How do i find units captured by the Japs

Hi All,

I am researching a war memorial in Cheshire and among the WW2 casualties there are a number of men that were POW's of the Japanese. My question is, is there anyway i can find out which camp each of my casualties died in? I have several that are on the Singapore Memorial but going by their death dates they died long after the fall of Singapore and and would of probably of been taken to one of their forced labour camps somewhere in SE Asia.

Any help you guys can give me would be a huge bonus.

Kind regards
Mike

 

This any good? http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/
eg;-

http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/Japanese_Homeland/A/index.htm


Kyle

 

Brilliant Kyle, Many thanks. Will be on there some time i think, lol.

Regards
Mike

 

Hi Mike,

Check for them on the Cofepow database, this will give you their date of capture. If they are on the database, then they will have a POW index card at the National Archives, this might give details of their camps and demise. One problem though, it will be written in Japanese Kanji characters.

http://www.cofepowdb.org.uk/cdb2/Controller.jsp?action=simplesearch

 

Many of those on the Singapore Memorial, are those with no grave as they drowned at sea when their hellships were attacked by the American submarines.

Do you want to list their names (and regiments if known) for help ?

Mike

 

Hi Bamboo, Awesome, now have the dates of capture for all the POW's. A huge step in the direction i want to head in.

Thank you

Mike

 

Hi Mike,

I will certainly list the names and Units if anyone can help it would be hugely appreciated.

Bratt, Frederick, 49 Bty, 48 Lt AA Regt RA, died 8/7/45
Brough, Arthur, 142 Gen Transport Coy, RASC, died 10/6/45
Cook, Clement, 5 Searchlight Regt, RA, died 21/02/43. I have his story.
Forster, Norman, 1st Btn Manchester Regt, died 3/10/43
Horton, Arthur, 5 Searchlight Regt, RA. Died 12/9/44
Minshull, John William, 9 Coast Regt, RA, died 26/6/44
Mould, John, 1st Btn Manchester Regt, died Btw 14/2/42 and 15/2/42. Believed to of been killed in the hospital masacre.
Pryor, James, 2nd Btn Loyal Regt, died 10/1/44
Davies, Arthur Reginald, RAF, Died 19/01/43
O'Connell, Michael, 2nd Btn Loyal Regt, died 11/8/43

Any help with these would be hugely appreciated.

Kindest Regards
Mike

 

Davies, Arthur Reginald 1074495

84 Squadron
Held. Java, Honshu (Mukaishima) Died, Mukaishima 19 January 1943. Buried Yokohama.

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2207843/DAVIES,%20ARTHUR%20REGINALD

 

Thanks Peter, I have managed to put part of his story together so working on getting more info on his background and what he was doing at Honshu.

Regards
Mike

 

Pryor, James, 2nd Btn Loyal Regt, died 10/1/44

Originally a member of the ill fated ‘F Force’, sent to the Siam railroad on 26/04/1943.
Returned to Singapore.
Died of Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and Bronchial Pneumonia at Changi Hospital.
Original grave: N2 GA3

Mike

 

Davies, Arthur Reginald, AC1, 1074495 RAF (VR) 84 Squadron died 19th January 1943.

This name appears in a spreadsheet at www.mansell.com/pow_resources/.../hiroshima/.../hir_04_mukaishima.xl...

 

Hi Mike,

That's brilliant, where did you find that all out. Couple of questions as i am new to the war against Japan. How would he of got back to Singapore and why would the Japanese send him back? I'll have to look up this F' Force as i know little nothing about them.
I gather he would of been buried at Kranji after being moved from the cemetery at Changi after the war in 1946.

Thank you Mike, that has helped hugely and is much appreciated.

Regards
Mike

 

Hi Paperimache,

Thank you for that, i will check that out and see if it contains any further info on him.

Much appreciated
Mike

 

Mike,

I couldn't open the spreadsheet on Mansell.com for some reason. Usually the Apple program can do it.

There are four long affidavits about Mukaishima in file WO311/546 at Kew. Send me a pm with your address and I will copy my photos of them to you. There is no mention of AC1 Davies but I am certain they are relevant to your researches.

As for "F" force the party was not taken over by Japanese Thailand administration. Their supplies in Thailand were supposed to be supplied by Japanese "Malayan" administration. This caused huge suffering.

John

 

Many were returned to Singapore after the railroad was completed. The return train journey was in the steel rice wagons as used to send them north originally.

Mike

 

O'Connell, Michael, 2nd Btn Loyal Regt, died 11/8/43

‘F Force’, sent to the Siam railroad on 28/04/1943.
Died of ‘diarrhoea’ (a term applied for a multitude of barbaric treatments)
Died at Sonkrai, Thailand.
Original burial Cemetery 4 BL/A/Ri Grave 5



Horton, Arthur, 5 Searchlight Regt, RA. Died 12/9/44

Drowned on 12/09/1944 when the Kachidoki Maru was sunk by USS Pampanito, near Hainan Island off China, as it sailed to Japan.




Minshull, John William, 9 Coast Regt, RA, died 26/6/44

Drowned on 26/06/1944 when the Harugiki Maru was sunk by HMS Truculent as it sailed to Sumatra.



Mike

 

Hi Mike,

Huge thanks for finding Michael O'Connell as i could not find his record on COFEPOW website. I have just been reading about F' Force, those poor guys went through hell on earth as did all the POW's but i think they really had the dirty end of the stick. I knew Arthur Horton had died on a hellship but i didn't have the details so thats a huge step forward.

Thank you
Mike

 

Mike,

He was there, but under Joseph?

http://www.cofepowdb.org.uk/cdb2/Controller.jsp?action=showfepow&id=31590

 

Forster, Norman, 1st Btn Manchester Regt, died 3/10/43

‘F Force’ sent to the railroad on 26.04.1943.
Died of Beri-beri at Tambaya Hospital, Burma, at 22:46 hours.
Originally buried in grave 377.
Now buried at Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Burma, grave B6. N. 12.



Bratt, Frederick, 49 Bty, 48 Lt AA Regt RA, died 8/7/45

Originally captured on Java
Died through starvation at Ranau, Borneo, after undergoing the Sandakan death march.
Only six survived out of 2,434 men.
No known grave, commemorated on the Singapore Memorial, column 14

 

Hi Bamboo, Great find but wonder why they have him under Joseph M as in the CWGC they have him as Michael. Thank you for that, bit more info on him.

Hi Mike, Again this is so much appreciated, i had Frederick Bratt to of died on the march and not on arrival, to of died like that when it had been completed is just awful though i think he would probably of been executed before the Allies got there.
And another F' Force victim. Three from one small town in Cheshire so far, unbelievable.

Thank you both for taking the time to help me so far, your helping to tell the stories of the men that suffered from this one small town in Cheshire. Their stories will be told and i hope that the town realise how much they suffered.

Kind regards
Mike