ROY ARNOLD DONNELLY

Born

On 9 May 1910 at Railton.

Connection to South Riana

Worked in South Riana.

Parents

Albert James DONNELLY and Rhoda PUGH who were married at Latrobe on 1 June 1908.

Siblings

George Arthur born Pugh 1903 - 1903

Henry James 1908 - 1982

George William 1912 – 1995

Kathleen Clara 1914 – 1979

John Selwyn 1916 – 1980

Albert Tarleton 1919 – 2001

Dulcie Maud 1922 – 1999

Married

Ellen Rose KEOGH (1914 – 2012) in 1949

Family

Betty

Allan Royce  1951

Marie

Died

On 10 July 1978 in Hobart and is buried in the cemetery at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Oatlands.

School Records

Not available.

Military Records

Service Number VX61488.  Enlisted at Royal Park, Vic.  on 11 August 1941 and was posted to 2/2 Pioneer Btn as a Private. His next of kin was listed as his father Mr J Donnelly of Wilmot. He was a single farm labourer. Two weeks after enlistment Roy  was transferred to the Army Camp at Bonegilla, Vic and then after initial training embarked on the HMT “LL” Convoy 13 on 2 November 1941 for the Middle East where he disembarked three weeks later. At the end of January the following year he embarked the M.E. on “SS Orcades” for Batavia. In April 1942 he was reported as missing in action in Java, but it wasn’t until October that he was believed to be a POW. He had been interred in a Prisoner’s Camp in Thailand and in April 1945 was recovered from the Japanese. He returned to Australia in October and after some months recovering in hospital in Tasmania he was discharged on 18 December 1945. On discharge he was described as 35 ½ years of age, with blue eyes, fair hair, a fair complexion and standing 5’ 4 ½ “. He had served 59 days in Australia and 1449 overseas.