Kenneth (Ken) Burke Rubie was born 14 November 1903 in Molong, NSW. On 25 October 1939, at the age of 35, he enlisted at Orange NSW as a Private with the 2/4th Australian Infantry Battalion. In April 1941 he was captured in Greece, and spent the following three and a half years as a prisoner of war at the German camp Stalag XVIII-D at Marburg A Drau, on the border of Austria and Yugoslavia. On 31 August 1944 he was part of a large scale, successful escape from Marburg. The final entry of Rubie's diary is dated 18 September 1944 and reads '. Set down at Bari in North Italy, taken in charge by the 8th Army - given beautiful white bread, food, hot showers, three blankets. First time I had been warm for years. We were free, and arrangements were being made to send us home.' Rubie discharged on 1 August 1945.