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Joel Roberts

Sydney Sim

by Joel Roberts

Story 100

My grandfather Sydney Sim was in WW2 and he was a signaller, radio man. He along with the men he was with got captured by the Japanese and put into Changi prison of war camp. While he was there he managed to get out of his prison area and made his way to a warehouse. He had to hide underneath a vehicle while soldiers walked past then he got into the warehouse and found some radio parts. Just as he was about to go soldiers walked in and he quickly hopped into a cupboard. He could see them coming straight up to open it and all of a sudden a siren went off and they turned and walked away.

When it was clear he stealthily made his way back into the prison and with the radio parts built a radio. They would listen to it on the roof and were able to find out the war was going to end and that food supplies would be dropped into the camp for them, it gave everyone hope.

Apparently one guy got so excited when he heard the news he fell down into the toilet. Sydney Sim got the British Empire metal for bravery. He passed away in 1990, the radio that he built is now in the Canberra War Museum and he is mentioned in at least one book.

Story 100