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25.01.2022 2/4TH MACHINE GUN BATTALION, 8TH DIVISION AIF WW2 Toyama POW Camp was located in midst of a rice paddy field about one mile from Toyama, close to sea port Aomori, northeast of Kobe. POWs were employed mostly at docks unloading iron ore for local a steel mill as well as cement, salt & beans. Each man carried 10 tons per day on their back. During the last weeks, POWs were working 24 hours on and 12 hours off. Food was scarce and bashings frequent.... At about 11 am on 15th August 1945, much to their surprise POWs were marched back to their Camp. At midday they were told there was no more work for them. The POWs guessed the war was over, but they had not been informed. Feeling sure the war was over one Australian POW VX2912 Bill Dunn told WX4985 Norm Harris of 2/4th, he was going to test the Japanese! He would take a walk. Harris was hesitant and very concerned, knowing full well how unpredictable the Japanese were especially in different or new circumstances. Bill was unchallenged as he walked through the Camp gate! The first person he came across was an American Colonel who advised him the Americans knew there were POWs in the Camp. A car flying a General’s pennant drove towards them the American Colonel stopped the car telling the ‘Nip’ General seated inside that he wanted the car. The Japanese General dug in and refused. The American drew his pistol and ordered the General out of car, then made him hand over his sword. Just imagine the Toyama Camp scene ..Bill Dunn arrived back as a passenger in a Japanese General’s vehicle, driven by an American Colonel! Read further about Toyama POWs. http://2nd4thmgb.com.au/camp/toyama-nagoya-7-b-japan/ And ‘J’ Force Japan: http://2nd4thmgb.com.au/story/j-force/

24.01.2022 2/4th MACHINE GUN BATTALION, 8TH DIVISION, AIF, WW2 www.2nd4thmgb.com.au Who were the 43 men from ‘A’ COMPANY, No. 4 PLATOON?... At the end of the war, 25 men survived to return home to Western Australia, 18 men lost their lives 7 died at Sandakan-Ranau, Borneo 3 perished following sinking of ‘Rakuyo’ Maru, September 1944, 2 died during battle for Singapore 6 POWs died illness working on Burma-Thai Railway (including Rubery who died Singapore having returned from Railway) Commanding Officers were WX3440 Lt F G McCaffrey - was appointed 2 I/C of 'A' Company HQ with the appointment of Major Saggers to Special Reserve Battalion McCaffrey attended Japanese War Crimes Trials at Rabaul from 30/4/1946 - 21/6/1946. and WX8484 Lt. H J 'Jack' Manning - DOW 12 February 1942, aged 27 years. Was your father or grandfather in this 2/4th Platoon? Do you have a relative who served with No. 4 Platoon? Please take a look http://2nd4thmgb.com.au/story/company-no-4-platoon/ Email: [email protected]

16.01.2022 2/4th MACHINE GUN BATTALION, 8TH DIV. AIF WW2 We proudly introduce our Indigenous members this 2020 NAIDOC week 8-15 November. All became POWs of the Japanese at Singapore and Java 1942 .... 1. CARLYON William WX15785 2. FLARTY Neave WX17374 3. HANSEN Robert WX15736 4. HILL John WX8756 5. MORRISON Arthur Edward WX15746 6. NINYETTE Samuel WX16417 7. RALPH Arthur WX20107 8. RONAN Edward John WX1626 Please read further 2nd4thmgb.com.au/story/7139/ www.2nd4thmgb.com.au

09.01.2022 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion, 8th Division AIF WW2 WX74346 Leslie KRASNOSTEIN (aka Krass) April 1945 at Fukuoka 17 POW Camp, Japan. ... Fukuoka #17 Branch Prisoner of War Camp was a Japanese Prisoner-of-war camp located at Mitsui Kozan Miike Kogyo-Sho coal mine and Mitsui Zinc Foundry in Shinminato-machi, Omuta-shi, Fukuoka-ken, Japan. During a night-shift search through POW’s clothing for a lunch box stolen from a Japanese civilian working in the mine known as the ‘overman’ and nicknamed ‘The Peanut’ by POWs - 2/4th POW Les Krasnostein WX7446 was found to have a cigarette in his pocket there by accident BUT absolutely forbidden. Whether the lunch box was found or not is not known. His face and head had been beaten by mine officials before he reached the ground level where he was immediately taken to the Guard House. Here ‘Krass’ as he was known, was beaten unmercifully with a four feet long X 2 inch diameter stick. He returned to Camp, guards took his food. As the POWs prepared to leave Camp for their next night shift at the mine, the guards removed Krass from the work party. For the next 24 hours he was forced to kneel on sharp stones whilst holding a bucket of water on his knees - except for a 15-minute break to sweep around the guardhouse. During this time, buckets of icy water were regularly thrown over him and at frequent intervals he was beaten by pieces of wood, bamboo, rifle butts and heavy boots. As guards walked by they would kick or punch him. The next day Capt. Asao Fukuhara, camp commandant had Krasnostein stripped to the waist, forced to kneel and administered a shocking beating with a piece of rubber 2 to 2.5 inches wide resulting in heavy weals over face, head, neck and shoulders. He received about 100 strokes. On sick parade Kranostein was so badly bruised he was ordered not to work for a week by an American doctor. Omuta POW Camp was liberated on 2 September, 1945. Such was the brutality of the guards and civilians at Omuta, and many other POW Camps. Please read the Affidavit by Krasnostein. http://2nd4thmgb.com.au//krasnostein-beating-at-fukuoka-s/ ,

08.01.2022 2/4th MACHINE GUN BATTALION WW2 Today, 11 November 2020 We Remember on Remembrance Day... The Men of 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion, 8th Div, AIF WW2 Who Fought & Died at Singapore, those who died Burma-Thai Railway, Sumatra Railway, Sandakan, French Indo-China, South China Sea and Japan & Those who Returned Home, their Lives Forever Changed. Lest We Forget Our Departed Comrades By Ted Murtagh, 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion In the depths of southern Burma Our departed comrades lay Their grave there, marked by crosses Beside the railway stay. To make the hellish passage of those Who passed that way. They toiled, starved and suffered, Our captors did not care If we had no food or medicine To fight disease with there And when there came a small amount They had the lion’s share The doctors fought their hardest And did their level best To bring them through the darkness To keep life in their breasts But they went on their journey And we left them there to rest Comrades, left behind out there, In our hearts will be Your memory, till our race is run And we meet up there with thee. WX10792 Edwin John Murtagh, 2/4th MGB survived working to constructing airfields in Burma, working on Burma end of Burma-Thai Railway for 12 months, was then sent Japan ‘Awa’ Maru, worked Fukuoka sub-Camp No. 24 Sendyu. Recovered Japan end of war.

07.01.2022 2/4TH MACHINE GUN BATTALION, 8TH DIVISION, AIF WW2 Story of four mates: Jimmy Hall, Blaschek, Struthers, Wilkie who lived, worked and survived the Depressions of England and Australia and enlisted WW2.... Three came home to learn their fourth mate - Jimmy/Scottie Wilkie, with E Force Borneo had perished Sandakan 17 May 1945 aged 36 years. Hall, Struthers and Wilkie immigrated to Western Australian as young men, working as labourers and miners. Blaschek who was born in South Australia came to the goldfields with two brothers. "At the completion of grade 7 aged 13 years, Dick was sent to work on neighbouring farms. Work was hard, the hours long and his earnings included board and a few shillings. He drove large teams of horses ploughing paddocks for wheat growing in the Mallee area. He often spoke of the hardship he endured at this early age. Sleeping in sheds on wheat bags, weathering the cold winter morning and rising early every day. He also spoke of his love for the horses and kindness of some of the farmer’s wives who gave him extra food and even taught him some of the things he should have been learning at home. As a young man Dick left South Australia with his brothers Bill and Frank, driving across the Nullarbor to work at the Norseman gold mines. With the outbreak of WW2, Dick enlisted 23 October 1940. He joined 2/4th and became a Stretcher Bearer with Battalion HQ. His training included first-aid and combat." Please read further about these mates who met up after enlisting AIF 30 October 1940 http://2nd4thmgb.com.au//mates-wx8690-hall-wx8709-blasche/