Orville Hugh Woodhams (1901 - 1942)

Born 29 May 1901 in Croydon, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Grace Mabel (Sheppard) Woodhams — married 1941 in Victoria, Australia

Died 1 Jul 1942 at age 41 in At Sea

Biography

Orville Woodhams was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Orville Woodhams died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

Orville Hugh Woodhams was born in 1901 in Croydon, England, the son of Joseph Charles and Lillian Woodhams.

In 1938 he was involved in a fatal motor accident in Melbourne, Victoria - he was found to be not at fault.^[1]

He married Grace Mabel Norris in Victoria in 1941 (possibly on 27 Feb 1941). Prior to that his next of kin was Howard Woodhams, his eldest brother who lived in East Croydon, England.

He enlisted in the Australian Army for overseas service at Melbourne Town Hall on 06 Jun 1940 as a Private (VX30687). At the time he was single, a cafe proprietor of the Chelsea Cafe, Chelsea, Victoria.

He was initially allocated to the 8th Div Supply Column, and was appointed Temporary Corporal on 16 Aug 1940 and T/Sgt on 01 Sep 1940.

He was transferred to 2/22Bn. on 25 Jan 1941, reverting to Private but being appointed T/ Lance Sergeant on 27 Jan 1941. He disembarked in Rabaul in the Territory of New Guinea on 28 Mar 1941.

When the Japanese invaded New Britain in Jan 1942 he was captured at Kokopo and became a Prisoner of War.

He died on board the "Montevideo Maru" when it was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of the Philippines en route from Rabaul to Hainan where he was destined for forced labour.

Sources

1. ↑ MOTOR-CYCLE FATALITY (1938, September 16). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 3. Retrieved October 2, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12487037

• Birth - UK GRO BDM Birth index - WOODHAMS, ORVILL HUGH; STAUFFER; GRO Reference: 1900 S Quarter in CROYDON Volume 02A Page 220

• Marriage - Victoria BDM Marriage index - Event: marriages; Registration number: 3634 / 1941; Family name: NORRIS; Given name(s): Grace Mabel; Personal detail Spouse's family name: WOODHAMS; Spouse's given name(s): Orville Hugh

• Australian Army Service Record - National Archives of Australia - WOODHAMS ORVILLE HUGH : Service Number - VX30687 : Date of birth - 29 May 1901 : Place of birth - CROYDON ENGLAND : Place of enlistment - ROYAL PARK VIC : Next of Kin - WOODHAMS MABEL - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6225678

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1695114

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2616507/woodhams,-orville-hugh/

• Virtual War Memorial Australia: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/653137

• The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial: https://www.powmemorialballarat.com.au/prisoners-of-war/woodhams-orville-hugh/