Empress of Asia and other ships crew lost in the fall of Singapore

Discussion in 'War Cemeteries & War Memorial Research' started by Roy Martin, Dec 17, 2017.

  1. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    The Empress of Asia was attacked and caught fire off Singapore in February 1942. HMS Yarra saved many of the survivors. All 132 members of the catering (and Pursers?) department, and the ship's doctor, volunteered to serve in local hospitals. When the hospitals were over run, many were said to have been slaughtered. But I can only find a dozen, or so, listed at Tower Hill, they seem to have died in prison camps. Was it that no others were lost, either in the sinking, or in the hospitals; or is it that they have been overlooked?
    There were a number of merchant seamen, mainly, though not exclusively, officers, who were on ships temporarily taken over by the navy. They are commemorated elsewhere, but should they not be included in the numbers of merchant seamen lost in WW2? They include Temporary Acting Lieutenant Wilkinson VC the CO of HMS Li Wo.
     
  2. Hugh MacLean

    Hugh MacLean Senior Member

    Hello Roy,
    There are 9 commemorated seamen from the EMPRESS OF ASIA. There are many that I have on my pow lists but I am assuming they survived the ordeal. The only one I cannot account for is M. Pietro who is mentioned in the Deaths at Sea Index but not mentioned in the Register.

    Lt Wilkinson would not be commemorated as a merchant seaman as he would come under the RNR.

    Regards
    Hugh
     
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  3. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Hugh,
    Were merchant seaman treated as civilians and put in the civilian camps? I have come across MN in the military camps but not often.
    Tim
     
  4. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Thank you Hugh,
     
  5. Hugh MacLean

    Hugh MacLean Senior Member

    Hi Tim,
    Merchant Navy seamen seem to have been considered military at some time and civilian at others so some would have been in military camps but as far as I know they were mainly held in civilian internment camps where the treatment could be just as brutal. Many, such as some of those captured on the BEHAR, never made it to a camp as they were executed on board ship.

    Regards
    Hugh
     
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  6. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Thanks for that Hugh.
    Tim
     
  7. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Merchant Navy POWs in Germany were imprisioned in Milag Nord
     

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