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Hi John. Re William Leaver. Replied by email.

Hi Mike In 2020 my niece and I completed my Dad"s (William Frederick Leaver) life story including the period covering his service during WW2 where he served in BSquadron of the Kings Own Irish Hussars. When Japan entered the war in December 1941 he was sent to the Far East where he was captured and incarcerated by the Japanese, initially in Java and then via Changi Prison on a Hell Ship named the Maccasur Maru to Japan where he was held in Wakayama and finally in Ikuno camps for a total of 1333 days. We have been able to piece together a substantial amount of his journey but one missing piece of information that we have been unable to find is how he got from ikuno after he was liberated on the 9th September 1945 to Manilla in the Philipines before his passage home on the HMS Implacable. Dad mentioned to my niece that he recalled seeing the devastation caused by one of the twp atomic bombs but that would have meant that he travelled westward from Ikuno Camp to get to a port (unknown) before he was shipped (on what he said was an American destroyer) to Manilla. We have trawled records extensively but cannot work out the route he took from Ikuno to Manilla. Can yo the l pieces of this complex family jigsaw please? With grateful thanks John Leaver

Chris, . William Ulph in his own handwriting lists his rank as Driver 1st Class, and it also appears as such on his Changi Roll, but as Gunner on his Japanese Index Card. I believe he was probably put to the River Valley Camp at Changi, based on a report by another of his regiment. He was sent to the Burma Siam Railroad on 29/10/42 as part of ‘T’ Party. The trainload was 650 men of which 6 officers and 140 Other Ranks were from his 85th Anti Tank Regiment. Initially with the men of Group 2, but in 1944 merged with those in Group 4. He unfortunately did not list any camps on his Liberation Questionnaire, merely writing ‘None’.
His route homeward at war end would probably have been via Rangoon.

I would would love to find information about my great uncle, William James Ulph (1100639) Gunner of the 85th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery. William was from East Dereham in Norfolk. I do know he was captured by the Japanese at Singapore on 15th of February 1942. I suspect, but would like confirmation as to whether his next stop was Changi Prison.

In 1943 I believe he was moved from wherever he was to a prison camp in Thailand, possibly Tamarkan, Chunkai or Tha Kanun. I am keen to know if he worked on the death railroad.

5th September 1945 he was "given" to a Lt Col. C. A. M Eachern, who I believe to be Cranston McEachern (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranston_McEachern)

He did survive the war, but never talked about his experiences.

Would be very grateful for any information at all about his story.

I am searching for records of my grandfather"s incarceration in Changi Prison, 1942 to "43 or "44. He was a Danish citizen working for Guthrie & Co as a rubber planter outside Muar in Malaya. He saw his wife and 5 daughters off to Australia on the Narkunda from Singapore on Jan. 16/42, then returned to his unit of the Johor Volunteer Engineers before being captured after the fall of Singapore. He and other neutral nationals may have been released into the Cameron Highlands before the war"s end. His name was Ingemand "Andy" Andersen.

Looking for information on PTE Douglas Pratt not sure if Douglas spelling  great  uncle served with 1st battalion Leicester  regiment  he was liberated  in Thailand we think  any other information  would be a bonus for us thanks in advance 

Hi I would like to find out some history of my late grandfather’s incarceration in Changi prison., after the Japanese invaded Singapore. His name was Frank Hill..I think he spent 4 years in prison. He never spoke about his time in that prison but he suffered  poor health until his death. He lived in Singapore at the time of the invasion.

I am after any information on George Dean RAF AC2 from Reepham, near Lincoln
His service number was 1053621. Any help gratefully received

Please can you provide any information about a family friend Jack Stansfield who worked on the  railways we understand towards the end of the war. Jack  spent time in Burma.  We know he was awarded  a British Empire  medal  years later . He was from. Rochdale.

I have recently constructed a website that recounts the story of the US POWs captured on Java.
Many of them went on to work the TBR.
I am also expanding the site to place the TBR in the context of the larger war and political situation and to tell the almost forgotten saga of the Asian forced laborer (romusha).

https://www.uspowtbr.com/

Hello
I am looking for information on my grandfather Robert Thomas Lindrea (Private R T Lindrea / Bob Lindrea). AIF VX61213 enlisted Royal Park Melbourne Victoria Australia. I know he was a pow in Java, Thailand, and Niihama Japan. I don"t know his camp movement details or movement dates etc. I do know he was listed in the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion. Any information or photographs to help me build some kind of timeline would be appreciated.

Hi Glenys,

Re your father, Gunner Victor Owen, service number 941138. 88th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. As you may be aware he spent the entire war in Singapore, and when this happens there is very little ‘paper trail’ to follow. He did however, spend time in 5 different camps on Singapore. Changi, Towner Road, Serangoon, back to Changi, and finally Adam Road. His prisoner number initially was 1488, but later became 8275. At one point he is shown as being in Work Party X-4-A, under the command of Major J P May. There were 7 officers and 356 other ranks working to repair or recover damaged military and civilian vehicles. What could not be repaired was moved to the docks for transporting to Japan for ‘recycling’. I believe X-4-A may also have been tunnel digging troops in the last 6 months. These tunnels were for air raid shelters, but also potentially for accommodating POWs for extermination at the end, by gas, bullet, fire, or explosives.
There are a couple of forms showing his name if required by email.

Hello, I would love some information regarding two of my relatives Howard Crosby and his cousin Norman Crosby. Norman died in July 44 and was a member of RAF 242 squadron. Howard survived and made it home. He was in RAF 211 squadron, number 1041041. Many thanks for your help.

Hi Rachel. Sapper Walter McGregor was taken prisoner at the fall of Singapore on 15.02.1942 (not 1943). His service number was 1871697.The CWGC list his regiment as 35th Fortress Royal Engineers, various other documents from Changi list him as 36th Fortress, and his Japanese Index Card states he was attached to 7th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery. He was sent to the Burma Siam Railroad as part of the ill-fated ‘F Force’ on 28.04.1943 in train 11. I believe he was made to do the forced march of 295Km from Bang Pong up to Tambaya. He died of tropical ulcers and colitis on 20.10.1943 and was cremated before being given a grave in Tambaya cemetery number 9. In 1946 he was reburied in Thanbyuzayat Cemetery in grave B6.Q.14

I would love to find out some information about my father Victor Owen from Warrington. He became a prisoner of war in Changi missing presumed dad for a long time until the end of the war 1945.
Any information I would be very grateful for. He passed away in 1999 in Frankston a suburb of Melbourne Australia. My mothers name was Dorothy Owen formerly Stringer or Taylor now deceased also.

My relative WALTER MCGREGOR
Service Number: 1871697 was I believe captured in February 1943 and died October 1943. As a Sapper and due to the location I suspect he was a POW. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards
Rachel

Captain E J Peel-Yates, EastSurreys was a POW and had dealings with Boon Pong. I have a copy of his Liberation Questionnaire and would like more information about Col Williamson at Chungkai and Col Johnson at Ban Khao, Arrow Hill Tha Knanun Sough and camp 226K.

Dale, I do not have any files on AIF that will help you, but there is one solitary file in Australian records that show he was already in Osaka Japan by 21.06.43. Also when liberated from Fukuoka 26 Keisen Camp, there were 2 group photos taken of Australians. Go to this website and view one and click one on left of page. http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/camplists/fukuoka/fuk_26_keisen/fuku_26_main.html

Hi. We"ve been putting together information of my grandfather, Robert Lewis Hunter. His service number was VX54115. Would you have any photos he was included in? Also information on the places he was at and how he got between them. We know he was in 6th division signals and doesnt tinge in Changi after the fall of Singapore. Thanks in advance for anything you can find.

Dale Hunter

Hi I"m lookong for any information on Cyril Charles Rutter. He was in tje fourteenth army in burma and recieved the Burma Star.

Hi Melissa. Your Grandfather, on MV Hauraki, departed Wellington and sailed to Sydney and then Fremantle. On 4th July 1942 she sailed for Colombo, Ceylon with urgent supplies for the Middle East.
Eight days later on 12th July 1942, in the Indian Ocean, she was ‘captured’ by the Japanese armed Merchant ships, Hokoku Maru and Aikoku Maru. She was made to sail to Singapore where unnecessary crew were taken into Changi, and then essential crew (including Richard as cook) were made to sail her to Yokohama in Japan. (I will refer to him as Richard as you called him, but his Japanese Index Card refers to him as Robert). Richard was imprisoned in Tokyo-1D Camp, known as “The Yokohama Mitsubishi Shipyards”. On 12/05/1945 he left Tok-1D and on 14/05/1945 has arrived at Sendai 5B which was an iron and steel works. Over 50 POWs were killed here by ‘friendly fire’ from US battleships and later by planes from aircraft carriers. Liberation came on 15th September 1945 when he departed from Kamaishi Port. After this point there is diary entries from other prisoners, so the probability is that it also applies to Richard. He sailed to Okinawa, and then changed ship to sail to Manila. On 04/10/1945 he boarded the HMS Formidable as passenger number 370 and sailed for Sydney. He then travelled by rail to Melbourne, where he boarded the SS Andes and sailed for New Zealand. There is a group photo of your Grandfather at https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P02087.001 (front row, first on right)

Hello, I am looking for information on my grandfather Richard Bell. He was in the Merchant Navy and was captured by the Japanese forces on the 12th of July 1942 whilst serving in USSco Hauraki as an Assistant Cook. I understand he was eventually transferred to Japan and remained there until the end of the war.

Hi Stephanie, re grandfather Bombardier Patrick O’Shea. The 5th Field Regiment was a Regular Army regiment, which in 1939 was based in India. Oct 8th 1941, the regiment was mobilised and sent to Bombay to board the troopship Orion. Upon landing at Singapore they were sent to Ipoh where they remained there for appx. 2 months, before being sent to Kota Bharu.
The formation tasked with the protection of the airfields in and near Kota Bharu was the 8th Indian Infantry Brigade Group. When the Japanese landed on the beach the regiment had to direct their shells over the aerodrome and onto the beaches and shorelines.
They then had to fight a rear guard action all the way back to Singapore, and the capitulation on 15/02/1942. Patrick was then incarcerated in Changi until 25/10/42 when he was locked down in the hold of the hellship England Maru and sailed to Keelung in northern Formosa (Taiwan). After this 3 week journey of hell, the 1100 men were disembarked onto the quayside and split into 2 groups mainly by regiments. 523 men of the 80th Anti Tank and 155th Lanarkshire Yeomanry (amongst others) were sent to the Kinkaseki Copper Mine, whilst the 5th Field Rgt. were sent to Taihoku Camp #6. Patrick remained in #T6 from Nov.1942 until June 1945, when he was sent to help construct OKA Camp high in the mountains. This camp was to be where all the POWs were to be eliminated if the allies landed on Taiwan. Your Grandfather died at this camp, five days after the end of the war and just one day before the camp was abandoned and the men went back to #T6. The brutal treatment of OKA resulted in 19 deaths in 2 months. Patrick was buried in Yuboku cemetery until 1948, and then relocated in Sai Wan, Hong Kong.

Hi, I’m looking for information & a photo of my grandad Patrick William O’Shea. He was in 5th field regiment & was in a Japanese pow camp on Formosa & died there. Service no 842703
I’d welcome any information & have never seen a photo of him

Hi, looking for information on my great great uncle Ronald Howe, Oldham, Manchester 1st battalion, killed in action in Singapore on  15th feb 1942. Aged 21. I understand that his battalion were made POW by Japanese after that day and likely have no pictures. It is a stab in the dark but it would be nice to get an account of experiences either with him or of the battalion in Singapore. If there are any writings or second hand experiences ( since most have likely passed now) that would be great to hear. Thanks in advance