Keith Fowler enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 6 July 1940 in South Australia. He was assigned to the 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion and served in the Middle East as part of the Australian 7th Division.
While returning to Australia on SS Orcades, his unit was diverted to serve in Java. The Australians banded with other Australian, British and American troops to make a stand against the Japanese advance. This Allied force named 'Blackforce' was compelled to surrender after only 2 days of fighting.
Keith was made a prisoner of war (POW) and sent to work on the Burma-Thailand railway. He particularly remembered the starvation rations and long gruelling hours working barefoot as a hammer and tap worker. One time, he badly scalded his legs when he slipped and fell while carrying a bucket of boiling black tea. Keith also contracted malaria and his temperature reached 107.2°F (41.8°C). Both times, Keith was treated in the camp by fellow POW and army surgeon Weary Dunlop.
When the war ended, Keith was working at Seven Pagoda Pass. He entrained from there and eventually arrived in Singapore. He was part of a group of 20 who were lucky enough to be flown home on the Duke of York's plane, Endeavour. Keith arrived back in Australia on 9 October 1945. He was greeted by his family but had to go to hospital as he was suffering from helminthiasis (hookworm). He was discharged from the Australian Army 7 weeks later on 29 November 1945.
