STANLEY, JOHN RONALD Rank: Private Service No: NX56325 Date of Death: 25/05/1945 Age: 31 Regiment/Service: Australian Infantry A.I.F. 2/18 Bn. Panel Reference: Panel 11. Memorial: LABUAN MEMORIAL Additional Information: Son of Thomas Richard and Ada May Stanley, of Glebe Point, New South Wales. Casualty Details
Service records are available here: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4896231 Listed within the Roll of Honour in Lynette Silver's Conspiracy of Silence (Fourth Revised Edition, 2011) as being a prisoner at Sandakan, his cause of death is given as beriberi. He was originally buried at Sandakan Number 1, which was on the crest of a hill on the eastern side of a track leading to Number 1 Compound, near the 8 mile post. Mark
NSW. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of NX56325 Private John Ronald Stanley, 2/18th Battalion, Australian Infantry. He was one of over 2000 Allied prisoners of war (POW) held in the ... NSW. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of NX56325 Private John Ronald Stanley, 2/18th Battalion, Australian Infantry. He was one of over 2000 Allied prisoners of war (POW) held in the 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 28 March 1943, on board the S.S. DeKlerk arriving at Berhala Island (adjacent to Sandakan Harbour) on 15 April 1943. The POW's were held there until 5 June, when they were taken by barge to Sandakan. The next day they were transferred to the 8 Mile Camp, which was about half a mile from the B Force compound. Private Stanley, aged 31, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 25 May 1945. He was the son of Thomas Richard and Ada May Stanley, of Glebe Point, NSW. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 11. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)
I thought I should recheck the details I quoted above, and found I misread the cemetery details - read the line above the correct entry - John Ronald Stanley was originally buried at the Ranau 1 Jungle Camp (Sinarut), his cause of death given as malarial meningitis. Apologies Mark
Service Record Name STANLEY, JOHN RONALD Service Australian Army Service Number NX56325 Date of Birth 1 Feb 1914 Place of Birth COLEDALE, NSW Date of Enlistment 4 Jul 1940 Locality on Enlistment GLEBE POINT, NSW Place of Enlistment PADDINGTON, NSW Next of Kin STANLEY, ADA Date of Death 25 May 1945 Rank Private Posting on Death 2/18 Australian Infantry Battalion WW2 Honours and Gallantry None for display Prisoner of War Yes Roll of Honour Unknown
