Pirie Soldier Died in Borneo
RSL (Port Pirie Sub Branch) Inc.Ronald Percy Worby SX8947 of 35 Sixth Street Port Pirie West enlisted with the 2nd A.I.F. on the 1st July 1940 at the Port Pirie Recruiting Office.
He was attached to the 8th Divisional Salvage Unit and was in Malaya when he was captured by the Japanese and was believed to be a prisoner of war on 15th April 1942.
Ronald was one of over 2000 Allied prisoners of war (POW) held in Sandakan POW camp in North Borneo, having been transferred there from Singapore as a part of E Force. The 500 Australian and 500 British POW’s who made up E Force left Changi on the 28th March 1943, on board the S.S. DeKlerk arriving at Berhala Island (adjacent to Sandakan Harbour) on the 15th April 1943.
He died on the 19th June 1945 of in Sandakan Prisoner of War camp of acute enteritis. Ronald Worby is also commemorated on the Labuan War Cemetery Memorial, Malaysia. His parents were Arthur Worby and Gertrude May Marshall and he had two brothers who also served in WW2. Kenneth Leslie and Lawrence Arthur Worby.
- Trove Australia https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/252051997
