The War Memorial of Private Philip James Brew, No. VX55590, 2/29 Battalion AIF Australian Infantry, who died on 22 January 1942, aged 21, is located on the Singapore Memorial at Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore.
Born in Sale, Victoria, on 31 January 1920, Philip was the son of John E. S. and Ida Brew and husband of Gwendoline Ivy Beatrice Brew, of East Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia. He has no known grave, but his name appears on column 129 of the memorial.
According to the Australian War Memorial, Philip was "one of 145 men who were massacred by the Japanese at Parit Sulong on 22 January 1942 during the Malaya Campaign when wounded Australian and Indian soldiers were left behind by withdrawing troops after the Battle of Muar. They were rounded up by the Japanese and forced to surrender all of their belongings including their clothes, which were later returned. The men, now Prisoners of War were beaten, tormented and denied food, water and medical attention. At sunset on the night of 22 January 1942, the men were roped or wired together in groups and led into the jungle where they were shot with machine guns, doused with petrol and set alight". The Australian War Memorial also holds an original photograph of him from his paybook.
Some 22km north of the city, on the north side of Singapore Island overlooking the Straits of Johore, it is just off the Singapore-Johore Road (Woodlands Road), and has a short approach road from the main road.
Philip Brew is one of 24,000 soldiers and airmen with no known grave who are honoured on the memorial, having died during campaigns of the 1939-1945 war in Malaya and Indonesia. Some also died in captivity, many during the construction of the Burma-Thailand railway, or at sea while being transported as prisoners. There are additionally 4,458 Commonwealth Second World War burials or commemorations (of which more than 850 burials are unidentified) and 64 First World War burials and commemorations.
Click on an image to see an enlarged version.
© Photographs taken by Steve Brew, 9 August 2001