Bickerton-Robert

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

843557

Gunner

Robert Bickerton

1916/08/28 - Born Blythe, Northumberland

Son of Robert and Isabella (nee Proctor) Bickerton

Brother to Thomas, Nancy, George, Janet, Mary and Catherine

1921 - Lived at 46, Greenland Row, Cowpen Square, Blyth, Northumberland

Occupation Gardener

Next of Kin Father, Robert Bickerton, 8 East Row, Isabella Pit, Blythe

Royal Artillery

9th Coast Regiment

Service

Between the two World Wars there was a major reorganisation of the Royal Artillery, where it had been decided in 1926 that all Home Coastal defence Regiments would become Territorial Army and all overseas units would be Regulars. It is almost impossible to separate the 7th Coast and the 9th Coast Regiments as they worked so closely together.

By 1933 the Coast Defence Unit in Singapore was designated 7th Heavy Brigade RA with 11th and 22nd Heavy Batteries RA and 3rd Heavy Battery HKSRA. In addition the Hong Kong Coast Defences had a Hong Kong Singapore Brigade with its HQ in Hong Kong and 3 Batteries stationed in Singapore - 2nd, 4th and 5th Heavy Batteries RA.

Due to the expansion of Coast Defences in Singapore a new Heavy Brigade, the 9th was raised in 1934 consisting of 7th and 22nd Heavy Batteries. In 1938 the term Brigade was replaced as Regiment.

On the outbreak of War in September 1939 the Singapore defences consisted of:-

7th Heavy Regiment RA - 11th and 31st Batteries RA and 5th and 7th Batteries HKSRA
9th Heavy Regiment RA - 7th, 22nd and 32nd Batteries RA

In the summer of 1940 Coast Units had their title changed from Heavy Regiments to Coast Regiments. Re-Designated 9th Coast Regiment 14th December 1940.

Both the 7th and 9th Coast Regiments were formed in situ. The 7th lost one of its Batteries to form the 9th Heavy and additional personnel were sent out from the UK to form the extra Batteries.

On the 8th December 1941 the Japanese entered WW2 by bombing Pearl Harbour and attacking Malaya and Hong Kong.

In February 1942 the Singapore Fixed Defences consisted of the following Units:

Commander Fixed Defences Singapore - Brigadier AD Curtis
7th Coast Regiment RA - 11th & 31st Batteries RA 5th and 7th Batteries HKSRA
9th Coast Regiment RA - 7th, 22nd and 32nd Batteries RA
11th Coast Regiment RA - 8th Coast and 20th Heavy AA Batteries HKSRA
16th Defence Regiment RA 966 Battery RA and 967 and 968 Batteries HKSRA.

On the 12th February 1942 the Coastal Batteries were destroyed and at 01.30 hours on the 13th February 1942 the garrison was marched to the Indian Recreation Ground in Singapore where the Unit is formed into an Infantry Battalion and used as support troops.

Singapore Surrender by Leo Rawlings

At 16.30 hours o the 15th February 1942 the Regiment ceased to exist as a fighting unit and was Disbanded - Lost at Singapore.

1942/03/12 - Casualty List No.769. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/10/18 - WO417/67, Casualty List No.1267. Previously shown on Casualty List No.769 as Missing, 15/02/1942. Reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.

1945/12/31 - WO417/100, Casualty List No. 1947. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1267 as Prisoner of War, Malaya. Reported ‘Missing at Sea’.

1946/03/08 - WO417/102, Casualty List No. 2035. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1947 as Missing whilst Prisoner of War. At Sea. Date of Casualty recorded on original source as 'On or shortly after 05/03/1943'. Reported ‘Presumed Died whilst Prisoner of War’.

Royal Artillery Death Entry Form

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

In October 1942 there was a lot of activity in the Singapore PoW camps. The Japanese had decided to use the prisoners for labour parties. This began with Java Parties 1 and 2 being taken by rail to Bam Pong, Thailand, with other parties being transported to Taiwan and Japan. One party was made up of 600 Ak. Ak. Gunners from Southern Area under the command of Lt-Col. J. Bassett, R.A. (35th L.A.A. Regt.). This party, now known here as Gunner 600 Party, sailed eastwards from Singapore on 18th October, being written in the Changi register as “Destination New Guinea”. The Bureau of Records and Enquiry at Changi later were led to believe the ship was torpedoed and all on board lost.

The Gunners 600 Party included 126 officers and men from the 35th’s 144 Battery, 7 Coast Regt., 9 Coast Regt., 11 Coast Regt., 3 Heavy Ak. Ak., 5th Searchlights and the Hong Kong Singapore Artillery. There was also a few from Royal Army Medical and Service Corps.

The ship used to transport them was an ex-Liverpool coaler. In “What Price Bushido” it is noted as being the Eige Maru or the Masta Maru, we now think it was the Kenkon Maru. 400 men were put into the first hold and the remainder into the smaller aft hold.

Under miserable conditions with only a thin layer of straw on the floor the prisoners found it hard to breath and also the the stench from sweating bodies. The ship called at Timor, Bali and the Halmarhera Islands, the on the first casualty was when Battery Sergeant Major Tommy Lamborne of 11 Coast Regt. dying on his way to the benjo (toilet), he was buried at sea during that afternoon.

On the 5th November the ship arrived at Simpson Harbour, Rabaul on the island of New Britain, which the Japanese had captured from the Australians in January 1942. The local villages were known as Kanakas and they lived under the constant threat from volcanoes, one of which was very active.

Bgr. E.G. Gray was the first casualty on Rabaul, being badly beaten he was then tied to a stake and left to die.

On the 16th November 517 of the 598 prisoners were selected for transportation, the destination was said to be New Guinea, their personal belongings were stowed away at Kokopo, the sick remained at Rabaul.

Late the following February ‘Blackshirt’, who was in charge of the party that left for New Guinea, returned to the Rabaul camp at Kokopo and informed the prisoners that five of the 517 party died while working at Bouganville, in the Solomon Islands, due to an American bombardment. This was later confirmed by a Japanese known to the prisoners as ‘No 3 Captain’.

Bill Dunne with two other Rabaul prisoners loaded a truck up with the now 512 belongings left at Kocopo and went with the truck to the Rabaul Harbour where it was unloaded. They saw at a distance a white prisoners camp, who they assumed were the 512 but they were too far away to recognize anybody - Bill Dunnes letter . The ship sailed again on the 5th March for an unknown destination. As there were no survivors from the party who left for Ballale Island it is impossible to follow their journey but after the war it was found that the Japanese report of their ship being sunk was a lie. The prisoners were taken to Ballale Island and used to build an airstrip.

The map above shows how close Ballale is to Bougainville, I question why the PoWs were taken back to Rabaul if they were on Bougainville before being transported to Ballale, was the ship going back to Rabaul in February as a cover up. Ozaki says in his statement he arrived on Ballale late November 1942 and a few days later the prisoners arrived on Ballale ?

The prisoners however on Ballale Island faced many dangers as the Americans were advancing on the Solomon Islands and the battle in the South Pacific had turned ugly. There were atrocities committed by both sides following an incident in March when US parachutists were fired on by Japanese fighter planes. The prisoners were in very bad health, being bombed by US aircraft and having to endure increased beatings by Japanese guards who took their hatred of the US bombing out on the prisoners.

From January 1943 through to July 1943, US aircraft bombed Ballale Island, the heaviest bombing was in March. As the prisoners did not have slit trenches these attacks must have contributed to many of the prisoners deaths on an island roughly only one mile square .

The air strip was damaged by American bombardment in June 1943 before it was finished. The Japanese could not finish the air strip and had no further use for the prisoners, the prisoners who were still alive at this point were executed. Ozaki’s statement confirms the dates of death which would not agree with the 512 being on the ship returning in March.

A mass grave was found on Ballale from the help given by Chinese labourers, but again controversy as they believed the prisoners on Ballale were Australians. Artefacts found confirm they were from the Gunners Party. These 435 bodies had no service tags and were moved to a temporary War Cemetery at Torokina, Bouganville. Then later on 13th December 1945 to Bomana War Cemetery, Port Moresby.

Died

Age 26

5th March 1943 - An estimated date of death

Dying on Ballale Island

Loved Ones

Son of Robert and Isabella Bickerton, 8 East Row, Isabella Pit, Blythe

Memorial