Does anyone know of Padre Noel Duckworth, prisoner of war on the Burma railway, Pudu prison and Changi? He was my uncle and i would like to hear from anyone who has a relative who may have been a fellow prisoner of war with him.
Apply for his service records via the official link below you require date of birth death cert and £30 Get a copy of military service records Born in 1912, the son of a clergyman, he and two brothers were ordained and all three became canons. In 1931, the 5ft 2in Noel went to Jesus College, Cambridge and was cox in the 1934 Boat Race when the Light Blues won easily, beating the course record by 26 seconds in a time of 18min 3sec. They won again in 1935 and 1936. He coxed the British eight in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, finishing fourth. He was ordained and worked in Hull until he joined the 2nd Battalion Cambridgeshire Regiment as its padre shortly before the Second World War and went with them to the Far East in 1941. In the fierce fighting at Batu Pahat in Jahore in January 1942, many men from the regiment were seriously wounded. The battalion had to withdraw and head for Singapore but they came under fire at Senggarang on January 26. About 40 wounded men who could not be evacuated were left behind under the care of Padre Duckworth, two doctors and 11 orderlies. When they were captured next day, it is said Padre Duckworth flayed the Japanese with such a harsh tongue that they thought twice about killing them instantly. They beat him for his verbal challenges but did not kill the wounded men he was protecting. They were all brought to the comparative safety of Padu Jail in Kuala Lumpur. One of the doctors later said: “I firmly believe Noel’s fame as a rowing man saved all our lives.” The Japanese officer in charge recognised Noel Duckworth as the famous Cambridge cox - a Japanese crew from Tokyo University had participated in the Berlin Olympics, as well as Henley prior to that, and many Japanese officers had studied at Tokyo so it is likely they knew Noel. A drawing by artist Ronald Searle, himself a Japanese POW, shows Padre Duckworth selling a Parker pen to his Japanese prison guard in Pudu Jail to buy food for his comrades. After the fall of Singapore to the Japanese, Noel was moved to Changi Jail and in 1943 was sent into Thailand and Burma on the construction of the notorious Burma Railway. There he tended hundreds of men dying from disease and starvation. Padre to POWs in Far East was small of stature, great of heart
Just reading other stories about him. What a courageous man your Uncle was. You must be very proud of everything he did.
