Francis Roy Hains (1913 - 1942)

Born 19 Sep 1913 in Beaufort, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 28 in At Sea

Biography

Francis Hains was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Francis Hains died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

Francis Roy Hains was born in 1913 in Beaufort, VIC, the son of Percy Frederick Theo Haines and Eunice Moore.

He enlisted in the Australian Army for overseas service at Royal Park, Melbourne, VIC on 12 Aug 1940 as a Private (VX38306), having completed his attestation form on 15 Jul 1940 at Beaufort, VIC. At the time he was single, a labourer and was living in Beaufort, VIC. He gave his oldest brother, Percy in Beaufort as his next of kin. He had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes.

He married Dulcie Beryl Crick in Victoria in 1940.

He was posted to 2/22nd Bn on 07 Jan 1941.

He entrained from Victoria to Sydney on 11 Mar 1941, embarked in Sydney on HMT "Katoomba" on 12 Mar 1941 for Rabaul, New Britain in the Territory of New Guinea, disembarking there on 28 Mar 1941. His Battalion was to form the core of "Lark Force" to defend the Territory.

After the Japanese invasion of 23 Jan 1942, he was captured at Kokopo and became a Prisoner of War, initially held at Rabaul. Japanese records show him as part of Y 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

• Birth - Victoria BDM Birth index - Event: births; Registration number: 18712 / 1913; Family name: HAINS; Given name(s): Fran Roy; Place of event: BEAUFORT, VIC, Australia; Personal detail Mother's name: Eunice; Mother's family name at birth: MOORE; Father's Name: Percy Fred Theo

• WW2 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - HAINS FRANCIS ROY : Service Number - VX38306 : Date of birth - 19 Sep 1913 : Place of birth - BEAUFORT VIC : Place of enlistment - ROYAL PARK VIC : Next of Kin - HAINS DULCIE - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6133409

• Marriage - Victoria BDM Marriage index - Event: marriages; Registration number: 20255 / 1940; Family name: HAINS; Given name(s): Fran Roy; Personal detail Spouse's family name: CRICK; Spouse's given name(s): Dulcie Beryl

• Deaths On Active Service - Family Notices (1945, October 9). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 2. Retrieved March 27, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12146063

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1705443

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2615732/hains,-francis-roy/

• Virtual War Memorial Australia: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/630644

• The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial: https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/prisoners-of-war/hains-francis-roy/