Private Douglas William Howell
- Rank
- Private
- Appointment
- Sapper
- Service number
- WX8053
- Unit
- 2/6 Field Park Company Royal Australian Engineers
- Cause of death
- Died as Prisoner of War
- Place of death
- Sandakan, Borneo
- Date of death
- 11 June 1945
- Age
- 28
- Plaque number
- MW52
- Co-located plaques
- MW52A - PTE Kenneth Boxhorn
- Dedicated by
- Nephews on 19 May 2012
- More information
Biography presented during plaque dedication:
Sapper Douglas William Howell of 2/6 Field Park Company was born at Wandering, Western Australia in January 1917. He was the son of William Thomas and Ellen Isobel Howell and he had four sisters and a brother.
Little is known of his schooling and his attestation form shows he was a miner at Youanmi.
Douglas enlisted at Claremont in August 1940 and in October was posted to 1 Training Battalion at Northam Military Camp.
He was posted to 2/6 Field Park Company at Ascot as a sapper in November. The company embarked at Fremantle in May 1941 and arrived at Singapore in June.
They were soon in action as the enemy progressed through Malaya to Singapore and finally the allied forces surrendered in February 1942.
After his capture, he went to Changi and then to Sandakan with B Force to work on building an airfield where they were badly maltreated by their guards.
Sapper Douglas William Howell, service number WX8053, died as a prisoner of war at Sandakan on 11 June 1945. He was 28 years of age.