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Alfred West

Alfred West was born in near Boonah on the 13th of October 1910 to Mr Edward West and Mrs Whilhelmine Fredericke West (nee Wernowski) as the fifth of their 9 children.

Additional Information:

Alfred West was born in near Boonah on the 13th of October 1910 to Mr Edward West and Mrs Whilhelmine Fredericke West (nee Wernowski) as the fifth of their 9 children. His older siblings (from eldest to youngest) were Harold, Edward. Minnie and Frederick. His younger siblings (from eldest to youngest) were Ethel, Eva, Henry and George. The family farm (for Edward snr was a farmer) was in the suburb of Templin to the west of Boonah. Alfred lived in the area throughout his life and worked as a labourer. He enlisted in the second AIF on the 23rd of July 1940. He was Killed in Action on the 11th of February 1942 during the final days of the Fall of Singapore.

During the 70-day Japanese campaign in Malaya and Singapore, Commonwealth casualties amounted to 8,708 killed or wounded and 138,000 captured. Of the 18,490 Australian troops deployed, 1,789 were killed and 1,306 were wounded, with most of the surviving troops becoming prisoners of war. In total 38,496 British, 67,340 Indian and 14,382 local troops served in this campaign, most of whom were captured. It was the worst defeat for British Commonwealth forces in the entire Second World War.

Kranji War Cemetery - Video James Tann Youtube

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