Wilfred Lancelot Howlett (1919 - 1942)

Born 22 Jun 1919 in Casterton, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 23 in At Sea

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Biography

Lance Howlett was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Lance Howlett died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

Wilfred Lancelot Howlett was born in 1919 at Casterton, VIC. He was the son of Wilfred Howlett and Elsie Smith. The Howlette family recorded weather readings for the Department of Meteorology for many years.

Lance enlisted in the Australian Army for overseas service at Caulfield, VIC on 08 Jun 1940 as a Private (VX24179), having completed his attestation form at Casterton on 29 May 1940. At the time he was single, a labourer and was living at Dergholm, VIC with his father. He had dark hair and blue eyes.

Although initially identified for the 2/4th Field Regt, RAA, he was transferred to No 1 Training Depot and various Infantry Training Battalions before being posted to the 2/22nd Bn at Bonegilla, VIC on 13 Nov 1940.

He entrained from Victoria for Sydney on 10 Apr 1941, embarking there on 12 Apr 1941 for Rabaul, New Britain in the Territory of New Guinea and disembarking there on 26 Apr 1941. His Battalion was to form the core of "Lark Force" for the defence of the Territory.

After the Japanese invasion of 23 Jan 1942 he was captured at the Warangoi River and became a Prisoner of War initially held at Rabaul. Japanese records have him as a member of the machine gun Coy.

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

• Victoria Births - Registration number: 17851 / 1919; Family name: HOWLETT; Given name(s): Wilfred Lancelot; Place of event: CASTERTON, VIC, Australia; Personal detail Mother's name: Elsie Eliza; Mother's family name at birth: SMITH; Father's Name: William Lochard

• WW2 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - HOWLETT WILFRED LANCELOT : Service Number - VX24179 : Date of birth - 22 Jun 1919 : Place of birth - CASTERTON VIC : Place of enlistment - CAULFIELD VIC : Next of Kin - HOWLETT WILFRED - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6227052

• Deaths On Active Service - Family Notices (1945, October 27). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 21. Retrieved June 7, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12149627

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1690607

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2615814/howlett,-wilfrid-lancelot/

• Virtual War Memorial Australia: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/633020

• The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial: https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/prisoners-of-war/howlett-wilfred-lancelot/