Charles Francis Bryen preferred to be called Frank. He was born in 1910 in Waverley, NSW, the eldest son of Charles and Louisa Bryen. His nickname was Tiny.[1]
He was in the Territory of New Guinea by 1932.[2] He was a clerk in the private sector.[3]
He married Dorothy Beryl, probably in Rabaul, New Guinea. There were no children
Frenk was a member of the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, a volunteer Milia unit sponsored by the Australian Army, but not permitted to be part of it under the League of Nations Mandate until after Japan entered the War. He was called to active duty as a Rifleman (NG4032) on 21 Jan 1942, 2 days before the Japanese invaded New Britain on 23 Jan 1942. He was captured at Lalavat and became a Prisoner of War, initially held at Rabaul. He died on board the "Montevideo Maru" when it was 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 NGX491.
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Categories: Waverley, New South Wales | New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, Australian Army, World War II | Montevideo Maru Sinking, 1942 | Rabaul War Cemetery and Memorial, Papua New Guinea | Rabaul Montevideo Maru War Memorial, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea | Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Lake Wendouree, Victoria | Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | Prisoners of War, Australia, World War II | Died while Prisoner of War, Australia, World War II