Remembering Today 29/11/43 Cyril Tooth, RAF (Auxiliary Air Force)

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by La-de-da-Gunner Graham, Nov 29, 2012.

  1. La-de-da-Gunner Graham

    La-de-da-Gunner Graham Senior Member

    Remembering today:
    Cyril Geoffrey Tooth
    Leading Aircraftsman 805530
    Royal Air Force (Auxiliary Air Force), 605 Squadron
    Died: 29/11/1943
    Commemorated: Singapore Memorial
    Husband of Winifred M. Tooth, of King's Norton, Birmingham.

    :poppy: Remembered with honour.
     
  2. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Remembering today:
    Cyril Geoffrey Tooth
    Leading Aircraftsman 805530
    Royal Air Force (Auxiliary Air Force), 605 Squadron
    Died: 29/11/1943
    Commemorated: Singapore Memorial
    Husband of Winifred M. Tooth, of King's Norton, Birmingham.

    :poppy: Remembered with honour.


    Details of the above loss.

    29 November 1943

    605 Squadron

    POW of the Japanese - held Java, Moluccas (Ambon) Died Suez Maru.



    Suez Maru

    On the islands of Ambon and Hasuku in the Moluccas, Allied prisoners were dying daily through starvation, disease and beatings by their guards. In the past six months almost 400 had died and around 700 were too sick to work. The Japanese then decided to send the sick back to Java. A total of 640 men, including a number of Japanese sick patients, were taken on board the 4,645-ton passenger-cargo ship Suez Maru. In two holds, 422 sick British (including 221 RAF servicemen) and 127 sick Dutch prisoners, including up to twenty stretcher cases, were accommodated. The Japanese patients filled the other two holds.

    Escorted by a minesweeper W-12, the Suez Maru set sail from Port Amboina but while entering the Java Sea and about 327 kilometres east of Surabaya, Java, Netherlands East Indies, the vessel was torpedoed by the American submarine USS Bonefish commanded by Cdr. Tom Hogan. The ship started to list as water poured into the holds drowning hundreds. Hundreds more, Allied and Japanese, managed to escape the holds and were struggling in the water. The Japanese mine sweeper W-12 started to pick up survivors, but only their own nationals, leaving the British captives behind. Between 200 and 250 men were floating in the sea. The minesweeper then made several slow circles around the survivors and minutes later machine-gun and rifle fire were directed towards the defenceless swimmers. Empty rafts and lifeboats were then rammed and sunk by the W-12. The minesweeper then picked up speed and sped off towards Batavia (Jakarta). They had rescued 93 Japanese soldiers and crewmen and 205 Japanese sick patients. Sixty-nine Japanese had died during the attack. Back at the site of the sinking only floating wreckage and an oil spill was all that was left of the Suez Maru. Of the 547 British and Dutch prisoners, there was only one survivor, a British soldier, Kenneth Thomas, who was picked up twenty-four hours later by the Australian minesweeper HMAS Ballarat. After the war the perpetrators of this crime were traced and arrested but later the decision was taken not to prosecute and the accused were released. In 2008, BBC investigative news reporter Mike Thompson approached a defence counsel of the International Criminal Court in the Hague whether the case could still be tried.
     
  3. La-de-da-Gunner Graham

    La-de-da-Gunner Graham Senior Member

    Grim reading, Peter. Thanks for the update.

    Keith
     
  4. soobeedoo

    soobeedoo Junior Member

    This was my mom's first husband. Cyril's death left her widowed with a baby son and life was very tough for them. Sad reading the way Cyril died, wouldn't wish that on anyone.
     
  5. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    I have been working on files containing names of the RAF liaison officers for Wingate's first operation. One of them was Flight lieutenant Albert Tooth, any relation?
     
  6. La-de-da-Gunner Graham

    La-de-da-Gunner Graham Senior Member

    Thanks for your update and welcome to the forum.

    Keith
     
  7. tommyse16

    tommyse16 Junior Member

    Hello to everyone,
    I came across this thread regarding the Suez Maru and thought I might share some information that I found intriguing, whilst researching my late fathers movements in WWII, so that I could claim his medals.

    My Dad ( RAF A.C.1 ) was at the fall of Singapore escaping on the MV Derrymore. this boat was subsequently torpedoed and sunk by Japanese sub 125 on 13/02/1942.

    He, along with the rest of those on board were left in the water for 24 hours before being picked up by the Australian ship HMAS BALLARAT.

    My Dad's name is Kenneth Thomas. coincidence ?
     
  8. soobeedoo

    soobeedoo Junior Member

    Sorry, I don't know anything at all about the family, other than they lived in Kings Heath, Birmingham. I would be very interested to learn more abou them.
     
  9. Kees Maaswinkel

    Kees Maaswinkel New Member

    Strange that there are still stories about one man who survived the Suez Maru massacre, picked up by an Australian surface ship. There was not one POW that servived. It was not very likely that an Allied surface ship could manouvre there at thta time. Please read the careful study by Allan Jones, son of a victim of the Suez Maru. His book: The Suez Maru Atrocity -Justice denied. Horchurch 202. See the film documantary I made about the Dutch and British POW's that were sent to The Moluccas: Hell Ships to The Moluccas (40 min), on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZFeSSxOSOE). In this film I reveal - based on research by the American historian Gregory Michno - that the USS Bonefish, which torpedoed the Suez Maru, was directed to the ship by intelligence and that headquarters knew there were POW's on board.
     
    Heimbrent likes this.
  10. LornaH89

    LornaH89 Member

    Hello everyone, I’ve only just discovered this website after searching for Cyril. This is so interesting but so sad to read. Cyril is my Great Uncle so his younger sister Gladys is my Grandmother.
    I’ve just today found where Cyril is buried too.
    Hi to Keith - would you be able to tell me about the son that he had with your mum? My family had no idea he had any children! My mum (Gladys’ daughter) was never told about a son. I’d very much appreciate any info you may be able to give me.
     
  11. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Lorna,

    Keith has not been back to the forum, more or less since his posts on this thread. It might be possible for you to send him a private message via the 'Conversations' option in your profile. This message would go through to the email address that he used when he signed up to the forum, but you will not be able to see it yourself.
     
    LornaH89 and Owen like this.
  12. LornaH89

    LornaH89 Member

    Thank you for the advice.
     
  13. LornaH89

    LornaH89 Member

    85799AFC-0607-4CCB-8F54-C06AB83EA377.jpeg

    Photo of Cyril on his wedding day to Winifred October 1937/8.
     
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  14. LornaH89

    LornaH89 Member

    Cyril's name on a memorial column in Franji, Singapore. Anyone who has their name on a column doesn't have a grave. I feel sad that he's somewhere in the ocean still, but I'm so touched that he has his name up.
     

    Attached Files:

    dbf likes this.
  15. LornaH89

    LornaH89 Member

    Column 427
     

    Attached Files:

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