1939-45 Star : Private R R Trotter, 8 Division Ammunition Company

Places
Accession Number REL38150.001
Collection type Heraldry
Object type Medal
Physical description Bronze
Maker Unknown
Place made United Kingdom
Date made c 1946
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Description

1939-45 Star. Impressed on reverse with recipient's details.

History / Summary

Robert Raymond Trotter was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 21 January 1909. He later emigrated to Australia and was working as a share farmer at Coomera, on what is now the Queensland Gold Coast, when the Second World War broke out. He travelled to Brisbane and enlisted in the Second AIF, on 25 July 1940.

After initial training, Private Trotter was assigned the service number QX17300 and posted to the 27th Infantry Brigade's Support Company, part of the Australian Army Service Corps. The Brigade sailed with the 8th Division to Singapore, arriving there on 15 August 1941. A few days later Trotter was transferred to the Divisional Ammunition Column. He served with this unit during the fighting in Malaya and on Singapore Island before the Allied surrender to the Japanese in Singapore on 15 February 1942.

As a prisoner of war Trotter was employed in various work parties for the Japanese at Singapore. He contracted dysentery in December 1942 and was convalescing when he was selected to join F Force in April 1943, a group of about 7000 men of whom half were Australians. The Japanese had advised that the men, most of whom were unfit for work, were to be sent north to the hills in Thailand for light work and rest. In reality the men were to work as forced labour on the Thailand section of the Burma-Thailand railway in the rush to complete the project.

F Force arrived by train at Bam Pong in Thailand in May and from there, forced to walk to their camps on the railway, up to 300 kilometres away in some cases. Lack of food, accommodation, medical supplies, sanitation and adequate clothing resulted in cholera, dysentery and malnutrition. A third of the Australians died before the Force was withdrawn to a hospital camp at Kanburi in mid November. By the end of December the survivors had returned to Changi, most in terrible physical condition. Trotter survived the railway to return to Singapore. However, he died of septicaemia on 15 July 1944 and is buried at the Kranji War Cemetery.

Although Trotter had nominated Violet Semmens as his next of kin when he enlisted, possibly the wife of one of his fellow share farmers, he was engaged to a young widow, Mrs Eva Cleave. The couple planned to marry after the war. At some time after his enlistment he asked that any future medals awarded to him be forwarded to Mrs Cleave in the event of his death, although she was not his nominated next of kin. The army honoured his wish and Mrs Cleave duly received them. She died in 1965, leaving the medals to her daughter.