A living record

Guestbook

Share a memory, ask a research question or add information that may help another family.

Readers’ messages

Guestbook entries

Showing 201–225 of 2,577

Mike

28.03.2024

Hi Rachel. ref; Cpl William Scott Gray. 2nd Btl Gordon Highlanders. OH NO. NOT THE DUCK AGAIN. Are you aware that as you scroll down this page you will see 3 people asking about William with his duck. In March 2021, Jennie asked about William and his duck ref. "Mums father".
In September 2023, Fergus Webster asked about William and his duck ref. "Great great Uncle". And now Rachel asks ref "Grandad". I have seen a photo of the duck being cuddled by soldiers, one MAYBE William ? Apparently the duck, named Donald, laid 163 eggs in 18 months. The importance of this to starving men must have been immense. It is rumoured the duck was last seen outside a Chinese restaurant in Aberdeen.

Satgunalan Kandiah

UK/Malaysia

Anyone with any information on my late maternal grandfather Mr Seetha Vengadasamy- Station Master at the Sungai Patani Railway station at the outbreak of war was abducted by the imperial Japanese army to “help” in the disastrous railway project. He never returned. My mother is 90 now- the only surviving child of 3 sisters. It would help to put her mind and soul to rest knowing  what happened to him and if there’s any grave site for him. Thank you.

Rachel

Scotland

Hi, looking for any information on William Scott gray he took the duck home from war. He would be my grandad. Thanks

Rachel

Scotland

Hi, looking for any information on William Scott gray he took the duck home from war. He would be my grandad. Thanks

Rachel

Scotland

Hi, looking for any information on William Scott gray he took the duck home from war. He would be my grandad. Thanks

Philippa

London

My great uncle Cyril Owens was in Singapore when it fell.  He was an engineer and I know he was both in Changi and worked on the Burma Railway.  Any information would be gratefully appreciated.

Shelly Hobson Higgins

Reading, Berkshire, England

Hi, Trying to find further information about CYRIL RAYMOND VARDEN [Corporal. #5828196. 4th SUFFOLK REGIMENT]. Believe it is possible he spent time at Changi & Hokkodai-1B Ashibetsu POW Camps. 
Thank you very much for any and all help! 
Best wishes
Shelly 

Connie

County durham

My father William Seymour was in the shangi jail and worked on the Burma railway horrible things happened to him and he bore lots of scars on his head from beating as he worked on the railway he was captured early on in the war and there until his release after the war was over, he had malaria when he came home and never really wanted to speak much about the horrific ordeal that the all had

w

Betty (Perth). Can you repost your request as some letters have corrupted. Its unclear who is the POW. Is Colin the POW or the son? Is he army/navy/airforce? Is he Australian ? Is regiment known?

Margaret Josephine McLean

Baradine 2396

My father was taken prisioner of war in world war 2. He was in the south china sea for 6 days and 6 nights before he got recusied by the uss sealion. His name was Michael Deguara.

Betty

Perth WA

Saw this in google but unable to find post related to this wrt Beardshaw.




“Beardshaw who was taken prisoner in Singapore on 15 Feb
Can anyone help? Asking for a friend researching his father Colin Beardshaw




Thank you

Louise

Lancashire

Hello. Thankyou for your reply. His parents were George and Eliza Brown and he was born in Driffield, East Yorkshire. His parents lived there until their deaths. I"ve only recently discovered he existed. He was my mum"s uncle, but she had no knowledge of him at all ( she was born in 1938 and her dad never spoke about him) Since I left my original message I have found his birth online and checked the certificate to ensure I have the right person. His date of birth was 21.12.20, so it turns out he wasn"t underage during the war, but may have joined the army prior to that when he was underage. As I said previously, my cousin is a very old lady now, and all her dad"s papers were disposed of after his death, so I have nothing more to go on. I would dearly love to solve the mystery for my cousin if I could, as she remembers her dad searching as much was possible in those days to find out what had happened to his brother.

Mike

28.02.2024

Louise, --- Are you able to supply his date of birth ? -- What was his parents first and middle names? . --- Where was his hometown?

Louise

Lancashire

Hello, It"s a long shot, but I am looking for any available information on my great uncle George Arthur Brown. I have only recently been told that he enlisted at the age of 17, having lied about his age, and that he was shipped out and died shortly after as a Japanese POW. His brother tried for years to find out what happened to him. My cousin is now a very old lady with no documentation, just the knowledge that her dad tried everything available at the time to find information. I don"t even know the regiment, though his 2 brothers joined the Duke of Wellingtons prior to the war so that"s a possibility. I would be grateful for any information. Thank you.

Brian martin

Suffolk

Dear Mike,
  Thank you so much for the information you posted about my Father. It really does mean a lot to me.
    Best wishes,
        Brian

Mike

25.02.2024

Hi Georgia. ....Ref. your Great Grandpa. Unfortunately I am unable to find details about his time on the Burma Siam Railroad. Dvr Albert Birch, service number T/197894, was a member of the 18 Division RASC. After his initial imprisonment at Changi he was sent to the Railroad on 08/10/1942. Unfortunately I cannot trace his camps in Thailand. Although I do not have files showing his name to confirm the next detail, I believe them to be correct based on dates that match up. Eventually he was returned to Singapore, probably on 01/06/44 and into Haverlock Road Camp. On 03/06/44 he was taken to the docks and I believe sailed on Hioki Maru to Manila, Takao (Taiwan) and probably into Nagasaki Docks rather than Moji Docks where most of the Maru docked, arriving 26/06/44. Transferred to Fukuoka 17 prisoner camp. His liberation occurred on 15th September 1945 at Nagasaki Docks when he was handed into the care of Col. Griffin. His name next shows up when he has arrived at Manila in the Philippines. He boards HMS Implacable on 25/09/1945 and sails via Hawaii for San Francisco. During the journey the destination is changed to Vancouver, Canada, and they arrive on 11/10/1945. Although there is no passenger information, many diaries state they had a 5 day train journey across Canada to either Halifax or New York. Their final sailing was on the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth or Ile de France.

Mike

24.02.2024

Jackie. Your GF was definitely listed in "W Party" on 26.10.1942. The George Anderson in D Force was a Gunner with 135 Field Regiment. He died on 15.08.1943 and is buried at Kanchanaburi. He can be seen on the CWGC website, just put in his service number of 994855.

Jackie

Devon

Trying to research my GF Sapper George Victor Anderson reg no.1872454, enlisted to the 35th Fortress company. Have been told he was sent to a Thailand on 26/101942 with W Party which conflicts with other advice that he was with D force between 14/18th March 1943; any help and info gladly received thank you

craig bedford

haifax uk

hi i am looking for details of my grandfather w/bdr 907812 stanton frank royal artillery captured feb 1942

Georgia

Sheffield, England

I am looking for any info on my great grandpa. His name was Albert Birch, DVR. I know he was in Fukuoka Camp #17 from June 1944/5 but I would like to find out any more information about him. He passed before I was born & when asking my father about him, he said he never really spoke about his time as a POW which is understandable. Any info would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Mike

23 Feb. 2024 UK

Brian, re your father Lieutenant Sydney Martin. EC 1824. 5/11 Sikh Regiment. After imprisonment in Changi he was sent overland by train on 05/11/1942 in "Party M" to the Burma/Siam Railroad. He lists his camps over the next nearly three years as Wan Run (68Km), Takilin (97Km) Wampo (114Km) Takunun (218Km) Chungkai (60Km) Kanchanaburi (53Km). His final camp was Nakon Nayok which was 350Km away from Kanchanaburi at a site N.E. from Bangkok. The workforce here was mainly to dig tunnels into the hillsides for storage of fuel and ammunition. Many men also believed it would be where they would be herded for extermination when the "Final Disposition" order was to be carried out. Brian, there wasn"t a camp 2, but there were men who formed Group 2. This group could have worked at any camp within a designated area under a designated Japanese Administration.

Nick Tanner

Looking for information on Fred Heywood, from Swindon Wilts.
I believe he escaped from a Japanese POW camp and made it back to the UK.
Sorry I can't be more specific.
Thanks for replying
Nick Tanner

brian martin

uk

I am looking for any information on my Father Sydney Martin. He was in the Indian Army and Captured in Singapore.
I think he ended up at Malai Camp No2 ?
Thank you

Mike

14.02.2024

Hi Helen. Your Grandfather, Gunner Wilfred Heywood, service number 1587626, was a member of 241 battery, 77 Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment (77 HAA). He was stationed at Soerabaja on Java. On 01.03.1942 with the impending Japanese assault, they moved to the Tjilatjap area. The Java capitulation occurred on 08.03.1942 and Wilfred became a POW, initially being taken to the camp at Tanjong Priok in Batavia. On 09.02.1943 he was taken to the docks and boarded the hellship Roko Maru, as part of "Java Party 13", for journey to Singapore and then destination to be decided thereafter. There were 1000 men put into the holds for what was thankfully a short journey arriving on 12.02.1943. Taken to Changi, and later Selarang camps, before a return to Changi, he avoided the shipments of many of the other men to the Death railroad or Japan Mainland. He is listed as still being within Changi at Liberation on 2nd September 1945. Copies of files available if wanted, showing his name.

Helen Sherwood

New Zealand

Hi, I am looking for information regarding my grandfather, Wilfred Lionel Heywood. I know he was a Pow in Changi prison for some part of the war. He was in the British army. Any details gratefully received.

All entries are preserved in the same guestbook database used by the original website.

Add your message

Sign the guestbook

If you are looking for information about someone, include as much as you know:

  • Service number
  • First, middle and last name
  • Date and place of birth
  • Rank and regiment or unit

Please also mention what you have already discovered, so other researchers do not repeat the same work.

Email is optional. Visitors must click to reveal it, which reduces basic automated harvesting, but it will still be publicly viewable.

Leave blank unless you want visitors to be able to reveal and use your email address.