John Melville Boyle (1913 - 1942)

Born 5 Aug 1913 in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 28 in At Sea

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Biography

John Boyle was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

John Boyle died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

John Melville Boyle was born in 1913 at Warrnambool, VIC, the son of John McLeod and Catherine Boyle.

He enlisted in the Australian Army for overseas service at Caulfield, VIC on 08 Jun 1940 as a Private (VX24202), having completed his attestation form at Warrnambool on 30 May 1940. At the time he was single, a canister hand (an occupation associated with sheet metal working) and was living at Warrnambool with his father. He had dark brown hair and grey eyes.

He was posted to 2/22nd Bn on 15 Jul 1940.

Between Oct 1940 and Jan 1941 he was Absent Without Leave several times. It was probably around this time he married Hilda Phyllis Berry in Victoria.

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.

His daughter, Beverley Dawn was born in Victoria on 08 Nov 1941.

After the Japanese invasion of 23 Jan 1942 he was captured at Keravat and became a Prisoner of War, initially held at Rabaul. Japanese records have him as a part of D Coy.

He was among those who were able to write a carefully scripted letter to next of kin advising that they were a POW. The letters were dropped from a Japanese plane over Port Moresby, Papua.^[1]

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

1. ↑ Red Cross POW Enquiry cards - https://gallery.its.unimelb.edu.au/imu/imu.php?request=multimedia&irn=29851

• Birth - Victoria BDM Birth index - Event: births; Registration number: 27089 / 1913; Family name: BOYLE; Given name(s): Jno Melville; Place of event: WARRNAMBUL, VIC, Australia; Personal detail Mother's name: Cath; Mother's family name at birth: MELVILLE; Father's Name: Jno Mcleod

• WW2 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - BOYLE JOHN MELVILLE : Service Number - VX24202 : Date of birth - 05 Aug 1913 : Place of birth - WARRNAMBOOL VIC : Place of enlistment - CAULFIELD VIC : Next of Kin - BOYLE H - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6227094

• Marriage - Victoria BDM Marriage index - Event: marriages; Registration number: 3570 / 1941; Family name: BOYLE; Given name(s): John; Personal detail Spouse's family name: BERRY; Spouse's given name(s): Hilda

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1698145

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2615410/boyle,-john-melville/

• Virtual War Memorial Australia: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/620797

• The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/prisoners-of-war/boyle-john-melville/