Liberation

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[288 Field Compnay RE] [Japanese Attack] [Into Captivity] [Selarang Incident] [Thailand-Burma Railway] [Hell Ships] [Liberation] [Full Death Roll]

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Killed in Action

288 Field Company

Royal Engineers

History

Compiled by Ron Taylor

Liberation

15th August 1945 - 1st January 1947

‘Private 5776807’ by Frederick Noel Taylor

I couldn't believe it, freedom at last. British and Dutch paratroopers came into the camp and they soon got us organised. We were taken by plane to Bangkok, then onto Rangoon, where hospital beds awaited us.

One of the first planes out crashed killing all on board which included a Yarmouth lad from the Norfolks, J. Ferrow .

Plane Crashed Carrying POWS

Flight 66 of 117 Squadron RAF Dakota left Rangoon Mingladoon on the 8th September 1945 for Saigon to evacuate British Prisoners of War in the area who had been prisoners under the Japanese for three and a half years, all were suffering from starvation and tropical diseases.
On arrival the plane, loaded with 24 POW’s and the RAF crew of four, took off on the return flight, landing at Bangkok to refuel.

It is then reported that about 1pm on that day villagers to the village of Nuaunggangle about 13 mile north west of Moulmein in Burma and about 150 miles south east of the final destination of Rangoon heard an aircraft out at sea, followed by an explosion. The same evening at high tide they found various articles washed ashore and the next day at low tide saw the wreckage scattered over a sandbank. Several bodies which were unidentified were recovered but no trace of survivors were found.

The following is a list of crew and exprisoners who were known to be on the aircraft and died. All their names are recorded on the Singapore Memorial in Kranji War Cemetery Singapore.

Crew: Wing Cdr Samson AJDFC (30); Sq Ltd Grotrian RPD (36); Flt/Lt Bridge R (39); Flt/Lt Cuthbert JF DFC (37); all of 117 Squadron RAF.

POWs: Cpl Ablitt HR (33) RAMC; L.Sgt Arthur EA (34) 51 Fld RA; Gnr Bruce JB (38) k; Gnr Cotterill H (44) RA; Gnr Crawford JJ (29) RA; Bdr Daws F (33) RA; L/Sgt De Roux MF (40) RNF; Pte Edwards H (26) RAMC; L/Sgt Edwards EJ (29) Gordons; Sgt Hawthorn RH (37) RA; Gnr Hendy RH (37) RA; Pte Marskell GE (23) Suffolks; Gnr Payne JD (39) RA; L/Bdr Randell WJ (39) RA; Pte Ferrow J (25) 6 Norfolks; Pte Gadd RGV (23) E Surreys; Pte Jeeps L (24) 2 Cambs; L/Bdr Murfin R (28) RA; Gnr Pears JP (29) RA; Dvr Price M (33) RASC; Sgm Roy LFN (29) R Sigs; Pte Skeldon A (29) Argylls; Sgt Thomas V (29) RA; L/Cpl Warren FJ (31) RASC.

Surviving the horrors of the Japanese Camps and then dying after liberation without making it home is the saddest end to their story.

Sapper W Owens died at sea after being Liberated on 15th October 1945. He died from the after effects of work in the Kinkaseki mine and work in the hills above Taipei in Taiwan.

God Bless them.

Liberation Deaths

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