Gladys Barnes' Story

Gladys Barnes was born on 20th August 1928 a time of great economic hardship worldwide. She was just eleven years old at the outbreak of WWII. Her father; Ralph Shields, was one of 1,495 prisoners captured during the Fall of Singapore and died in the Sandakan prisoner of war camp on November 21, 1944. Gladys has been an active part of Burwood's Sandakan Community Educational Committee since 2006 and lays a wreath each year in memory of her father. 

Gladys was 16 when she came home to the news that her father was never coming home. In World War I her father served as Bombardier Ralph Shields in the British Army Royal Artillery, fighting in Belgium, and in France as a dispatch rider. After the war he immigrated to Australia with his family. When World War II started Mr Shields lied about his age because at 52 he was classified as too old to rejoin the army. 

He left Sydney for Singapore on board a troop ship on October 29, 1941. But four months later; in February 1942, he was one of 1,495 prisoners captured during the Fall of Singapore and arrived in Sandakan on July 17, 1942. He died in the Sandakan prisoner of war camps on November 21, 1944. 

Gladys has been very active in the community and an advocate for recognising the sacrifice made in Sandakan. She is also an accomplished lawn bowler with numerous pennants and titles and keen golfer. 

"My Dad, Ralph Shields, fought in France in the first war and was a POW after the fall of Singapore. My mother did not know that he had passed away in November; 1944, as we expected him to be coming home - I was 16 and working in an office in Redfern when I had the phone call to return home as Mum had received the advice of Dad's death. One of the six survivors, Nelson Short, came to our home and saw Mum, my older brother; Richard, and I and spoke of being with my father and they were good mates." 

"My father played football in England for Huddersfield and his name is on their Honour Roll My love of sport is due to his teachings as he used to take me to a lot of sports events. I played basketball and hockey at school, then was a golfer before moving on to lawn bowls. My two brothers were in the forces, Richard - Navy, and Dennis, Airforce and Mum had my younger sister and I at home." 

- Gladys Barnes