Ronald Keith Halliday (1919 - 1942)

Born 2 Feb 1919 in Largs Bay, South Australia, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 23 in At Sea

Biography

Ronald Halliday was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Ronald Halliday died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

Ronald Keith Halliday was born in 1919 at Largs Bay, S.A. , the son of Ernest Roy Halliday and Emma Violet Thomasine Lean^[1].

He had served part time in the Australian Army (Militia) with 3 Field Coy, Royal Australian Engineers from 24 Jun 1935 to 10 Oct 1939 as a Sapper. He then enlisted in the Permanent Military Forces (Militia) on 20 May 1940 at Fort Largs, S.A. as a Sapper (6547, later SP6547). At the time he was single and a clerk. He was 5 ft 7 & 1/2 in tall with ruddy complexion,brown hair and hazel eyes. He served with 4 Fortress Coy at Fort Largs.

On 01 Mar 1941 he enlisted for War service and was allocated to the Special Coastal Defence Force (part of Lark Force). At some point he was appointed T/Cpl.

He disembarked at Rabaul in the Territory of New Guinea on 26 Apr 1941 and joined the Rabaul Fortress Coy as part of the garrison.

When the Japanese invaded in Jan 1942 he was captured at Kerevat on New Britain and became a Prisoner of War, initially held at Rabaul. 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.

He was posthumously enrolled in the 2nd AIF as SX38280.

Sources

1. ↑ Genealogy South Australia: Birth. HALLIDAY, Ronald Keith; 02-Feb-1919; M; Ernest Roy HALLIDAY; Emma Violet Tomasine LEAN; Largs; Port Adelaide; 32A/22. https://www.genealogysa.org.au/

• WW2 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - HALLIDAY RONALD KEITH : Service Number - SX38280 : Date of birth - 09 Feb 1919 : Place of birth - LARGS BAY SA : Place of enlistment - RABAUL T N S : Next of Kin - HALLIDAY EARNEST - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6327412

• Private Casualty Advices (1945, October 13). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), p. 10. Retrieved December 12, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48672303

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1706472

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2615734/ronald-keith-halliday/

• Virtual War Memorial Australia: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/574508

• The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial: https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/prisoners-of-war/halliday-ronald-keith/