William Atkinson (1904 - 1942)

Born 3 May 1904 in New Lambton, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 38 in At Sea

Biography

William Atkinson was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

William Atkinson died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

William Atkinson was born on 3 May 1904 in New Lambton, NSW, AUS, the son of William Atkinson and Margaret, nee Robinson ^[1].

William moved to the Territory of New Guinea in about 1929 ^[2] and was the owner of the Tarbilton plantation at Kerevat, near Rabaul on New Britain. When the Japanese invaded in Jan 1942 he was captured at Kerevat and interned as a civilian prisoner.

He died on board the "Montevideo Maru" when it was torpedoed and sunk on 01 Jul 1942, en route from Rabaul to Hainan where he was destined for forced labour ^[3]

He was not married.

Research Notes

O'Meara-503 00:30, 1 April 2024 (UTC):

• William's next of kin on his war records is his sister Dorothy Atkinson. Therefore it is likely that both William and Dorothy were unmarried.
• William was residing at Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, working as a 'planter and trader'.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth Index (NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages : accessed 31 Mar 2024), Index entry for ATKINSON WILLIAM; Parents: WILLIAM & MARGARET A; District: NEW LAMBTON; Registration Number: 13218/1904 
2. ↑ HAPPY PARTY (1938, January 26). Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), p. 5. Retrieved April 1, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133646850
3. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/115773401/william-atkinson: accessed March 31, 2024), memorial page for William Atkinson (3 May 1904–1 Jul 1942), Find a Grave Memorial ID 115773401, citing Australian War Memorial, Campbell, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia; Maintained by John Winterbotham (contributor 48166878).

• Death Form - National Archives of Australia - Defence - General - Information of deaths for persons lost on the MONTEVIDEO MARU - https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=102239&S=11

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/3173218/william-atkinson/

• Probate - Administration and Probate Ordinance 1937-1947. Sections 100, 111 and 123. (1950, September 14). Territory of Papua and New Guinea Government Gazette (1949 - 1971), p. 201. Retrieved May 29, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article249427200 - http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article249427200