Month: February 2017

Added ‘U.S. Declares War On Japan’ from Tuesday, 9th December, 1941, Daily Sketch edition.

To William Chapman’s Notebook:-

http://www.far-eastern-heroes.org.uk/William_Chapmans_Notebook/html/us_declares_war_on_japan.htm

Helped Alex via a Facebook message on Robert Thomas and added the information to the Java Index as I am still compiling the ‘L’s.

 

Added a page for Henry Lynes in the ‘Roll of Honour’ in the ‘Site Memorial’ section:-

http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/L/html/lynes-henry.htm

Information
Gary Allen
Hell Ships
KEW:- WO 361/2172, WO 392/25, WO 345/32, WO 361/1955, WO 361/2196, WO 361/2169, WO 361/1987, WO 361/2186

Added a page for Edward Rumfitt who died working on the Thailand to Burma Railway of cholera, with ‘F’ Force:-

http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/r/html/rumfitt-edward.htm

Information
Commonwealth War Graves
KEW:- WO 361/2053, WO 392/26, WO 345/45, WO 367/3, WO 361/1623,

Added various maps to make escape journey clearer:-

http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/s/html/stringer-dominic-michael.htm

Had to find Malay names:-

Peak Island is now Kusa Island

Sungai means river in Malay and is written before the river name (Sungai Batanghari)

Paula means Island in Malay and is written before the island name (Paula Durian)

Djambi River is now called Batang Hari River (Sungai Batanghari)

I believe this makes the journey clearer.

With so many pieces missing records from KEW could not be found but using Hazel’s information have put a page together for Dominic:-

http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/s/html/stringer-dominic-michael.htm

This includes two reports by Lieutenant Walmsley R.N.V.R and  G.M McMahon – Derrick & Co. on the escape from Singapore of the Water Boat “Daisy”.

It has been one of those 24 hours I often dream about. You wouldn’t believe the jig I just did around my workshop come office. An accumulation of events have fitted some long lost pieces of the jigsaw together, chuffed is an understatement, ‘I Am Over The Moon’. Gemma’s hankie was the beginning which sparked the events. That led to my remembering I had put a hankie into the Death Railway pages under the Kaorin Camp.

http://www.britain-at-war.org.uk/WW2/Death_Railway/html/kaorin.htm

That led me to starting a database on Kaorin Camp which triggered me searching the web for the ‘Kaorin Camp’. That led me to finding the water colour and the news that the hankies were part of a liberation plane drop. That led me to Debbie’s plea for help on her great uncle’s hankie and her joing the FEPOW Family Facebook group. That led to sketches on Chungkai Entertainments as there was a sketch on the Kaorin Camp.

And Finally the WHOOPEE event one of the sketches contained JOHN COAST as STAGE MANAGER. John was the author of ‘Railway of Death’ which has recently been re-released. My father said it was the nearest book on his time in the Camps in Thailand. So I went back to do some research and have completed John’s page with index card etc. which I started about 10 year ago. Over the moon -I am still bubbling:-

 

http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/c/html/coast-john.htm

 

Information
KEW:- WO 361/2167, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2058, WO 361/2176, WO 361/2069, WO 345/11, WO 392/23, WO 361/1979, WO 361/1954, WO 361/2196

Added a page within the Roll of Honour for Frederick James Bray:-

http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/B/html/bray-frederick-james.htm

Information
KEW:- WO 361/2172, WO 345/6, WO 361/1954, WO 361/1979, WO 392/23, WO 361/2058, WO 361/1623, WO 361/1520, WO 361/1529, WO 361/2169, WO 361/1987, WO 361/2235, WO 361/2053, WO 361/2176

 

A big coincidence on writing a school project Gemma Glover used a photo of a hankie her grandfather Arthur Barker brought back from the Kaorin Camp. She shared her photo with the FEPOW Family Facebook group in 2017. Gemma has given me permission to use her photo on this page.

http://www.britain-at-war.org.uk/WW2/Death_Railway/html/kaorin.htm

Updating as I find them, so far deciphered 18 confirmed 14:-
These are the names on the handkerchief.
Beckitt, Royal Artillery, 61st Field
Arthur William Bigg, Signalman, 2587078, R.C.O.S, att, 148 Field Regiment, born 1921/02/15
Selwyn Charles Blatherwick, Signalman, 2345861, R.C.O.S, Malaya Command Signals, born 1916/03/06
Norman Herbert Thomas Bowles, Lance Corporal, T/116 9675, R.A.S.C., born 1917/11/01
George Cutts, Gunner, 1103947, Royal Artillery, 48 Field Regiment, born 1914/04/04
Walter Charles Henry Ellis, Signalman, 2347161, R.C.O.S. att, 35 LAA R.A., born 1919/03/30
Leslie Elms, Bombardier (Artillery Clerk), 842428, Royal Artillery, born 1916/12/09
George Foster – Gunner, 1605134, Royal Artillery, 30/3 Heavy Anti-Aircarft Regiment, born 1911/04/15
Thomas Henry Grace, T/168527, Driver, R.A.S.C, 54th Brigade, born 1917/05/15
George Henry Hawkwood, Bombardier, 923529, Royal Artillery, 135 Field Regiment, born 1920/05/25
J Higgins, Royal Artillery, 135 Field
D.H. Moore
S. Morris, Royal Air Force
William Page, Sergeant, 5774935, Royal Norfolk Regiment, 6th Battalion, enlisted 1939/05/19
Leslie Ronald Pearson – Private, 4976727, 1/5 Sherwood Forester, born 1919/10/03
Ronald John Potter, Private, 4977892, 1/5 Sherwood Forester, born 1912/08/14
Raymond Frederick Salsbury, Sergeant, 4978030, 1/5 Sherwood Forester, born 1918/06/04
Ronald Mark Turner, Sapper, 2074366, Royal Engineer, 288 Field, born 1921/06/06

 

 

What a coincidence:- Keith Rattray branch secretary for Royal British Legion sent these photos to me in 2015 with the explanation – Warminster and one of our elder members has for years collected various hankies, she relunctantly gave a talk on them very recently and to my amazement there in front of my eyes was one made by A.S. Newcombe of KAORIN POW camp dated 1945

 

Now Gemma has come up with another hankie from her grandfather, Arthur Barker from the sane camp at Kaorin.

Gemma gave me permission to add it to the page:-

http://www.britain-at-war.org.uk/WW2/Death_Railway/html/kaorin.htm