c. 1942. Informal portrait of VX27656 Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) Robert Leslie (Bobby) Hook, J ...

c. 1942. Informal portrait of VX27656 Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) Robert Leslie (Bobby) Hook, J Section, 1st Corps Signals, 8th Division. L/Cpl Hook of Donald, Vic, enlisted in June 1940, leaving Sydney on the Queen Mary on 4 February 1941. On arrival in Malaya, he was attached to 22nd Infantry Brigade Headquarters. This unit retreated in January 1942 to Singapore, in order to strengthen their position against the advancing Japanese. On 10 February 1942, they occupied a position in the Wai Soon Gardens, known as the Duck Ponds because of the loud quacking by large numbers of ducks. L/Cpl Hook was wounded in a counter attack by the Japanese, and rescued by a mate, NX35367 Signalman (Sig) Hilton George (Tod) Morgan, of Boorowa, NSW, and transported to the Alexandra Hospital. While being pursued by Japanese troops, some detached Indian troops fell back into the hospital still firing. The Japanese bayoneted a number of staff and patients including one lying on the operating table, herded the remaining 150 into a bungalow and the next morning massacred them. L/Cpl Hook was amongst those massacred on 15 February 1942. L/Cpl Hook and Sig Morgan were members of J Section Cable team along with NX32437 Lance Sergeant Geoffrey Clyde Bingham, who was awarded the Military Medal for his role in the counter attack, and NX55215 Driver V. N. W. (Vic) Levi.

• Portrait of Annie Louisa Fletcher (later Hook) of Donald, Victoria, mother of VX27656 Lance ...