Private Leslie George Willacott (Williams)
- Rank
- Private
- Service number
- WX6071
- Unit
- 2/4 Machine Gun Battalion
- Cause of death
- Died as Prisoner of War
- Place of death
- Tamarkan camp, Thailand
- Date of death
- 7 February 1944
- Age
- 36
- Plaque number
- L171
- Dedicated by
- Family on 17 May 2014
- More information
Biography presented during plaque dedication:
Private Leslie George Willacott (Williams) was born in Cardiff, Wales in June 1907. He was one of three sons and three daughters of George and Olive Willacott.
He came to Western Australia in 1924 and worked as a fettler with the Western Australian Government Railways.
He enlisted at Claremont as L.G.W. Williams and was posted to a training unit before being posted to 2/4 Machine Gun Battalion in November 1940.
This battalion was formed with men from across the state and they all came together at Northam Military Camp where they carried out their initial training.
In July 1941, they moved to Adelaide and then to Darwin and left there in late October bound for Singapore via Port Moresby.
Due to enemy action, the convoy turned around and sailed to Sydney then Fremantle and finally reached Singapore at the end of January 1942.
They were soon in action, Malaya had fallen and Singapore was being attacked.
Following the surrender in February, Leslie became a prisoner of war and was sent to Thailand as part of A Force to build the Burma-Thai railway.
Private Leslie George Willacott (Williams), service number WX6071 of 2/4 Machine Gun Battalion died as a prisoner of war at Tamarkan, Thailand on 7 February 1944. He was 36 years of age.