Guestbook

Janet, re George Elmer. 4th Royal Norfolk Regiment, service number 5773618. 14, gatehouse, Fulmondestone, Dereham, Norfolk. Taken prisoner at Singapore on 15.02.1942. Imprisoned at Changi (not Shang Hi). Initially sent out on work parties which would have consisted of dockwork or road repairs etc. On 27.04.1943 he was sent by train to the Siam railroad as part of 'F Force'. Returned to Changi in December 1943 where he remained until repatriated in Aug 1945.

I'm seeking information on George elmer pow in Burma

My Uncle Jack Graham Cranston and my Aunts
husband Jack H Sumner were both in Changi.
Is there any way I can find out more about their
personal suffering or indeed anything about their
time in the camp?

Maggie, some information on Frank Beech, Changi & Sime Rd internee:
he was for many years a piano tuner in Singapore - from 1911. In the 1920s he worked for the company S. Moutrie & Co.Ltd then set up his own company F. Beech & Co. , 7 Capitol Buildings, Singapore. What may be of particular interest to you is that he and his second wife, Elizabeth Matilda, survived captivity and were repatriated to the UK with sons Derek & Robert, aged 8 & 7, on MV Cilicia, arriving Liverpool 29.10.45. They gave a forwarding address in Preston.

Trying to find any information about my grandfather

Linda, anything Hong Kong you should contact Tony Banham. His knowledge and detail is amazing... Show email address

My grandparents and 2 aunts were imprisoned in Japanese pow camp. Name of grandparents are Thomas and Agnes Vera Dow, 2 aunts names Alison and Hilary. They were civilians, grandfather was in police in Hong Kong.

Nicola,Your grampy, Cyril Albert Dibble (626545) was based at RAF KUANTAN and was captured in Java. He was moved to the Moluccas Haruku), then back to Java and then to Singapore. Sorry I do not know anymore info.
Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for that information Mike, it is so very much appreciated.

Helen (re Pte. Herbert Woods).. 6th Norfolk Regiment. Service number 5779692. Address shown as 72, Stevensen Road, off Dereham Road, Norwich. He was part of the 53 Infantry Brigade, 18 Division who sailed from Gourock on 27/10/1941 on the Duchess of Atholl for Halifax, Nova Scotia. They then changed ships to the American SS Mount Vernon. They then sailed for Trinidad, Cape Town, Mombassa and finally Singapore, arriving 13/01/1942. After the surrender of Singapore on 15/02/1942 he was imprisoned in Changi, and then sent by train to the Siam Railroad on 24/06/1942.
This was known as the First Mainland Party, their task initially was to build the housing camp at Non Pluduc to house future work parties en route for up country. These troops were also involved in building the railway through to Kanchanaburi, assisted by Thai workers. At some point he was returned to Singapore to River Valley Camp and on 02/02/1945 with 2500 men was sent to the docks to board the hellship Haruyasa Maru, which sailed on 04/02/1945 for Japan. On 6-2-1945 the convoy was attacked by the USS Pampanito: one freighter was sunk; next day the other freighter was torpedoed. On 8-2-1945 the ship arrived at Cape St Jacques, Vietnam, entered the mouth of the Mekong-river and navigated to Saigon. Shortly after arrival these POWs were transferred to work-camps for building airfields at Long Than (1500 men) and Phy My (1000 men).

My grampy was in the the RAF and was a captured. I want to know where and for how long, his service number is 626545. Hope you can help. His name is Cyril Albert Dibble

I'm looking fo any information I can find on Herbert Woods, we think of the 6th Battalion Royal Norfolks. He never said a word on his return, but I would really like to know what happened to him.

Kate, sorry, my mistake, he does have a grave at Kranji, it is listed as Grave Reference 16. C. 14.

Hi Kate ( re Private Thomas James Fitzpatrick). You obviously meant a death date of 1944 not 1942. 1st Btl. Cambridgeshire Regiment, service number 5933430. Address 143 Kendal Way, Cambridge. Entrained to the railroad on 25.04.1943, which would make him part of the ill fated

Thank you for such a comprehensive site. The information contained here is a national treasure. It is a very useful tool to do research on any of the medical doctors and and the dedicated people, medics and orderlies that cared for the sick and injured particularly with the highly contagious outbreaks for which there was no vaccination available and quite often put their own lives at risk in their dedicatated duty to try to keep as many people alive as possible .

Any info about the route along the Burma Railway by Private Thomas James Fitzpatrick, Cambridgeshire Regiment. Date of death 13th June 1942.

Thank you Steve for the in formation, I do appreciate the work you do

James, ( re Sgt. Gordon Buckley). 5th Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment. Service number 5776680.
Sent by train on 19/03/1943, train 5,

Hi Gail,


Sorry to inform you but the dates of death in Paul Ham's book are incorrect and should not be used for research purposes.
In Lynette Silver's book 'Sandakan- A Conspiracy of Silence' and ' Kill The Prisoners' by Don Wall the date of death was given
as 5/6/45 aged 23 years died Sandakan. I did contribute to Paul Hams' book and I know the dates were completely wrong. He may have published a second edition correcting the dates.

Just read a book by Paul Ham (SANDAKAN) and my cousin's name Cpl E.A Marsh died on 11th December 1944

Hi
Any additional information regarding my grandad
Sgt.Gordon Charles Buckley from kings lynn, norfolk would be highly
appreciated. Not sure which norfolk regiment

Hello, thank you for your wonderful site. i was wondering if you could assist me. i am looking into my grandfather Archibald John Craig NX47445, 2/30 Battalion C Company 13 Platoon. He was in the F Forces. I know he road on train 5 truck 4 but i have no records after that until his departure from changi 1945. If you could assist me. I believe he may or worked on the drome but not sure. He did suffer cholera and berri-berri - but he died when i was 1 years old in 1988. If you could assist my family story and passing on a clearer picture of his journey it would be greatly appreciated.
Regards, Anne-Marie Cavallaro

Hi Martin, (re music called Spirit of Mercy, Truth and Love ) I think this piece of music is a couple of hundred years old. Denis Bruce Soul was a member of the Johore Volunteer Engineers, interned Changi and later Sime Road. After the war he returned to banking in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Calcutta and Hamburg. Retired in 1965. Organist & choir-master St Wilfrid's Bognor Regis; died 1997.

Hi Julie ( re George Davidson ) . Your grandfather was in the 4th Norfolk Regiment, service number 5775597. Address 59 London Road, Beccles, Suffolk. Captured at Singapore on 15.02.42 and entrained to Siam on 31.10.42 as part of

Hi David (re ROBERT IRVING ) , I cannot directly answer your question but maybe by elimination you can reach a probable conclusion. I have evidence of him leaving Java as part of Java Party 20 on 19.05.1944, arriving Singapore on 21.05.1944. Then transported to Manila on 03.06.1944, probably on the Miyo Maru.
So although he shows up in Java information, he does not show up as ever having been in the Sumatra Pow list, which shows where all pows were sent to.(or remained in Sumatra). The probability is therefore that he was taken prisoner on 08.03.1942 in Java.
If you have not read it, the following link may be of interest:
http://www.cofepow.org.uk/pages/asia_java2.htm

If you want copies of his Java 20 file let me know. Mike