Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Lot 3694    Session 12 (11.30am Thursday 26 March)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Estimate $2,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $3,300

GROUP OF SEVEN TO POW: British Empire Medal (EIIR); 1939-45 Star; Pacific Star; War Medal 1939-45; Australia Service Medal 1939-45; Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (EIIR Dei Gratia) with Australia suspender; Commonwealth of Australia Meritorious Service Medal (EIIR Dei Gratia). 5/3173 Sgt. George J. Bonser. R.A.A.S.C. on first medal, WX10361 G.J.Bonser on second to fifth medals, 5/3173 Sgt. G.J.Bonser. A.M.F. on sixth medal, 53173 Sgt G.J.Bonser ARA on last medal. The first five medals impressed, the last two engraved. Swing mounted, contact marks, otherwise very fine - good very fine.

Together with original Certificate of Discharge from AMF; photos. BEM: CAG 36/58.

Citation: 'George Jospeh Bonser enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces for service overseas on 18th December, 1940. He served in the Middle East with the 2nd/3rd Machine Gun Battalion, which was later transferred to the South West Pacific Area where, in Java on 9th March, 1942, he was captured by the Japanese. Whilst a prisoner of war, Segeant Bonser worked on the Thailand Railway and in a coalmine at Chama (sic, actually Ohama), Japan, and during that time he suffered from dysentery, malaria and beri beri.

After only three months of his release from the Japanese, Segeant Bonser applied to join the Permanent Military Forces. He was allotted for duty with the 5th Military District Echelon and Records, and with the rank of Corporal he was selected to accompany the German and Italian prisoners of war who were being returned to Europe.

On return to Australia, Sergeant Bonser in 1948 was posted to 103 General Transport Company, Royal Australian Army Service Corps, and later was posted to 3rd Division Column, Royal Australian Army Service Corps, on 9th August, 1950.

During the past seven years Sergeant Bonser has consistently displayed exemplary devotion to duty. As a senior clerk in a CMF division, his selfless diligence and attention to detail, in an appointment involving an abnormally high volume of work, set an excellent example to the young soldiers serving under him. In his present appointment as confidential sergeant clerk in charge of officers' records and postings, his reliability, commonsense, and meticulous accuracy are quite outstanding.'

LS&GCM: CAG 29/59. C of A.

MSM: CAG 105/63.

George Joseph Bonser, born 19Jan1917 at Claremont, Western Australia; Enl.18Dec1940 at Perth, Western Australia; Emb.09Sep1941 for Middle East; to MG Trg Bn at Palestine 21Oct1941; to 2/3rd MG Bn as machine gunner 18Dec1941; Emb.31Jan1942 from Suez for Batavia; MIA 07Mar1942 in Java; later reported as POW; recovered by Allies at Ohama, Japan 13Sep1945; reported that he was interned at Java to 04Jan1943, then to Thailand 25Jan1943 to 21Jun1944, then to Japan from 08Sep1944; Disemb.05Oct1945 at Sydney; 20Nov1945 to 110th Military Hospital, Perth; served as switchboard operator at HQ Signals, Perth from early 1946; 08Apr1946 graded as Clerk Group III with Permanent Military Forces; Emb.29Nov1947 as 103 POW and Internment Section Guard Corporal for German and Italian POWs repatriated to Germany; Disemb.30Dec1947 at Bremerhaven; Emb.12Mar1948 from England to Kure, Japan; to Perth 22Jun1948; served in various units; Disch.16Aug1974.

With research including original text for BEM and other relevant correspondence.