Tasmanian War Casualties

World War 11 Casualties

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Breen, William Robert

Born 19^th April 1911, the son of Clement Patrick and Elsie Breen, William Robert Breen was one of the many prisoners of war sent to work on the infamous Burma Thailand Railway.

The following notes are taken from

The War Diaries of Weary Dunlop

“23 June 1943

New case of cholera today TX1774 Pte W.R.Breen aged 33. He was recently suffering from enteritis and was forced to work on the railway, very week and unwell. He was unable to leave camp today since prostrated with a fresh attack of diarrhea and vomiting last night, and developed whispering voice, “washer-woman’s hands and feet etc. He was transferred to the cholera tent.”

28^th June 1943

TX1774, Pte W.R.Breen of 2/3 M.G. Bn died of cholera in hospital at 1345 hours. He and Pte Jarvis illustrate some of the difficulties of this dread disease. By working on them at all hours, we got them through the algid stage. They seemed a reasonable prospect, yet neither looked like establishing kidney function and became comatose after a stage of restlessness and delirium.

Photo taken by Linda McKenzie

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Tasmanian War Casualties, Honouring the past, building understanding.