Ralph Burton GOODWIN [1902-1994]

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".