Allan Stanley Cameron (1918 - 1942)

Born 16 Oct 1918 in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 23 in At Sea

https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/8953

Biography

Stanley Cameron was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Stanley Cameron died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

Allan Stanley Cameron was born in 1918 in North Sydney, NSW, the son of Gordon H Cameron and Mabel Myrtle Allan.

He enlisted in the Australian Army at Caulfield, VIC on 13 Jun 1940 as a Private (VX26283), having completed his attestation form at Sale, VIC on 10 Jun 1940. At the time he was single, a labourer and living at Orbost, VIC. His father, as next of kin was living at Leura, NSW. He had light brown hair and blue eyes.

He was posted to 2/22nd Bn on 31 Jul 1940.

He entrained from Victoria for Sydney on 11 Mar 1941, embarking there on HMT "Katoomba" on 12 Mar 1941 for Rabaul, New Britain in the Territory of New Guinea and disembarking there on 28 Mar 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 part of B 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.

After the War, his mother requested (and received) the official photo from his service file.

Sources

• Department of Justice, New South Wales, Registry of Birth, Deaths and Marriages: Birth. CAMERON, ALLAN S; 48209/1918; GORDON H; MYRTLE H; PADDINGTON. https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/

• WW2 Australian Army Service File - National Archives of Australia - CAMERON STANLEY ALLAN : Service Number - VX26283 : Date of birth - 16 Oct 1918 : Place of birth - NORTH SYDNEY NSW : Place of enlistment - CAULFIELD VIC : Next of Kin - CAMERON GORDON - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6203055

• MOTHER'S QUEST (1944, November 28). The Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), p. 2 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved May 9, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article229276278

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1691691

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2615463/cameron,-stanley-allan/

• Stanley Allan Cameron (The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/ : accessed 16 Mar 2024)