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7609780
Staff Sergeant
Thomas Boardman
Known as ‘Tom’
Born 1918/05/10 - Atherton, Lancashire
Son of Ernest and Sarah Ann Boardman
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Service
In October 1939, at the age of 21 Tom put aside a promising sporting career to join the R.A.O.C. at Bolton in Lancashire. He began army life with extensive training at Hilsea Barracks near Portsmouth, but soon volunteered to join a physical training course and after two months was promoted to Lance Corporal.
After initial training Tom transferred to the underground Central Ammunition Depot at Corsham in Wiltshire. Following successful completion, he moved to the Ammunition Storage and Despatch Depot at Monkton Farleigh, also in Wiltshire, where he was promoted again to Acting Sergeant.
In January 1941 Tom received news he was to be posted overseas. He arrived in Liverpool and on 20th March boarded SS Duchess of York and joined convoy William Sail 7. Their destination was unknown, but after 51 days at sea they arrived in Singapore on 14th May.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered to the Japanese
Japanese PoW
At the Fall of Singapore to the Japanese in February 1942, Tom was taken prisoner and sent to Changi. He did not want to lose the special ring given to him by Irene his wife as he left England, so he hid it from the Japanese in a bar of soap and kept it there for 3 ½ years. He also lost his banjolele but found a battered mandolin in a bombed-out property. He kept its tuning pegs with the intention of making a ukulele.
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanesed Index Card - Side Two
Tom was sent to Thailand 1942/10/25 to work on the infamous Thai – Burma railway with Letter Party ‘X’ under Lt. Col. Morrison of the Leicestershire Regiment.
He worked first at Chungkai then to Ban Khao via Wang Lan and Wang Takhain. From Ban Khao he went back to Wang Takhain then by train to Arrow Hill. From Arrow Hill he moved to Wang Pho North.
He spent time spent time working on the Wang Pho (Wampo) viaduct construction and later at Chungkai. It was at this camp he made a ukulele out bits and pieces he found scattered around the camp. It was a success and he started to ‘busk’ around the huts with his friend Frankie Quinton. They joined the concert party led by Leo Britt.
In February 1945 Tom was transferred to Phetchaburi with 2,500 men to build an airstrip for the Japanese air force.
Shortly after its completion the atom bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki forcing the Japanese to surrender.
Tom flew from the airfield he helped to build to Rangoon in Burma where he joined SS Corfu which arrived at Southampton on 7th October 1945.
Tom was fortunate to be relatively fit when he arrived home, but he had suffered 32 attacks of malaria, beriberi, pellagra and dysentery.
He donated the ukulele to the Imperial War Museum North, where it is on permanent display.
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Died
Tom died in 2018 age 99 years.
Information
Ray Withnall
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
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