Issue #02 - April-June 2021
“At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them”
Lest we Forget
Anzac Day 2021 Special
- Discover their stories -
- Understand their sacrifice -
- Honour their legacy -
HWT News
(news@historicwartours.com.au)
To commemorate Anzac Day 2021, we have the story of two men who worked as forced labour on the Burma-Thailand Railway, as prisoners of war of the Japanese. Both were part of the 3,000 strong Australian “A Force” which left Singapore by ship in May 1942 and travelled to Burma. Their experience as a POW was vastly different. One would be executed for trying to escape and the other would be a survivor of the sinking of a “hellship” on it’s way to Japan.
Private Robert Goulden
Private Goulden was amongst the first Australians to be sent to Burma to work as forced loabour for the Japanese. Escape from Japanese work camps for Allied and Dutch POW’s was difficult. But, against the odds, Private Goulden would attempt an escape to get back to his young wife in Australia. Four days later, it would have tragic consequences.
Private Harold Martin
Private Martin was sent to Singapore and was amongst 15,000 Australian soldiers who became prisoners of war of the Japanese following the Fall of Singapore in February 1942. He would be free by the end of 1944 but had to endure all manner of hardships while a POW. He survived the Burma-Thailand Railway only to become one of the few survivors of the sinking of the Rakuyo Maru while enroute to Japan. He would live a long life but his thoughts were always with those who did not make it home.
Escape from the Japanese in WWII
The tale of Private Goulden is sad but wasn’t unique. The Japanese were ruthless in their treatment of Allied and Dutch POW’s captured after the Fall of Singapore. But little is memtioned of escape attempts and their outcome. An Australian Government report from 2017 investigated some of these cases. The stories of courage in the face of adversity makes for interesting reading.
Changi Chapel & Museum
News out of Singapore last week is that the Changi Chapel & Museum is due to reopen in May 2021 following a three year redevelopment. The Singapore Straits Times reported that the museum has new content and an expanded collection to compliment other WWII sites such as Reflections at Bukit Chandu (also due to reopen this year) and the Former Ford Factory.
