My Uncle lost his life when the Tomahoko Maru was torpedoed by submarine USS Tang on 24th June 1944. I have a death certificate issued by Japan which is extremely hard to read and no other documentation at all. I would like to find out what his movements were during the war and after he was taken prisoner. Is anyone able to help with any documentation or information please? Service Number TX2688 Hugh (Hughie) Ronald George Fletcher. Enlisted Australian Army 24th June 1940 in Hobart, Tasmania. Many thanks - Pauline Casualty Details | CWGC
There are 14 pages of his service record available at NAA - https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/Sea...eports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=6371527&isAv=N FLETCHER HUGHIE RONALD GEORGE : Service Number - TX2688 : Date of birth - 18 May 1911 : Place of birth - HOBART TAS : Place of enlistment - HOBART TAS : Next of Kin - FLETCHER LALLIE Four of the 14 digital images on his service record are here The link above is time sensitive but the page it shows has this line To start an active session, you can search as a guest If you select guest, then select 'Name Search' add his surname, followed by his forenames, then in the third box select World War II, following this a box appears fro his service number - insert it, then select 'Search' in the bottom left hand corner
Pauline, I have download the USS TANG - Second War Patrol Report, a copy of the Japanese ship recognition manual that the Commander of the USS TANG refers to in his War Patrol Report, and a photograph of the Tomahoko Maru. If you would like this information, I will send it to you by Private Message on this website. Only if you wish to have all of this. Just let me know.
First name(s) Hughie Ronald George Last name Fletcher Death date 24 June 1944 Place of death East China Sea, Pacific Ocean Service number TX2688 Rank Private Unit or regiment 2/40th Australian Infantry Battalion Source Australian War Memorial Roll Of Honour Service branch Australian Army War Second World War, 1939-1945 Conflict Second World War, 1939-1947 Cause of death Died at sea (Tamahoko Maru) Cemetery or memorial Singapore Memorial, Singapore URL Hughie Ronald George Fletcher Source (original) AWM147 Roll of Honour cards, 1939-1945 War, 2nd AIF (Australian Imperial Force) and CMF (Citizen Military Force) Record set Australia, Military Commemorative Rolls & Rolls Of Honour Category Military, armed forces & conflict Subcategory Medal Rolls and Honours Collections from Australasia, Australia Hughie Ronald George Fletcher | Australian War Memorial (awm.gov.au) Transcript of H R G's record First name(s) H R G Last name Fletcher Name as transcribed FLETCHER H R G Service number TX2688 Rank Private Unit/Regiment 2/40th Australian Infantry Battalion Fate Missing believed deceased Camp location Java, Netherlands East Indies Theatre of war Timor Record set Australian Military Forces WW2 Missing And Prisoners Of War Category Military, armed forces & conflict Subcategory Other Wars & Conflicts Collections from Australasia, Australia
Thank you very much for sharing this with me. My dad, who was in Papua New Guinea during WW2, was never aware of where his brother was.
I can't find a specific file for the vessel at Australian Archives, but there is a file at Kew, WO 361/775, and at NARA: :Area Case Files: Tr-61, "Tamahoko Maru", Singapore to Nagasaki, 3 June - 25 June 1944 This File Unit contains records, some of which may not be available online. To obtain a copy or view the records, please contact or visit the National Archives and Records Administration location(s) listed in the Contact information below. Additional Information About this File Unit National Archives Identifier: 321515 Creator(s): Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. Legal Section. Administration Division. 10/2/1945-4/28/1952 ? (Most Recent) From: Series: Area Case Files, 1945 - 1948 Record Group 331: Records of Allied Operational and Occupation Headquarters, World War II, 1907 - 1966" Have sent a PM to the OP.
So wonderful to be able to 'put a picture together' of my uncles movements during the war years. Thank you very much for your help. Pauline
As is often the case with Japanese names, there are variations on the name of the ship, "Tamahoko", "Tamahoku", "Tamaboko", but there may be more. "Tamaboko" finds this file at Australian Archives: Title Japan 26: Six bodies found on O-Shima Island, Nagasaki - Ken Japan [believed to have been Australian or British soldiers from sunken Japanese transport ship TAMABOKO sunk 20 June 1944, Item consists of 2 components] Contents date range 1947 - 1947 Series number MP742/1 Click to see which government agency or person created this item. Control symbol 336/1/1309 Citation NAA: MP742/1, 336/1/1309 Item ID 799579 I have found three files at Australian War Memorial, returned in an advanced search in Australian Archives: AWM54 779/1/10 [Prisoners of War and Internees:] An account of the torpedoing of one of the drafts [Tamahoko Maru] of prisoners of war from Java to Japan. Also summary of conversation with Air Cmdr C O F Modin (Sep 1945) Access status: Open Location: Australian War Memorial 1945 - 1945 474053 AWM127 69 [Miscellaneous records transferred by Central Army Records Office] Loose leaf death certificates mostly in Japanese of Australian prisoners of war who died after the Japanese transport, Tamahoko Maru was torpedoed off Nagasaki by a US submarine - 24 June 1944 Access status: Open Location: Australian War Memorial 1944 - 1944 541514 AWM54 554/12/3 [8th Division in Captivity - Japan (excluding "C" Force, "J" Force, "G" Force):] Japanese Transport [Tamahoko Maru] sunk near Nagasaki, 24/6/1944 Access status: Open Location: Australian War Memorial 1944 - 1945 467215 IWM has a book, a sound archive, and some private papers. OBJECT TITLE Private Papers of P McGrath-Kerr Documents.4027 OBJECT CATEGORY Private papers PRODUCTION DATE Unknown CREATOR McGrath-Kerr, Peter Content description Photocopies of papers relating to his service with the 2/40th Australian Infantry Battalion 1941 - 1946, including: ms calendar (2pp) of the fighting during the Japanese invasion of Timor, his capture there and his moves through Java, Singapore, Manila and Japan; ms and printed accounts (8pp) of the sinking of the TAMAHOKU MARU on 24 June 1944 taking him and other prisoners from Manila to Japan, including lists of survivors; printed accounts (7pp) of his experiences as a prisoner in Fukuoka 14 camp, Nagasaki at the time of the A Bomb (9 August 1945) with lists (8pp) of prisoners in the camp before and at that time. OBJECT TITLE Cranefield, Philip Garton (Oral history) 6192 OBJECT CATEGORY Sound PRODUCTION DATE 1982-04-28 CREATOR IWM (Production company) Wood, Conrad (recorder) Cranefield, Philip Garton (interviewee/speaker) Object description British officer served aboard HMS Berwick in Mediterranean and Atlantic, 6/1940-2/1941; served aboard HMS Exeter in GB coastal waters, Indian Ocean and Java Sea, 3/1941-3/1942 including sinking in Sunda Strait, 1/3/1942; POW in Makassar and Poemalla Camps, Celebes Islands, Dutch East Indies, 3/1942-9/1943, in Bicycle Camp, Batavia, Java, Dutch East Indies, 9/1943-5/1944; survived sinking of SS Tamahoko Maru in Koshiki Straits, off Japan, 24/6/1944; in Fukuoka No 14-B Camp, Nagasaki, Japan, 6/1944-4/1945 and Mukden Camp, Mukden, Manchuria, 4/1945-8/1945 Content description OBJECT TITLE Heroes at sea LBY 96 / 1302 OBJECT CATEGORY Books PRODUCTION DATE 1991 CREATOR WALL, DON (Author) D. Wall (Publisher) Associated people and organisations [ Rakuyo Maru] [ Montevideo Maru] [ Tamahoko Maru] [ Barb] [ Queenfish] [ Pampanito] [ Sealion] [ Van Waerwijck]
So much information and very much appreciated. Many thanks for your help. Every little bit of information is helping me with a timeline of events. Pauline
My father was on HMS Exeter, when it was sunk, he was captured and spent most of his time at a camp called Maros. Does anyone have any information on this please, it was near to Makassar? Thanks He was a Royal Marine
PM sent with some advice to create a new thread and add more. Does not appear to be linked to this ship being sunk.
Kevin, welcome to the forum. For an account of a POW who was a survivor of the sinking of HMS Exeter and who was at "Maros" camp go to this link: The Celebes | COFEPOW Not to be confused with the case of the "Maros Maru", otherwise known as the " Haruyoshi Maru". A war crimes case involving Far East POWs: the case file is at Kew under reference WO 235/886. Details can be found on the Singapore War Crimes website and at the International Criminal Court website. This site does not have a thread devoted to HMS Exeter, but the ship has been referred to in other threads. John