Far Eastern Heroes

Time 2020-10-18 01:04:59

Web Name: Far Eastern Heroes

WebSite: http://www.far-eastern-heroes.org.uk

ID:85550

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Far,Eastern,Heroes,

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To the many who have researched the men and women who fought in the Far East, they hold our utmost respect. They fought an enemy who were not only trained for jungle warfare but who were also better equipped. Their battle carried on into captivity, a battle to survive, many did not make it, the odds were stacked too high against them. After three and a half years in Japanese hands, the ones left, still fought on, the battle would last their lifetime and hopefully end, the day they meet their maker. These pages are dedicated to these men and women, all are heroes, Far Eastern Heroes. One will never know the price they paid Suffering themselves, a sacrifice they made, When all was lost, didn t give in Often lost hope and couldn t win, They gave of themselves, desperate to survive A frantic effort to keep their mates alive, What finer glory could they achieve? Their courage against adversity we must honour and believe, What faith in those, for those that despaired The gentle strength of those who cared, Love has no equal one man for another They are entwined brother for brother. Win Rainer - A Fepow s Wife 15th February To Billy Bigsy Biggs the 15th February is a date he holds in memory, having been shipped to Singapore with the 18th Division, later working on the Thailand-Burma railway. 196 Field Ambulance by Clayton Ford On 1st December 1939, the 161 (East Anglian) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps - Territorial Army, formed a training cadre for a new duplicate unit -The 196 Field Ambulance of the Royal Army Medical Corps. A Letter To My Grandson by Willen Wanrooy My hellship journey began at Jakarta on September 15,1944.1 was 19 years old then. The day we all had been dreading for months, the day 2,400 of us would be riding on a prison ship, filled me with apprehension. Two long lines of men slowly moved up two gangways to an old, rusty freighter, the Junyo Maru.. Alberts War This is the story of Albert Morrell`s war. Albert sailed with the 18th Division to India then on to Singapore. Albert left Singapore with the West Point as he was in the Army Medical Corps, later to be seriously injured. This story describes in detail the journey to Singapore and the landing at Keppell Harbour. Alex John James - With kind permission of Ian and Lynda This is a verbatim copy of the record kept by me of events that happened between the time I left India (January 1942) and the end of the war when liberated at Korea. Alf King After the sinking of HMS Exeter Alf was transferred from an oil tanker to Dutch hospital ship, Up ten Noort , which had been shelled and taken over by the Japanese, all the doctors and nurses having been taken prisoner, and were to remain so right through the war. Alf s story covers Makassar in the Celebes, then Japan. And To Think I Volunteered This was a very hectic day for us, we moved to the other side of the island, to what was in peacetime the Naval Base, and the first thing to catch our eyes was a dummy Anti-aircraft gun in a sand bagged gun pit. Not a very auspicious beginning. A party went back to the Wakefield to collect our baggage, and returned with the news that she had been bombed. Having one bomb down her Hold killing 5 American sailors. The story covers Changi and the Thailand-Burma railway. Arthur Scarf VC There is not much written about Arthur Stewart King Scarf, to me he seems to be a quiet hero. This page is in tribute to him. The story covers the defence of Northern Malaya. Arthur Stock by Jan Krancher Arthur Stock was born on March 13, 1922, in England where he attended school. At 15 he joined the Royal Air Force, and after assignment in the U.K. he found himself on the way to Southeast Asia. He survived the war years as a POW after being captured in Java. Ashley George Prime - Compiled by Ashley Prime Jnr The information was compiled by son Ashley from letters sent to him by his father 1981/82. Ashley Snr. was Royal Signals, based at Singapore Fortress. Transported to Thailand then onto Nagoya 4B, Japan. Follows his homeward journey. Baldwin - A Borneo Story A story of faith and endurance of those imprisoned who believed they would be rescued of those who fought to rescue them believing they must not fail of those who waited and prayed hoping their loved ones would return. Story covers civilian life in Borneo. Battle for Hong Kong - Talk by Douglas Bertram and Brigadier Cecil Templer This talk for the West of England Medal Club in 1985 was transcribed by Andrew Templer from a Newsletter. It follows the Battle for Hong Kong Berts Memories - Compiled by Diana Newson as told by Bert After leaving my job as a boat builder and signing up, I found myself being Transported from Liverpool with the 18th Division to Singapore. Carrying troops and supplies to reinforce the defence of Singapore. I was travelling on the S.S. Empress of Asia. Betrayal of the 18th In the late October of 1941 men of the 1/5thBattalion the Sherwood Foresters sailed from Liverpool aboard a converted P O liner in Convoy William Sail 12X, for an unknown destination, eventually Singapore. The loss of Singapore was later to be described by Churchill as``The greatest disaster and capitulation in British history. He neglected to mention however the betrayal of a Division, the British 18thDivision. Bill Young A survivor of Sandakan, he survived the Death Marches where almost 2,500 of his fellow POWs died. Biscuits and Nightmares by James McNeil from Peter Ross s diary Taken from the diary of Peter Ross and rewritten by his grandson James McNeil. Peter was in Singapore and Japan Brothers in Arms by Maurice Rooney and compiled by Ron Taylor Maurice and his brother Leslie enlisted on the same day in the Royal Engineers. Leslie was transported to the Thailand - Burma Railway and Maurice to Taiwan to work in the Kinkasaki copper mine. Changi Ashes - interview by Cyril Bix My thanks to Ian Bix for supplying the information on his father Cyril s game of Test cricket at Changi against the Australians, not a well known three-match Ashes series but one to remember. Charles Robert Samuel by David Lewis The Diary contains a fascinating eye witness account of the above events and of the fate of Penang and deserves to be better known by those who are interested in this period of history. Also the SS Kuala and SS Tanjong Pinang. Corporal William Rafter by Michael Nellis Bill (Corporal William Rafter) was captured in Java and transported to a camp at Nagasaki where he was when the A bomb destroyed the city. Constructing a Radio A 1995 transcript of a recording made by Lieutenant Colonel R G Wells, on the construction of radio equipment in a Japanese Prisoner of War camp. Courage in the Cause of Freedom by Bryan Paul Lai Peter Raymond Lai Kui Fook was awarded the King s Medal of Courage in the Cause of Freedom by helping relieve the prisoners torment at Sandakan. Deryck and Gladys Le Mare Their Journey from Singapore February 1942: his journey to captivity in Japan and hers to Glasgow Dick Swarbrick s War The life of an agricultural labourer was not one that held any long-term appeal for him. Consequently, after some seven years, Dick left the land and enlisted in The Loyals on 24th July of 1937. He found himself in Singapore when the Japanese invaded. The story covers Singapore and Korean pow camps Douglas Outwin Escapes Singapore Douglas was on the Empress of India when she was attacked by the Japanese, he went over the side and was found himself in Singapore. Escaped Singapore in a Chinese junk, making it to Colombo. Experiences of Cecil Saunders As a German and Japanese civilian prisoner of war, captured by a German raider while being transported on the SS Nankin, synopsis by Tim Fogarty. F - Death Force This is the tale of Bob Peacock, an Australian who was brought up during the depression and had to leave home at an early age to rough it in a man s world. After capture at Singapore he found himself off to Thailand with F Force. Frederick Ernest Wiles In World War two Frederick Ernest Wiles, was serving in the Beds Herts regiment when he was captured at the fall of Singapore in 1942. A prisoner of the Japanese, he worked on the Thailand-Burma railway where the chances of survival were very poor. Then transported on the Rakuyo Maru , destination Japan. Freedom Loosens the Memory This little story arrived at my office about five years ago, whoever sent it did not put his name or address to it. there was a note asking me to publish it in the NESA news, but it was too large for the paper. Maybe the man is still alive and wondering what happened to his manuscript. Maybe one of the members might recognise it. The story covers Tandjong Priok, Java and Honshu, Japan. Freeing the Demons compiled by Mike Nellis A remarkable story, taken from records and cuttings kept by Alfred Edward Pop Nellis. It follows his capture and transportation by cattle truck to work on the Thailand-Burma Death Railway. With maps and illustrations, it is a must read.. Good and Bad Times by Arthur Stagles When the war broke out in 1939 Jim Quadling and myself were working on a friends new house in Westfield Road, Dereham. We were building a gable wall and, on hearing that Britain was at war with Germany, Jim and I wrote our names on the back of a brick and layed it in the wall. Off home to get cleaned up and then up to the Drill Hall in Norwich Road, Dereham. If I remember correctly we were told to bugger off home and come back tomorrow! That was the start of a period in my life that was, in the earlier years, a unique experience learning to live a completely different lifestyle. The story covers the 5th Royal Norfolk s and the Thailand to Burma Death Railway Grace Brown s Secret by Emma Cowing for the Daily Mail Hidden in her son s teddy, a mother s diary of courage: A heart-tugging story of love and defiance in a brutal Japanese PoW camp - rediscovered 70 years on. Manila Guest of the Emperor by Richard Taylor We had left England some weeks earlier in October 1941, in the 18th Division bound for Basra in the Persian Gulf, via Canada, where we transhipped into American troopers, and then the West Indies and South Africa. Now this sudden switch sent us bowling across the Indian Ocean to re-enforce the garrison in Malaya, newly attacked by the Japanese. Gunner Ratcliffe by Michael Nellis Dennis was a gunner with the 5th Field Artillery, fighting down Malaya, was captured at Singapore. As a prisoner he was transported to Taiwan to work in the infamous Kinkaseki copper mines Harry s War by Sgt. Harry Walton Harry s War is the story of Harry s time in service during World War II from October 1939 to November 1945, from the quiet Pill Boxes on the North Norfolk Coast to the Hellfire Pass in the depths of the Burmese jungle. The story is written in Harry s own words with the factual text added from various other sources. Harry Wilding by Linda Barker In 1940 at the age of 19, Harry from Cambridgeshire enlisted into the Royal Air Force his role was in Observations, he was then posted to Singapore. Transported to Java, captured and transported via Changi, Singapore to Japan in Java Party 17A. Hell in Five by Jack Symon This is a remarkable story. Many of us who are old enough to remember the 1940´s, and who spent the last war in this country, in Europe or in North Africa, may think that all those years ago we had a rough time, but our discomforts were absolutely nothing compared with the almost unbelievable conditions in which those who were unlucky enough to be captured in the Far East lived, and many died. Sory covers Changi, the Thailand-Burma railway and Japan. Hell Ship - Singapore Maru by A.G. James George was born in Knightsbridge in 1915, nearly thirty year on he was on his way to Japan, as a prisoner of war on the Singapore Maru. How I lost My Best Friend by Elizabeth van Kampen This is a heart rending story of a young family caught up in the war in Java. Internees Truth About Singapore by War Crimes Report The foregoing preliminary report on the treatment of civilian internees in Singapore by the Nipponese Authorities. It includes reference to the Double Tenth incident. Jack Hart by Michael Nellis Corporal Joseph (Jack) Hart worked on the Thailand-Burma Railway. James McHarg Miller This is the story of James McHarg Miller from Glasgow of the 2nd Battalion Royal Scotts, army number 305 45 38, he was stationed in Hong Kong when the Japanese invaded. He suvived the Lisbon Maru sinking and was sent to Notogawa in Japan John Collier Gransden by Rosemary Gransden John s story starts when posted to Singapore by the Borneo Company in 1932. As Malayan Royal Naval Vilunteer Reserve he was captured Banka Island and from Sumatra transported in Japan Draft to Changi, then Special Party to Taiwan. John Johnnie MacMillan s Diary John survived the sinking of the Prince of Wales, only to be captured off Banka Island, trying to flee the Japanese. He survived captivity in Palembang, Sumatra and later Changi, before returning to Tarbert, where he lived with his wife and two daughters. Keeping the Faith - The Bishop John Leonard Wilson was moved to Singapore as bishop. He was arrested on the 10th October 1943 as part of the Double Tenth and taken to Changi Prison where he was tortured by the Kampetai. Kinkaseki Reunion - Gunton Hall, Lowestoft Fifty years on and the survivors of Kinkaseki meet again at Gunton Hall, Lowestoft. Last Letter Home by Frederick William Jackson Frederick William Jackson was part of the 600 Gunners Party. This is his last Letter Home to his wife. Frederick died at Rabaul. Letters to Tom - Captain Barhan Savory Captain Barham Savory was in the 5th Battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment. These letters follow his journey from England to Singapore then into Malaya and his escape back to Singapore. Then Evacuation to Sumatra and finally Colombo. Life of Riley by Ted Marriott Dennis Riley, a veteran POW of Batu Lintang. Dennis now 89 years old, related all his experiences to me from memory over a three month period. I believe this is the nearest I will ever get to finding out what happened to my dad. Although in the same outfit, they were not to meet till they were in Batu Lintang. Hopefully ,someone reading this may be able to fill in some missing details, or get in touch with me. Memoirs of Douglas Morris by Douglas E D Morris I have decided I must answer the pressure from a number of relatives and good friends to put on paper a little of our life story. This I will try to do with all humility but it is the wonderful story of the life and accomplishments of Joan Richardson, the girl who in March 1940 came out to Malaya to marry me and was my beloved wife for 62 years and in spite of many hazards, wonderfully happy before being called to her eternal rest in October 2001 at the splendid age of 92. Thailand-Burma Railway. Men of Sherwood - supplied by Sean Mulroy The Sherwood Foresters being part of the 18th Division, were shipped to Singapore too late to make any difference. Before capitulation certain numbers from each regiment were ordered to leave. The story contains one of these escapes which includes 8 Beds Herts. Mister Sam by Ray Watson A professional footballer playing for Middlesbrough and Watford and also an army nurse Sam survived the Japanese prison camps long enough to see the Setting of the Rising Sun. Changi, Selerang. My Dad and Me by John Parkinson My father, Philip was transported with the Loyals to Singapore but escaped to Sumatra and then on to India, where he fought in Burma. I have included a good background of our family history. My War Experience by William Hanson (Supplied by his son John) William was 20 years old on 5th September 1939. Two days after, the war started. I joined the army on October 21st 1939, Trafalgar Day. As a PoW William worked on the Thailand to Burma Railway. Norfolks In Kohima by Pete Collison Dads story is being told out of respect for those who fought for their country, many did not return and the numbers of the returned are dwindling, old man time is taking his toll. Everyone of them had his own beliefs, but united they fought for their families and country. These pages are written in the hope they will help us remember, honour and never to forget them. Norman Riddel by Capt. Jim Blackburn, EAL, Ret. It was in early winter of 1983 when I first met Norman Riddell. In our earlier flying days, we had both been bomber and transport pilots, and the great fraternity of aviation, with its many shared experiences, provided us with topics of discussion to last a lifetime. Let me tell you a bit about the life of this great man. Ofuna Interrogation - information by Penny Grant Based on Basil Willington Aldwell s experience in the hands of the Japanese at Ofuna Interrogation Centre Prisoner Under The Rising Sun By Harold Bill Evans I, along with two to three hundred other Royal Air Force personnel should never have become prisoners of war under the Japanese. We were not captured after an heroic battle, but handed over by the Dutch. There was no glory - not even a fight to preserve our freedom - we were delivered on a plate to them and the Japanese thought us feeble not to have fought to the last man. Private 5776807 by Ron Taylor The following chapters are taken from a diary and letters of a young man in his late teens and early twenties. When writing down his thoughts he didn t think them to be spectacular, but from the time he went to fight for his country his life changed and it will take longer then his lifetime for the memories to fade. POW on the Thailand-Burma railway. Reg Rainer Returns A visit back to the Death Railway in Thailand with Reg and some of his wife s poems. The Far Eastern Heroes poem above specially written. Reverend John Thirwell Wanless Evacuated from Singapore as it fell, Reverend John Thirwell Wanless was taken prisoner at Tasik Malaje, Java on 8th March 1942. Transferred to Jesselton in North Borneo and then on to Sandakan, he died on 30th June 1945 of starvation, sickness and savage treatment in Jungle camp no 2, at Ranau, Sabah (then British North Borneo) East Malaysia. Saviour of Ceylon Leonard Birchall and his crew messaged back to the Royal Navy s Eastern Fleet base in Ceylon warning them of a Japanese attack. He was captured and sent to Ofuna, Japan. Secret Radios by J.K. Gale From the Diary Of J.K.Gale, S.S.V.F., who was at Wampo with Alfred Edward Nellis (Freeing the Demons), comes the following information about Radios Signalman Wagner supplied by Ann and Jesse A newspaper article published in 1946 by the Foxton paper, on prison life in Macassar as experienced by Signalman R.J. Wagner. Singapore Surrender Major General Sir Charles Lane attended The surrender of 680,000 soldiers in South East Asia took place in the Council Chambers in the Municipal Buildings, Singapore on 12th September 1945. Singapore to Jinsen by James Sinclair Tracey George Clifford Sinclair was a Captain in the 13th Auxiliary Pioneer Battalion. Captured Singapore, Tracey was then transported with the special Parties to Chosen (Korea) in the Fukkai Maru. Standing on My Grandfathers Shoulders by Andrew Finn Isaac Newton said If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. I have got further in life by Standing on the shoulders of my Grandfather, Nevil C.C.Benham. (1918-1999) Sukoshi Matte - A Short Wait George Idlett, known to his friends as Doug , was a member of the American Forces captured in the Philippines. His identification number at the Niigata ( Camp was 497). He now resides in Virginia, USA. The Dairy of James O Toole Transcribt by Mike Peaker Staff Sergeant James O Toole found himself thrown into action when the Japanese attacked Hong Kong on December 8th 1941. He was later to find how the Japanese treated their prisoners when the British Colony fell on Christmas day of the same year. The Empty Chair by Gerard L. Becker Gerard wrote this as part of his senior creative writing group in the hope that it in some way it honoured those who had to live through the hell of a Japanese PoW Camp. The Friendship Francis Mickey Myles and William Bill Spooner became friends with the sinking of the Lisbon Maru. Tony Banham has given me permission to use some of the text from his book The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru The Rising Sun On My Back This book is an autobiography of Ernest S. Benford s life during World War II, 1939 - 1945, in which he and his dad, were prisoners of the Japanese Imperial Army. His dad died at Kanchanaburi Hospital during captivity. Sadly, Ernest, did not live to see his autobiography printed, he died in 1984. The story covers Changi, Thailand-Burma railway, Fukuoka and Nagasaki. The White Flag By Tommy Thompson Born in old Killingworth village on the 12th September 1918, Tommy worked as a Joiner before joining the army in 1939 when he was still only 20. This is his story of the time he spent as a Japanese POW for three and half years between 1942 and 1945, and for a large part, working on the infamous Burma Thailand Death Railway. The Will to Live John Emmett, a Scotsman by birth and inclination joined the Gordon Highlanders in 1935, just four years before the war, which was to involve most of the known world, began to erupt. He no doubt signed on for nine years, not the Duration of Hostilities which became the norm as soon as conscription was authorised by Parliament. As a regular soldier he became one of the core around which the British Army of volunteers and conscripts was created. His story is centred on Formosa. Walter Pollock Walter kept of his time with the 1st Independent Company prior to his capture in Singapore in a diary, this follows the Malayan Canpaign. William Chapman s Notebook Documents and Verse, transcribed by Miranda, sent to me as collected by William George Chapman of the Royal Norfolk Regiment, dispatch rider for the 5th Battalion. William Stobbs Kirsop Because of a request from my daughter, and a little gentle nudging from my wife, Ive been asked to record the happenings of my life as a POW under the Japanese. Worked on the Thailand-Burma Railway also the Mergui Road, the escape route for the Japanese Army from Burma. WX6865 8th Division AIF Cecil Don Cooper joined the AIF 8th Division and was shipped to Singapore in February 1941, captured he worked and died on the Thailand-Burma Railway. Your Gods Are Stronger Than Ours Pte. Frank Percival, R.A.S.C. wrote a vivid story for the Willesden Chronicle in November 1945 of his experiences as a prisoner in the hands of the Japanese since February, 1942. He was on the Thailand-Burma Railway Sharing information with others is rewarding in itself, the pieces from the jigsaw begin to fit together and a picture begins to appear. Improve your knowledge and help make the Fepow Story an everlasting memorial to their memory. Any material to add to the Fepow Story please send to: Ron.Taylor@fepow-community.org.uk and their story will live on.

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