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4805308
Private
Robert Brewin
1916/04/14 - Born Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire
Son of George and Amy Brewin
Father George worked as a Coal Miner Hewer at Sherwood Colliery
Brother to Amy, Harry, Ruth, Alice Doirrien, Doris and Ethel
Occupation Clerk at the Sherwood Colliery
Suffolk Regiment
5th Battalion
18th Division
Service
1941/09/09 - Tropical kit was issued and orders were to proceed to Liverpool.
Reno Del Pacifico
1941/10/30 - The 5th Suffolk Battalion together with the 18th Division HQ sailed in the Reno Del Pacifico from Liverpool in Convoy CT.5.
USS Wakefield
Arriving at Halifax 8th November the men were then moved across to the transport ship tied along side, the 27,000 ton Wakefield.
1941/11/10- The voyage continued with six American troopships, two cruisers, eight destroyers and the aircraft carrier Ranger, the Convoy William Sail 12X was under way, destination still unknown.
Above Photo supplied by the late Maurice Rooney
Vought SB 2U Vindicator Scout Bomber - USS Ranger which was flying an Anti Submarine patrol over the convoy.
Front Line Top to Bottom
USS West Point - USS Mount Vernon - USS Wakefield - USS Quincy (Heavy Cruiser)
Back Row Top To Bottom
USAT Leonard Wood - USS Vincennes (Heavy Cruiser) - USS Joseph T Dickman
(USS Orizaba Ap-24 also sailed with Convoy though not pictured in photo)
The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo, arriving at Trinidad on 17th November in glorious sunshine so the tropical kit came out, but unfortunately no shore-leave. Left after two days of taking on supplies.
1941/11/24 - The convoy crossed the equator, there was a crossing the line ceremony.
Crossing the Line Ceremony Certificate
After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, South Africa.
1941/12/08 - The Americans were in the war as the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbour and attacked Malaya and the rumours were that they were heading for the Far East and not the Middle East as first thought.
1941/12/13 - The convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay.
1941/12/27 - After 17,011 miles at sea Bombay was reached.
1942/01/17 - Embarked back onto the Wakefield. The convoy sailed the next day with a British escort, the H.M.S. Exeter and H.M.S. Glasgow with British and Australian destroyers. As Japan had entered the war, destination was the far East. The Prince of Wales and the Repulse had both been sunk by the Japanese off Malaya. Passing Colombo, (Ceylon), crossing the equator for the third time, the convoy passed through the Sundra Straits between Java and Samatra and then the Banka Straits. The convoy was then bombed by Jap Planes, there was no damage.
1942/01/29 - The Wakefield was the first of the convoy to reach the safety of Keppel Harbour, Singapore. Ships were ablaze in the harbour, clouds of smoke drifted across the sky and the smell of fumes was overpowering, this was not the best of greetings. The Japanese had taken most of Malaya in the last three weeks and were only thirty miles away from Singapore.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered to the Japanese
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
PoW No. M-4140
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/10/31 - Transported overland to Thailand with ‘R’ Letter Party, train 7
Commander Lt-Col. A.A. Johnson, 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Detail of Regiments in ‘R’ Letter Party
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Regiment
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Officers
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Other Ranks
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R.A.O.C.
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5
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169
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HQ 54 Infantry Brigade
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3
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15
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4th Royal Norfolk Regiment
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4
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160
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4th Suffolk Regiment
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10
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158
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R.A.M.C.
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1
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5th Suffolk Regiment
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8
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117
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Total
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30
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620
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Attached to Group 1
New PoW No. 3440
Probably with Lt-Col. Baker
Robert’s family received news that he is a PoW
Camps in Thailand:-
Wang Takhai
Ban Khao
Kanchanaburi
Bhatona
Sent down river sick to Chungkai in September
Died of Malaria at Chungkai Hospital
Death
Age 27
1943/11/11 - Cause of death Malaria
Loved Ones
Son of Mr. and Mrs. G. Brewin, of Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire.
Memorial
6. G. 15.
Chungkai War Cemetery
Thailand
IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR DEAR SON ROBERT. MAM, DAD, BROTHERS, SISTERS
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Information
Barbara J. Berry
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Convoy William Sail 12X
Thailand Burma Railway
Suffolk Regiment
Commonwealth War Graves
KEW Files:- WO 361/1526, WO 361/2172, WO 392/23, WO 345/6, WO 361/1954, WO 361/1979, WO 361/2053, WO 361/2165, WO 361/2165, WO 361/2058, WO 361/2069, WO 361/2176, WO 361/1531, WO 361/1623, WO 361/1623,
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