Nathan was born to Reuben and Edith Jaffe in December 1918 and grew up in Auckland. He went to Auckland Grammar School and the University of Auckland before joining up. Napthali (Hebrew name).

I've been told that Nathan enlisted as part of some kind of officer training program, but I know very little about the circumstances surrounding this. His older brother Jack Jaffe also served in the armed forces (in North Africa and the Middle East), his details have already been recorded on the Cenotaph database.

I have a lot of photos taken during Nathan's time in Colombo, Sri Lanka before leaving for the Java Sea with the H.M.S. Exeter. I also have a number of photos of the rescue of the POWs at Macassar and their transportation back to NZ via Australia on the HMS Invernell.

I also have a number of newspaper clippings of his being reported missing in March 1942 and then being reported safe in late 1945. Most of the information I have about his experiences in the camp come from family histories, reports made by his commanding officer at the time (available online) and oral testimonies given by men who were in the camps with him. Family source AWMM