Guestbook

Mike

Bobbie, Sorry , information below is incorrect. I have confused a George Poltock with an William Poltock. I can now see that George was a signalman and also at singapore. Will check for more detail

Mike

UK 19.02.2014

Bobbie, Lt. George Poltock was taken prisoner on Christmas Day 1941 in Hong Kong, so was more than 1,500 miles away from your dads location of Singapore. They would not have the same storyline.

Bobbie Collins

UK

You could not find out much about my father and his POW records in Singapore. Any chance you could find something about two of his POW friends: George Poltock (British army) and Russell Braddon (Australian army & well known author and media personality)? That may give us an indication of my Dad's movements.

Bobbie Collins

UK

Thanks, Mike for looking for information on my father, Stanley Gordon Attwood.

Jane swyer

Uk

My dad sgt major John Mather served with the Northumberland Fusiliers 9 Battaliom I think he was in y company.He fought in france came back to England after Dunkirk. He was taken pow in 1942 in Singapore .He never talked about the war and died in 1989.My dad was known as Jack and worked in Ashington

Jonathan Moffatt

United Kingdom

Argylls in Funatsu: I have quite a bit. Allan, on

Allan

England

My uncle, Ray Hunter, Private 3322817 of the Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders was taken prisoner in December 1941 and then forced to work on
the Thai-Burma railway and then in June 1944 was shipped to Japan where he
was taken to Funatsu Branch Camp (Nagoya 3-D) until liberation on the 6
September 1945. Family lore indicates that his return to the UK was via
British Columbia where he was sent to recuperate. Does anyone know anything
about POWs coming home via British Columbia?

Rob Jones

Windsor

Thanks Mike, that's the kind of detail I was after! where did you get that from? I've been trawling the internet for that gold dust! i'll go through what you have given me piece by piece and put together his movements. I remember him once saying that an airfield he was working on was attacked by the allies and that he was due to board a ship but it was full and he later found out that ship sank. so its all looking like its coming together. thanks very much.

Mike

UK 06.02.2014

Hi Robert, you seem to have a lot of the information but bypassing what you already know, perhaps I can add a little more. Apologies if you already have this. Edward initially left Changi for Siam on 13.10.1942 , which I believe was known as No.3 Group. At some point, he returned to Singapore to River Valley Camp.
On 02.02.1945 he sailed on the Haruyasa Maru for Saigon, with the majority of the Java 25 Party, who had recently arrived from Bavaria. This was a five ship convoy and two of them were attacked and sunk by USS Pampanito. The Haruyasa Maru safely arrived at Saigon on 09.02.1945, and appx 1500 POWs went to Long Than Camp and 1000 to Phy My Camp as workforce to build airfields.

Robert Jones

Windsor

Peter,

I wonder if you could help me, I'm looking for information on my Grandfather who was POW in Thailand during the second world war.
I already have some information on him but I was hoping for more detail.
Private Edward Birdwhistle
Army Number: 4756035
POW number was 3577
he served with A Coy 1/5th Sherwood Foresters, was with the Japan Party in July 1944 ex-Nong Pladuk and was sent to Saigon. He was evacuated on the SS Chitral at Rangoon for the UK on 1.10.1945 and freed by the allies on 12.9.1945. He was discharged on 28 March 1946.

I'm speculating but it could be possible he joined up with what was left of the British Battalion in Tamarkan Camp and went to Saigon from there.

Many thanks for any help you can provide.

Barry Howard

Victoria, Australia

Hello,
I would be interested to hear from anyone with connections to VX45955 Pte. Robert Henry Dalrymple of Malvern Victoria. Robert was a member of 25 Dental Unit and became a P.O.W. at the fall of Singapore. His father was Henry William Dalrymple, he and his brothers Alexander Dalrymple (my grandfather) and David Dalrymple were all soldiers with the 1st A.I.F. during the Great War. Robert's brother Ronald Morris Dalrymple was a Private in 2/23 Battalion during WW2. I have been collecting information on the war service of all of these gentlemen and the "POWs of the Japanese" website has been a great help. Through it I have learned much about the Pte. Robert Henry Dalrymple's unit and was thrilled to find two photos of him on one of the webpages.

Thankyou.

Mike

UK 04.02.2014

Hi Sara, Private George Gooch, service number 5782250, 5th Norfolk Regiment. Sent overland to Siam on 19.03.1943 on Train 5, as part of D Force. This was 5,000 men consisting of 2780 British and 2220 Australians. This mixed force were spread over an area including Tarsao, Hintock, Konyu and Kinsayok and some worked on the notorious Hellfire Pass cutting. Unfortunately when completing his Liberation Questionaire he did not list his camps or dates, and it appears to say "Only hearsay". We can only imagine what frame of mind he was in at such a time. Two addresses are shown, 62 Elizabeth Fry Road, and 25 Helena Road, both in Norwich. On two documents he is listed as a private not a signalman.

Sara Wayte

Norfolk, England

I am seeking any information about my Gt Grandad, George Henry Gooch (1907-1986).

Sarah G

essex uk

Mike thank you and yes please send copies to Show email address

Mike

Sarah, The Liberation Q. is available to view at: http://www.cofepow.org.uk/lq.images/Geldart%20-%20Gill/Gilbert,%20John%20Edward.JPG. (hope that link works) . The other information is not online. Im happy to send copies if you want it, you would need to reply with email address.

Sarah G

Essex UK

Mike this is amazing information. Thank you so much! We knew he was a Staff Sergeant so that matches too. Can I ask the source of your information and can anyone access it? Bless you for this :-)

Mike

UK 03.02.2014

Sarah, Staff Sergeant John Gilbert, service number 7590504. Shows 2 address's . 29, New Street, Chelmsford and 76, Victoria Road. RAOC attached to 137th Field Regiment. Sent by train to Siam on 20.06.1942 which was known as "First Mainland Party" to Ban Pong, and main task was to build huts for POWs who would follow. On his liberation questionaire he actually stated he was sent on 20.05.42 but I think this is an error by him. He then went to Non Pladuk (he states 16.06.42 but probably 16.07.42 - 23.03.45) and finally Ubon 26.03.45- 22.08.45.

Sarah G

Essex UK

Hi Mike thanks for your reply yes it appears he was born in 1910 and yes he lived in Chelmsford. Still trying to unravel REME discrepancy. What info do you have please? :-)

Mike

UK 01.02.2014

Bobbie, Not much information, but shows Stanley Gordon Attwood was a member of Royal Corps of Signals, 11th Division. Service number 23622222. Recorders of files must have not been aware exactly where he was because it states Sent overland ? June 42. It is a clear question mark, and I have never seen this entry before. Obviously, you are able to confirm that he never went overland, so perhaps he was hospitalised and whereabouts were unknown.

Bobbie Collins

Herts UK

Any record of my father, Stanley Gordon Attwood, born 31 January 1920. He was a priner of the Japanese in Changi camp and avoided going up on to the railway because of ulcers on his lower legs. He was in a Signals Regiment, I believe.

Thanks very much for your time.

Albert Wilkie

United Kingdom

I wonder if I could find any reference to my uncle

Mike

UK 30.01.2014

Hi Sarah I wonder if you could recheck the information about your Granddad. The master file of POWs only shows one John Edward Gilbert, but he was RAOC and NOT REME. Also his DOB is 1910 and NOT 1911. Did he live in Chelmsford ?

Sarah G

Essex UK

Hello My grandad was a POW on the Burma Railway. His name was John Edward Gilbert born 1911 and he was part of REME - Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers. He survived the railway and we think he was at Nong Pladuk camp amongst others. Do you have any records or more information about him please?

caroline nonis

Singapore

Truly grateful for anyone with information on a Wilfred Pieters (Peters). A dutch man, my great grandfather who married a Catherine de Silva. Lived in the straits settlement (Malacca & Singapore). Was taken as a POW during the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945). He was probably in his 40s or 50s when he was taken and was never to be heard again. All I know is he was taken in for interrogation. Not sure whether he was then brought to another camp or another country to build roads or railways. He used to work in telecoms before WW2. Left behind 5 children. Grateful for any information at all.

Hilary Curran

Brisbane, australia

My uncle Joshua Malan Metcalfe was captured at the fall of Singapore, sent to Changi then to Burma railway. Thankfully he survived because of Dr. Stanley Pavillard, in whose book Bamboo Doctor, he is mentioned. My parents and grandmother also lived in Malaya before the war and had to leave at short notice. My father, Superintendent of British Police John Beaufoy James Birch had to return in January 1942 after a leave and was killed almost immediately by the Japanese advancing down the Malay peninsula. At the time I was only five months old but do remember going to meet my uncle Mal on his return to Melbourne after the war.