Ralph Burton GOODWIN [1902-1994]

Submitted by JerkJi on Tue, 07/05/2016 - 17:41
Names
Given
Ralph Burton
Family
Goodwin
Sex
Male
Status
Deceased
Born
Date
Birthplace (country)
New Zealand
Died
Date
(Day & Month are approximate.)

Ralph Burton Goodwin OBE RN​ZN​VR

  • Born in New Zealand 15 July 1902.
  • Attended Auckland Grammar School from 1916 to 1919.
  • Sailed in the winning yacht 'Teddy' in ​the ​first Trans-Tasman yacht race 1931.
  • As a member of the ​R​NZNVR saw service in Singapore and Hong Kong in1941.
  • Wounded and taken PoW December 1941.
  • Escaped ​from​ Sham Shui Po Japanese PoW camp on July 17, 1944.
  • Returned to Hong Kong at war's end in 1945.
  • Post war worked for the United Nations Relief Agency in China.
  • In 1958 went to Australia with the New Zealand Trade Commissioners service and retired ​in Australia.
  • Died in Australia in 1994.

An account of his escape from the PoW camp in Sham Shui Po has been published as the book "Escape from the Japanese".

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