3185246 Private Thomas TIMLIN, 2 Gordons: Japanese POW

I am researching a ww2 pow Thomas Timlin. He was in 2nd Bttn Gordon Highlanders and his battalion surrended on 15/2/1942 in Singapore to the Japanese. His service number was 3185246. On one of his pow records it notes Far East Taiwan pow camp no 1. On another it notes former camp M7069. And on another it notes camp FO. Would anyone be able to tell me where these camps were? Thankyou so much.

 

Hi Ann
Most FEPOW's (Far East Prisoners of War) filled in a liberation questionnaire and lists the camps where he was held. I believe this would be the Thomas Tiplin in question.
Timlin, Thomas
There is also a FEPOW community website
Fepow Portal Page | COFEPOW
And a thread on here which should help
http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/fepow-liberation-
questionnaires.70645/
Regards
Andy

 

A bit of info on one of the camps listed on his questionnaire "Heito Formosa"
Memorial Service in Prisoner of War Heito Camp #3, Formosa | The World War II Multimedia Database

 

On the back of Andsco's good work Ann; Formosa, some from previous searches I've made.

Good luck with all.

Always remember, never forget,

Jim.

EDIT: Thomas Timlin is listed within.



Never Forgotten :: The Story of the Taiwan POW Camps and the men who were intered in them.

Never Forgotten :: The Story of the Taiwan POW Camps

Never Forgotten :: The Story of the Taiwan POW Camps and the men who were intered in them.

TAIWAN, FORMOSA. 1944-06. VISIT TO TAIWAN PRISONER OF WAR CAMP NO. 4 BY THE DELEGATE OF THE ...

Re link immediately above. Descriptive text from the page;

"TAIWAN, FORMOSA. 1944-06. VISIT TO TAIWAN PRISONER OF WAR CAMP NO. 4 BY THE DELEGATE OF THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS WHO IS FOURTH FROM THE LEFT. MANY SPURIOUS INCIDENTS WERE STAGED FOR HIS BENEFIT AND CATTLE, POULTRY, FOODSTUFFS ETC. THAT WERE PRESENT WERE ALL REMOVED IMMEDIATELY ON HIS DEPARTURE."


Report on No. 1 POW Camp Formosa the story of No. 1 Camp Kankaseki, Taiwan (Formosa)

Prisoner of war camp Formosa, appendix to report on medical conditions by Major J.F.... | The National Archives

 

ANN, after his initial imprisonment on Singapore , he was taken to the docks on 28/10/1942 to board the hellship Dainichi Maru. This took him to Takao harbour in Formosa (Taiwan).
After assembling at Xinshan School on 14/11/1942 he was taken to Heito Camp where they worked in sugar beet production and suffered mosquito malaria.
On 28/10/1944 he was moved to the dreaded Kinkaseki Copper Mine in the north of the island where he would encounter rain, rain and more rain. Their treatment here was brutal, sadistic and inhumane. They worked in the mine for such long hours they often never saw daylight. Their skin turned orange with the acid rain dripping on them. In March 1945, the mine closed, and he was sent to Kukutsu (the jungle camp). This was where they were all to be 'eliminated' by gas, bullet, poison or explosion, when any allies landed on Taiwan or Japan. (the Bomb saved their lives).
Thomas has actually made a mistake on his Liberation questionnaire by stating his last camp was Camp 4, which is Shirakawa Camp. He must have assumed Kukutsu was camp 4 in error. I do have paperwork that shows him being liberated from Kukutsu.
His liberation was being entrained to Keelung docks, and then taken off the island by a destroyer escort. Out at sea he was transferred to the USS Santee and bought to Manila.
At this time, he is one of the men I cant find his onward ship. Its even possible he flew, or maybe on HMS Formidable which has 250 mens names missing.

 

Oh my goodness - this information is quite remarkable - thank you all so much - can't believe we have a photo of Thomas! Andsco - thank you so much for all those links - this is incredible! Jim Herriot - thank you for those links and the photo too - Thomas's nephew will be delighted to have this. And Enigma1003 - thank you for this write up. Would it be possible to have the documents that you got this information from? Would it be possible to email me this? Really appreciate all your expertise in finding all this information. Truly grateful. Ann

 

Hi,
Just looking to pick your very educated brains again! I am on Ancestry and Find my past and can locate the Medal Rolls index cards and medal rolls for WW1 soldiers very easily....but struggling to get information of roll list for Thomas Timlin - on Forces War records I do see he would have got the 1939-45 star and the ww2 war medal - but where can I see this on a medal roll book or card? Also are WW2 service records available the way some of them are for WW1 soldiers? And are there war diaries for the battalions the way they are for WW1 battalions (I go via the National Archive for them and can get WW1 ones but been away down a rabbit hole at National Archives for WW2 diaries). Appreciate any help.
Thanks

Ann

 

Hi,

WW2 medal rolls are not in the public domain. FWR assessment of his medal entitlement is inaccurate. He likely has an entitlement to the Pacific Star and possibly the Defence Medal. You need to have sight of his service record.

No British WW2 era service records are in the public domain. You need to apply to U.K. MOD via this link -

Requests for personal data and service records: a detailed guide

Ancestry have some online WW2 war diaries but all originals are held at U.K. National Archives. They are not digitised so it will need a personal visit to read them. However several forum members offer a look up and copy service.

Steve

 

Hi Steve,
Thankyou so much for replying so quickly and for all the advice - I did think that would be the case re diaries and medal rolls and service records as I have been scratching my head on Ancestry and FMP with no luck. Thanks for the links - I will see if there are service records available then and hopefully can get them. Will have a look on Ancestry re the diaries for 2nd Bttn Gordon Highlanders too.
Thanks again - appreciate all the advice given.

Ann

 

I've had a look at WW2 diaries available on Ancestry - seems that only got them for 1st Battalion and 5/7th Battalion Gordon Highlanders. This might be a daft question - but would the commanding officer keep a diary if the battalion had surrendered as the 2nd Battalion did at the fall of Singapore on 15/2/1942? I might be looking for something that doesn't exist. If that is the case - is there any accounts that were written once the soldiers were freed for the 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders following liberation? I am just looking to find out more details, if any exist of Thomas's time before they surrendered and then during and afterwards until he was demobilised. Maybe someone wrote a book about their account of life whilst in captivity?? I have applied to the NA for Thomas's service records (if they exist - and they have said can take up to a year to retrieve and that some things may be retracted). Also - are there any films specifically about life as POW in Formosa - I have watched a few films in the past re Japanese POW's (Bridge over River Kwai; Unbroken; Railway Man - just wondering if any other recommendations?

Appreciate any advice.

Thanks

Ann

 

Hello Ann. Were you able to drill down through the links above and have a look at the information pages for the individual camps (plus photographs)?

Just in case you haven't yet here's the direct link to camp #1 Kinkaseki, as an example.

Never Forgotten :: Kinkaseki Camp #1

Good luck with all, kind regards,

Jim.

 

Hi Jim,
I did have a look at the links you sent - thanks so much for these - very interesting and most helpful.
Never Forgotten :: The Story of the Taiwan POW Camps and the men who were intered in them.

Never Forgotten :: The Story of the Taiwan POW Camps

Never Forgotten :: The Story of the Taiwan POW Camps and the men who were intered in them.

TAIWAN, FORMOSA. 1944-06. VISIT TO TAIWAN PRISONER OF WAR CAMP NO. 4 BY THE DELEGATE OF THE

these ones all worked - but the other ones for NA didn't seem to be able to work for me?? For the book - you had to order specific pages - but without seeing the book - I don't know what is relevant. That latest link you sent has worked though - and is great - thanks so much for this. I am really grateful to you all for your help - and I promise to pass it on - I always do - can navigate WW1 info more easily - just started researching WW2 - so this is all really helpful.

Ann

 

A very good book to get is 'Never Forgotten' by Michael Hurst, MBE. A bit expensive but it is 621 pages with masses of information on the Taiwan Camps.
Never Forgotten :: The Taiwan POW Book

Tim

 

Hi Tim,

thanks for this. Will look it up.

Ann

 

A BBC piece from a couple of years back Ann, featuring the author of the book that Tim has highlighted above.

WW2: Unearthing Taiwan's forgotten prisoner of war camps

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Hi Jim,

Thanks so much - I will look this up too.

All the best to you.

Ann

 

Hi Ann
The 3 main original books that deal with Singapore, hellship journey (England Maru not Dainichi Maru but probably the same) and then Kinkaseki and Kukutsu (not Heito), are:

One Day at a Time Arthur Titherington (book available from £2.88 as I print)
One Day at a Time by Titherington - AbeBooks

Banzai you Bastards Jack Edwards (book available from £17.24 as I print)
Banzai You Bastards by Edwards - AbeBooks

Out of the Depths of Hell John McEwan (book available from £2.80 as I print)
Out of the Depths of Hell by Mcewen - AbeBooks

Thomas is listed in the first two books, showing he was prisoner 1109 arriving
26th October 1944.

 

Enigma - thanks so much for these links - how amazing that Thomas is actually listed in these books - will look them up. I am so glad I joined this group. The information you have all given me is quite incredible. Thomas is my uncles uncle - and I know he (and the rest of the family) will be amazed at the information about Thomas. So really really grateful to you all.
I watched the film Prisoners of the Sun (1990) last night - it was about the Australians who were POWs on island of Ambon under Japanese control and focused on the trial of a Japanese soldier who was accused of war crimes on Australian POWs. Starred Russell Crowe, Bryan Brown and a young Jason Donovan. Was quite good, showing the camp there with flashbacks to the POWs treatment during their captivity and the trauma once they were liberated and had to give evidence. It is on amazon prime if anyone is interested.

thanks so much,

Ann

 

Hi all,
I thought since you all helped me with the research regarding Thomas - you might like this wee newspaper article about him - I took a notion to just google "Thomas Timlin WW2" and this article from the Herald from 2000 came up - gives a wee insight into Thomas and his character!

Ann

The Herald – 16/8/2000

A WAR veteran's family spoke of their pride and astonishment yesterday on learning, 22 years after his death, of his heroism in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.

Thomas Timlin returned home to Hamilton, Lanarkshire, at the end of the Second World War without saying a word to his wife and four children about the escape attempts he had led, or the sabotage missions he undertook.

When he died of cancer in 1978, aged 69, his family thought details of his war experiences had gone to the grave with him.

Now the soldier has received a posthumous award, and his actions have been recounted to his children - his wife Margaret died in 1985 - by an elderly expatriate Scot living in Canada who was imprisoned alongside Mr Timlin.

In a letter to Mr Timlin's daughter Catherine Killington, 84-year-old John Emmett recalled his comrade's bravery and resilience.

Speaking yesterday at her home in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, retired shop assistant Mrs Killington said she had been moved to tears by the letter.

She said: ''I could not believe it when I read through everything that had happened to my father.

''He was such a quiet and gentle man. Never did he once mention his experiences during the war. I do not think he even told our mother. We knew nothing of the conditions he or his fellow soldiers faced. Seeing that letter was like bringing my father back even though he died 22 years ago.''

Mr Timlin left his job as a coal miner in Hamilton and joined the Gordon Highlanders as a private at the outbreak of the war.

He was taken prisoner by the Japanese in 1942 and he and Mr Emmett, a patrol leader, were imprisoned in Changi POW camp. But he soon tired of the daily routine and brutality of the camp and became the first man to break out.

Despite the chance of freedom, he returned to captivity loaded down with food supplies for sick and undernourished comrades.

He later led a three-day long escape attempt but was recaptured and transferred to a labour camp.

The pair were among the 96 men who survived the camp out of 523 soldiers imprisoned there.

Mrs Killington has now received a copper medallion on behalf of her father from the Taiwan PoW Camps Memorial Society which put the family in touch with Mr Emmett.

Former prisoners of war yesterday delivered a letter to the Japanese embassy in London demanding compensation and a ''meaningful apology'' for wartime atrocities.

The letter, delivered to mark the 55th anniversary of VJ Day, said: ''We ask, once again, as we have done many times before, for a meaningful apology from the government of Japan, which recognises the guilt of the government in those times.''

Japanese ambassador Hayashi Sadayuki was not present at the embassy. A spokesman said he was in Britain, but on holiday.

 

You can apply to the DBS Secretariat under the FOI for a copy of his WW2 medal application.

The email address is DBSRES-Secretariat @ mod.gov.uk

It can take a little bit for them to find it, but then they will send you a PDF scan of it