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Hi, my Grandfather was a Japanese POW. Unfortunately he died in 1961 from the effects of his capture, and local diseases common at that time. I never met him and my father died many years ago so I have no records except a letter from the King welcoming him home. Any info you may have would be great. My grandfathers name was Thomas/Joseph Conway from Manchester possibly Ardwick.

My father, Wilfrid Bertram Poley was a POW of the Japs. I am wondering what happened to his friends in the camp. Jess Aubrey and Bernard Weller. Both of whom I'm sure are now dead. As is my dad. My Uncle Bernie was the Musical Director of Billy Smart's Circus for several years which is where he and my father were reunited many years after the war ended. Jess Aubrey was my dad's friend for very many years and he lived near us. He was the proprietor of a garage in Creigiau. A small village (then!) on the outskirts of Cardiff. Any info gratefully received.
Regards
Lindsey Nicholas nee Poley

Hi my husband's uncle Able Seaman Edgar James Roland McLachlan was a Japanese POW in Khonkhan in 1943. He died at the age of 23yrs. Official records say of malaria however we have good reason to believe Edgar was beaten to death. Any information would be greatly appreciated by us.

Hi Nancy. Ref. your Great Granddad. Private Fred T Holt was a member of the 2nd Battalion East Surrey Regiment. I have him listed in two wartime documents with slightly different service numbers in each. One shows 6147394, another shows 6147294. His address is shown as 22 Miniver Street, Blackfriars, SE1. He was imprisoned Changi on 15.02.1942, and then went out on work parties. This could have been one of many jobs, from road repairs to docks work etc. He remained in Changi until 24.10.1942 when he entrained for the Siam end of the railroad. Unfortunately I cannot trace any camp information. However, it appears he was with the men known as Group 4, and these men worked at Wampo, Tonchan, Kanu, and Hintock amongst others.

Just wanted to add my great uncle was a POW
in no1 POW camp Thailand.
I know he was there for a couple of years or more
he suffered so much.
His name was Ernest Cork. (gunner)

Hi

My great grandad was a p.o.w captured in Singapore and taken to Burma and kept there
For 3 years to work on the Burma railway. His name is Frederick Thomas Holt from Bermondsey in London .
I don

Ricky, see email.

Hi.
I

Dear Mike,

Thank you so much for the information on my grandfather, Henry Walter Porter Leonard. That

Mike that,s amazing. Thank you so much. It was Clifford Johnson who was of greatest interest, and it was thought he had been moved about a lot, but the other two were post-war pals assumed to have been imprisoned in the same places at some stage. Where is the next place to look?

Paul, Middlesex Regiment were taken prisoners on 25.12.1941 on Hong Kong. Large loss of life when the Lisbon Maru hellship was torpedoed as it was taking POWs to Japan. Lots more detailed information on Tony Banhams website: http://www.hongkongwardiary.com

Hi,
Just found this fascinating site.
i am looking for info on

Michael, to full search details on three people takes a lot of time. However, I can give some details to get you started if that helps. William Clifford Johnson, 1167540, prisoner on 08.03.1942. RAF Seletar. Eric Bradford-Pratt, 1186413, prisoner 08.03.1942. RAF Kallang. Held prisoner in Moluccas, camp Haruku. Assuming all 3 were RAF, there was no airforce Welsh. With nickname of Paddy, not able to search properly , possibly Patrick Walsh, 538040.

This will not be a 'trigger warning', unless it reaches
someone who understands, in which case it may be
a help.

On Remembrance Day, does anyone else
(regarding the Japanese p.o.w's), feel a bit left out,
or have mixed feelings?

I know some wives were not wholehearted in all the
dancing in the street and " rejoice, our boys are
coming home, the war is all finished now".

Because, for them it wasn't.

End of April, start of May was the end in Europe.
But Japanese held out to September, (or in some cases 1970's!)

So it's understandable some relatives would feel embittered
Their men seemed to have been overlooked in all the celebrating.

Also some of the German p.o.w tales of all the jolly
larks and digging tunnels to escape conditions that were
apparently correctly Geneva Convention,
(not routine brutality and disease and starvation)
made one exasperated Jap p.o.w. wife describe it as
"they don't have a clue, expecting to be
considered heroes for trying to get out of Butlins"

The Jap p.o.w's wives, and their children, paid a high price
for things their men couldn't even speak about.

Those wives are mainly now passed on,
but no do-gooding charity even for a moment
gives a thought or mention, let alone a helping hand,
to the wreckage caused and the people left.

Ruined marriages, bewildered family of men who
won't and can't explain. Embittered ex wives
resenting and rejecting the children of those
husbands who seemed to be rejecting them.

Nobody cares to realise the damage to some of those men's
children, sometimes unwanted, rejected,
and without either parent being willing
and/or able to be a parent to them.

War service made them unwanted as small children
or infants, and that knowledge of being unloved
and rejected from the start will have stayed with
them and blighted their lives.

Now, they are getting old themselves.
The multiple ex-forces charities constantly trumpet
their good works to the people they consider to
correctly fit into their rectangular tick-boxes.
But old people whose lives were blighted by a
fathers war service don't fit.

Just as V.E. day ignored their fathers' existence,
their own existence is ignored now.


I'm posting this on Remembrance Day,
in hope that it may help someone out there to know
they are not alone.

Please could anyone help? A japanese p.o.w survived and returned to U.K. Like Alison's question, it relates to an AC2. His name was William Clifford Johnson but he was only called Clifford. His war companions included Paddy Walsh (or Welsh?) who was Irish, plus Eric (Bradford-Pratt?) who was English

Thank you both for replying to my post it was very helpful i was struggling to find anything. It made my research so much easier.
Thanks again
Sarah Neale

I am looking for more information about my cousin, John Charles Graham Coe. I have the following information.
National Archives of Australia COE JOHN CHARLES GRAHAM : Service Number - VX39468 : Date of birth - 06 Jan 1916 : Place of birth - KINGSTON LONDON : Place of enlistment - ROYAL PARK VIC : Next of Kin - COE ELEANOR
He is recorded as a POW in Java in 1942 Java party 5a and in Thailand in 1944. He survived the war and died in London in 1980.
Thanks Steve

John, re Private Henry Leonard. service number 5828641, 5th Suffolk Regiment. Address shown as 23, St Andrews Street, Mildenhall, Suffolk. Imprisoned Changi until 17.10.1942 when he was sent OVL by train to the Siam Railroad. I have no information on which camps. He returned to Singapore on the completion of the railroad, and went into River Valley camp. on 02.02.1945 he left this camp and boarded the Haruyasa Maru destined for Japan. However, the convey was attacked by the submarine USS Pampinito with one freighter being sunk and another badly damaged. The remaining convey headed for safety in Vietnam, and arrived at Cape St. Jacques and entered the Mekong River and headed for Saigon. On 09.02.1945 the men disembarked into the Harbour Camp. Shortly after arrival these POW had been transferred to work-camps for building airfields: on 18-2-1945 to Long Than (1500 men) and on 23-2-1945 to Phy My (1000 men).

Hello. It is fascinating to read these posts. I would like to know how I can find some information on my grandfather, Henry Walter Porter Leonard, who was in the 5th Suffolk Regiment and was captured in Singapore. He survived as a POW and was liberated in 1945. Any guidance or information

Thank you for directing me to this site today (we met in the book section at Salvos).

James, I can see 4 x Robert Thomson who were POW during WWII, but all were army. Anything to do with Hong Kong I would suggest you contact Tony benham at his website: http://www.hongkongwardiary.com/ However, I have already looked there and he has a large navy POW list, but I cannot see R. Thomson.

Looking for information regarding my great-grandfather Robert James Thomson. He was a British submariner captured by the Japanese in 1942 or 1943 and was held in Hong Kong.

Leann. See email.

I am trying to find out anything relating to my Great Grandfather,
he was a Corporal at the time of his capture15/02/1942 and was POW at Changi Prison, Malai Camp 4.
I am hoping to try and piece together as mush as i can about his life.
His name was George Nairn Christie, D.O.B 3/10/1905. he joined the Royal Army Service Corps, Profession, driver.

Looking for information on my grandfather Jack Sydney West, 2/30 Battalion AIF, POW in Sandakan.