migrated to Victoria.

He enlisted in the Australian Army for overseas service at Royal Park, Melbourne , VIC on 01 Jul 1940 as a Private (VX32827). At the time he was single, a baker at Frowley's Bakeries and was living with his mother at Oakleigh, VIC. He had black hair and brown eyes.

He had previously served with the Infantry, 3rd Div, 10th Bde (presumably the British Army).

He was posted to 2/22nd Bn on 27 Aug 1940.

He entrained in Victoria for Sydney on 11 Mar 1941, embarking on HMT "Katoomba" on 12 Mar 1941 bound for Rabaul, New Britain in the Territory of New Guinea, disembarking there on 28 Mar 1941 where his battalion formed the core of "Lark Force" for the defence of the Territory.

He was attached to the 2/10 Field Ambulance as a Driver.

After the Japanese invasion of 23 Jan 1942, he was captured on the Lassul Bay Coast and became a Prisoner of War, initially held at Rabaul. Japanese records have him as a Driver attached to Headquarters.

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 - UK GRO Birth index - WHITE, JOHN GEORGE STANLEY; REDHEAD; GRO Reference: 1919 S Quarter in DURHAM Volume 10A Page 747

• WW2 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - WHITE JOHN GEORGE STANLEY : Service Number - VX32827 : Date of birth - 25 Jun 1919 : Place of birth - DURHAM ENGLAND : Place of enlistment - ROYAL PARK VIC : Next of Kin - WHITE MARGARET - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6225529

• Deaths On Active Service - Family Notices (1945, October 13). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved April 4, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205647462

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1692413

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission: https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2616473/white,-john-george-stanley/

• Virtual War Memorial Australia: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/652091

• The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial: https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/prisoners-of-war/white-john-george-stanley/