David Clive Critchley Hinder (1910 - 1989)

Ancestors

Biography

Dr David Clive Critchley Hinder was born on 4th August 1910 at Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia. He was the fifth and youngest son of Henry Hinder and Enid Pockley.^[1]

He served in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War; enlisted 5th November 1940, discharged 13th december 1945.^[2] He was with the medical detachment of 2/19th Australian Infantry Battalion. It trained at Walgrove, Ingleburn, and Bathurst before embraking for Singapore, as part of the 22nd Brigade of the 8th Australian Division, on 2nd February 1941. Immediately upon its arrival in Singapore on 18th February, the 2/19th moved north to Seremban in southern Malaya, where it would train for service under tropical conditions. The Japanese outflanked the 2/19th's position and on the morning of 20th January a torturous withdrawal towards Parit Sulong commenced. The force managed to fight its way through a succession of Japanese roadblocks, while constantly harried from its rear and from the air, but was halted by strong positions around the bridge across the Simpang Kiri River at Parit Sulong. With its ammunition exhausted, casualties mounting, and no chance of relief, the force struck out through the jungle for Yong Peng on the morning of 23rd January. It was forced to leave its wounded behind; they were subsequently massacred by the Japanese. Only 271 members of the 2/19th were mustered at Yong Peng and withdrawn to Johore Bahru. The under-strength battalion crossed onto Singapore Island on 31st January and took up defensive positions. The battle ended with surrender on the outskirts of Singapore city on the night of 15th February.^[3]

Initially imprisoned in the sprawling Changi prisoner of war camp, it was not long before members of the 2/19th were allocated to external work parties, including the Burma-Thailand railway and to camps in Borneo, Japan, French Indochina, Java, Sumartra, and Malaya. The surviving prisoners were liberated in late-August 1945. Medical personnel, such as David,^[4] were transferred to the 2/13th Australian General Hospital which, by 19th February, was treating 1,273 patients, its maximum effort during its short history. The 13th re-established itself in buildings at Selerang Barracks, part of the Changi prisoner-of-war complex. On 6th March the Japanese authorities directed that only one prisoner-of-war hospital would be maintained in Changi and the bulk of the Australian medical units, including the 13th General Hospital, were merged with the British hospital at Roberts Barracks.^[5]

Following repatriation and de-mobilisation at the end of the war, David married Laurice Alberta Morgan in 1947 at Sydney, New South Wales.^[6]

He passed away in 1989.^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #23446/1910
2. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: NX76302 (N99981) Captain David Clive Critchley Hinder; accessed 1 Sep 2018
3. ↑ Australian War Memorial unit record: 2/19th Australian Infantry Battalion; accessed 1 Sep 2018
4. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: NX76302 (N99981) Captain David Clive Critchley Hinder; accessed 1 Sep 2018
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial unit record: 2/13th Australian General Hospital; accessed 1 Sep 2018
6. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #15909/1947
7. ↑ unsubstantiated family records