An Outstanding Australian

Lt Colonel John Williams

The above was the heading of an article by Ken Cunningham in a recent copy of the Combined Services RSL Club Bulletin referring to the late Colonel John Williams, O.B.E. E.D. Commanding Officer of the original 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion, Ken had interviewed Colonel Williams before he passed away in 1998.

In the terrible turmoil created for them as a Prisoner of War of the Japanese some Australians felt they had been let down by their officers, whom they considered did not support their interests adequately when dealing with the Japanese. So that when such men as “Weary” Dunlop and others like him did support them, they left an enduring, affectionate memory in post war years. Such a man who came out of those POW camps with high honour was the Commanding Officer of the 2nd/2nd Pioneer Battalion, Lt Colonel John Williams. He had earlier exhibited his soldierly qualities in Tobruk, as Second In Command of a famous Australian fighting Unit- the 2/17th Infantry Battalion.

His transfer from the stony deserts of North Africa and the Uplands of Syria, to the tropical humidity of the Dutch East Indies (Todays Indonesia) came about from a Churchill proposal to despatch 6th and 7th Australian Divisions from the Middle East to this Dutch territory and Burma. In addition the Australian War Cabinet initially approved that they should move together with Corps Troops and Base organisations. And so a round figure of some 64,000 experienced Australian soldiers were afloat.

Fortunately Australia was led at this critical time by one of the greatest Prime Ministers, John Curtin. In sailors language he “Jacked Up” to troops going to any East Indies, Singapore or Burma Territory. In the ensuing months these two divisions who probably would have joined the 8th Division in Japanese POW camps had Churchill prevailed were to go on and defeat the Japanese army in the battle of Papua as they etched thee imperishable names of Kokoda, Buna, Gona, Milne Bay and Sanananda into their country’s military history.

Wagga Reunion 1982

Members will recall Colonel John Williams as our guest speaker at the Wagga reunion on the 18th September 1982, with an attendance of 260 members in which he gave a wonderful talk “Wouldn’t It”. He joined the 2/2nd Pioneer Bn as their C.O. because B.H.W. at Cairo said so. He had hoped to command the 2/17th Bn, as he had hand picked the bulk of that unit at the Recruiting Depot at Moore Park, so was naturally disappointed to hear while in Tobruk, that he was to leave the 2/17th Bn to command the 2/2nd Pioneer Bn in Syria. However the move turned out to b e a transfer from one efficient unit to another equally efficient unit.

In early 1942 he received orders to assemble the unit and proceed to Hill 69 in Palestine where on the 30th January 1942 after a hearty meal provided by the 2/1st Pioneers they set off for Port Tewfik where they received orders to embark on the “Orcades for a destination unknown.

At this stage he encountered problems his transport and party were to follow on another ship (they landed at Fremantle) Baggage party containing kit bags and other baggage had not arrived (another loss). The Staff Captain of the “Orcades” would not allow them to take on board their first line equipment, as they would damage his ship. They had no transport, no baggage and were now to lose their guns ammunition and A/T rifles. This was the last straw. This made John Williams see red and he told the “Orcades” staff captain he would not embark with out his war equipment, then sat down to wait. When the ship’s Captain came ashore he asked them to please embark, as he wanted to sail with the tide. John doesn’t know why but the Pioneers were allotted the best accommodation on the ship.

On arriving at Batavia they were met with more inactivity, eventually they landed, approximately one brigade in strength, but no service troops such as AASC. The 2/3rd Machine Gun Bn had no guns or ammunition; they had left them on the wharf at Tewfik.

The first task on landing was to protect the airfields and installations. During the first air raid they fired all their ammunition and later had to send the 2/3rd Motor Transport to the wharf to bring back food and ammo.

Brigade Outnumbered 33 to 1

Ten days after landing they had the Japanese attacking their front and the Dutch Troops blew up the Llewiliang Bridge two days before the Japanese landed and stopped deep patrols. Outnumbered 33 to 1, the Dutch who should have been the reserve force had disappeared, but the brigade was able to hold up the advance of the Japs and inflict heavy casualties. Brigadier Blackburn could see they were in a hopeless position, short of food and ammo so he ordered a withdrawal and reform out side the city of Bandoeng. In the meantime the Dutch GOC declared Bandoeng an open city and capitulated, leaving the troops high and dry. At least the Japanese Task Force was diverted from landing in Australia.

Colonel Williams kept his battalion plus a large number of HMAS Perth Officers and men under his command as they worked on the infamous Burma Railway toiling from the Burma end. Then after the Japanese surrendered, he was to be a key Australian witness at the initial post war enquiry into the Japanese maladministration of the POW Camps. He flew from Sydney to Tokyo and attended that enquiry for six months. From this initial investigation that the Japanese War Crimes Tribunal was initiated.

Additional notes from Neil MacPherson

(1) Because the Pioneer Battalions also carried out Engineering duties as well as vital front line Infantry work they had to have a qualified Engineer as C.O. Col Williams had these double qualifications.

(2) No one who served with Williams in action or spent time in Burma with him doubted his leadership, bravery and his courage, because of his many punishments by his captors for intervening on behalf of his men they held him in high regard and respect.

(3) During our captivity in Batavia Williams was tortured by the Kempi Tai in an endeavour to extract information even to the extent of them inserting slivers of bamboo under his finger nails and lighting them, he returned to camp spirit unbroken with these injuries.

(4) Williams’s insistence on strict hygiene in the Railway camps and the discipline of his troops helped reduce the deaths from Cholera in Williams Force.

(5) A reflection on the organising ability of Williams was that he was the first Burma Railway Australian Force Commander flown back to Australia with a full record of the deaths and burial details of all members of his men.

(6) Dr Rowley Richards of Anderson Force said Lt Col Williams was a straightforward uncomplicated blunt speaking soldier of considerable courage. Without guile passionately devoted to the welfare of his men and prepared to argue every point on their behalf even at the cost of his own physical suffering- an attitude that bought him trouble and personal beatings that he could have avoided.

(7) At the 1995 National Ex POW Conference in Launceston I was privileged to sit with Col Williams for an hour while he reminisced on the action and the captivity, his memory, his articulation and his orderly recollections were amazing. Two years later at the Gold Coast Reunion he was too ill to attend and he died 6 months later at the age of 94 years.

(8) Of the Colonel’s many post war achievements his contribution in forming a National Ex POW Association will always be remembered.