The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (VX38839) Private William Downie, 105 General Transport Company, Second Australian Imperial Force, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Charis May, the story for this day was (VX38839) Private William Downie, 105 General Transport Company, Second Australian Imperial Force, Second World War.

Due to a technical fault there is no recording of this Last Post Ceremony

VX38839 Private William Downie, 105 General Transport Company, Second Australian Imperial Force
Died of illness 11 September 1943

Story delivered 4 September 2017

Today we pay tribute to Private William Downie.

Born in the town of Deniliquin in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales on 3 December 1909, William Downie was the son Thomas and Elizabeth Downie.

Known as “Bill”, William Downie was a talented sportsman. Growing up near Bendigo in central Victoria he played football for the Eaglehawk club before being recruited by the Footscray Football Club in the Victorian Football League.

Playing in the ruck, Downie played 54 games for Footscray before transferring to the St Kilda Football Club in 1933.

After one season with the Saints he moved to Deniliquin for a season before returning to Melbourne in 1934 where he joined the Northcote Football Club in the Victorian Football Association where he played in Nortchote’s 1936 premiership side that defeated Prahran in the grand final.

On 20 September 1940, at the age of 31, Downie enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force. As well as having served in the Militia for three years with the Australian Army Service Corps, he had worked as a driver and mechanic for the board of works. Accordingly, he was posted to the 1st Australian Mobile School of Mechanics in Caulfield, and commenced training.

Downie was married to Margaret Maud Downie, and together the pair had three children. But Downie was not to meet his youngest daughter, being posted for overseas service on 19 October 1940, before her birth.

Embarking in Sydney, Downie arrived in Egypt in late November. He then moved to a large camp in Palestine where he joined the 7th Division Ammunition Sub Park. During his time in the Middle East he would also serve with the 1st Australian Corps Petrol Park.

Following Japan’s entry into the war in early December 1941, Downie’s unit was ordered to return Australia. They set off on 1 February 1942, but during the return journey were diverted to Java, arriving in Batavia three weeks later.

There they joined other Australian units assembled on Java to form “Black Force” but following the capitulation of Allied forces there on the 12 March, Downie became a prisoner of the Japanese.

Downie was imprisoned at the “Bicycle Camp” in Batavia until October 1942 when he was left Java as part of a large work party bound for Burma. Arriving in Moulmein, the party joined a much larger work force of prisoners employed by the Japanese to construct the Burma-Thailand Railway.

Many of the prisoners working on the railway were malnourished and disease was rife. It was in Burma that Downie fell ill. Admitted to the Prisoner of War Patients Receiving Station in Apalon, he died of septicaemia caused by tropical ulcers.

He was 33 years old.

Initially buried in the camp cemetery at Apalon, Downie was later interred at the British and Commonwealth War Cemetery at Thanbyuzayat, in Myanmar.

His name is listed here on the Roll of Honour on my left, among some 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private William Downie, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Lachlan Grant
Historian, Military History Section