Daniel and his younger brother Roy both enlisted in the Army on 14 July 1940 at Rockhampton,Queensland, and became members of the 2/26 Infantry Battalion.
He was the son of John and Kathleen O'Connor of Jundah, Queensland.
The people of Jundah, presented each of the young men of the town who had joined the services with a watch before they went overseas.
As a POW, he was selected as a member of "H" Force and sent to slave in the Tha Sao (Tarso)area of Thailand, where he contacted Dysentery. He was buried in Tha Sao No. 2 Cemetery, and later re-interred in Kanchaburi Cemetery.
Roy who had been part of "F" Force passed away on 27 May 1943,though not before giving his watch to a friend for safe keeping. Through many devious means, this friend was able to keep the watch hidden from the Japanese, and on his return to Changi in 1943, was speaking to an English man, who had been entrusted with Dan's watch.
Both watches ended up in the care of Roy's friend who hid them until wars end.
The parents of Roy and Dan had moved and this friend was unable to contact any other family members to return the watches until 2001 when a chance encounter he had with a man at a 2/26 Battalion meeting revealed that the younger man was the nephew of Dan and Roy.
Later,on giving both watches to the nephew, the Battalion member said, "Now I can die with a clear conscious. I have fulfilled the promise I made to Roy."
Sadly, he himself died less than 18 months later.
NOTE####It was very unusual for any POW to have a watch at this point of their captivity. The Japanese had taken any they could see, and many others had been sold on the black market to get money for food to supplement the less than minimal amount the POW were fed each day.
Brother of Roy O'Connor
"When you go home,
Tell them of us, and say,
For your tomorrow,
We gave our today."
<<< Photo of A.I.F. Badge used with the kind permission of Iain MacFarlaine. >>>
He was the son of John and Kathleen O'Connor of Jundah, Queensland.
The people of Jundah, presented each of the young men of the town who had joined the services with a watch before they went overseas.
As a POW, he was selected as a member of "H" Force and sent to slave in the Tha Sao (Tarso)area of Thailand, where he contacted Dysentery. He was buried in Tha Sao No. 2 Cemetery, and later re-interred in Kanchaburi Cemetery.
Roy who had been part of "F" Force passed away on 27 May 1943,though not before giving his watch to a friend for safe keeping. Through many devious means, this friend was able to keep the watch hidden from the Japanese, and on his return to Changi in 1943, was speaking to an English man, who had been entrusted with Dan's watch.
Both watches ended up in the care of Roy's friend who hid them until wars end.
The parents of Roy and Dan had moved and this friend was unable to contact any other family members to return the watches until 2001 when a chance encounter he had with a man at a 2/26 Battalion meeting revealed that the younger man was the nephew of Dan and Roy.
Later,on giving both watches to the nephew, the Battalion member said, "Now I can die with a clear conscious. I have fulfilled the promise I made to Roy."
Sadly, he himself died less than 18 months later.
NOTE####It was very unusual for any POW to have a watch at this point of their captivity. The Japanese had taken any they could see, and many others had been sold on the black market to get money for food to supplement the less than minimal amount the POW were fed each day.
Brother of Roy O'Connor
"When you go home,
Tell them of us, and say,
For your tomorrow,
We gave our today."
<<< Photo of A.I.F. Badge used with the kind permission of Iain MacFarlaine. >>>
Daniel and his younger brother Roy both enlisted in the Army on 14 July 1940 at Rockhampton,Queensland, and became members of the 2/26 Infantry Battalion.
He was the son of John and Kathleen O'Connor of Jundah, Queensland.
The people of Jundah, presented each of the young men of the town who had joined the services with a watch before they went overseas.
As a POW, he was selected as a member of "H" Force and sent to slave in the Tha Sao (Tarso)area of Thailand, where he contacted Dysentery. He was buried in Tha Sao No. 2 Cemetery, and later re-interred in Kanchaburi Cemetery.
Roy who had been part of "F" Force passed away on 27 May 1943,though not before giving his watch to a friend for safe keeping. Through many devious means, this friend was able to keep the watch hidden from the Japanese, and on his return to Changi in 1943, was speaking to an English man, who had been entrusted with Dan's watch.
Both watches ended up in the care of Roy's friend who hid them until wars end.
The parents of Roy and Dan had moved and this friend was unable to contact any other family members to return the watches until 2001 when a chance encounter he had with a man at a 2/26 Battalion meeting revealed that the younger man was the nephew of Dan and Roy.
Later,on giving both watches to the nephew, the Battalion member said, "Now I can die with a clear conscious. I have fulfilled the promise I made to Roy."
Sadly, he himself died less than 18 months later.
NOTE####It was very unusual for any POW to have a watch at this point of their captivity. The Japanese had taken any they could see, and many others had been sold on the black market to get money for food to supplement the less than minimal amount the POW were fed each day.
Brother of Roy O'Connor
"When you go home,
Tell them of us, and say,
For your tomorrow,
We gave our today."
<<< Photo of A.I.F. Badge used with the kind permission of Iain MacFarlaine. >>>
He was the son of John and Kathleen O'Connor of Jundah, Queensland.
The people of Jundah, presented each of the young men of the town who had joined the services with a watch before they went overseas.
As a POW, he was selected as a member of "H" Force and sent to slave in the Tha Sao (Tarso)area of Thailand, where he contacted Dysentery. He was buried in Tha Sao No. 2 Cemetery, and later re-interred in Kanchaburi Cemetery.
Roy who had been part of "F" Force passed away on 27 May 1943,though not before giving his watch to a friend for safe keeping. Through many devious means, this friend was able to keep the watch hidden from the Japanese, and on his return to Changi in 1943, was speaking to an English man, who had been entrusted with Dan's watch.
Both watches ended up in the care of Roy's friend who hid them until wars end.
The parents of Roy and Dan had moved and this friend was unable to contact any other family members to return the watches until 2001 when a chance encounter he had with a man at a 2/26 Battalion meeting revealed that the younger man was the nephew of Dan and Roy.
Later,on giving both watches to the nephew, the Battalion member said, "Now I can die with a clear conscious. I have fulfilled the promise I made to Roy."
Sadly, he himself died less than 18 months later.
NOTE####It was very unusual for any POW to have a watch at this point of their captivity. The Japanese had taken any they could see, and many others had been sold on the black market to get money for food to supplement the less than minimal amount the POW were fed each day.
Brother of Roy O'Connor
"When you go home,
Tell them of us, and say,
For your tomorrow,
We gave our today."
<<< Photo of A.I.F. Badge used with the kind permission of Iain MacFarlaine. >>>
Inscription
QX12340 Corporal
D. O'Connor
2/26 Infantry Battalion
15 September 1943 Age 28
Gravesite Details
"Not my will , but Thine be done, O Lord."
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