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923527
Gunner (Driver)
Harry Brown
1920/05/10 - Born Norton, Hertfordshire
Son of William Henry and Alice Brown
1932 - Harry at his sister Nellie’s marriage to Herbert Larman.
Harry went to school at Norton Road Council School, Letchworth
1941/03/05 - Married Elsie Joan Armitage at at the Free Church, Letchworth Hertfordshire.
(Elsie was born 1919/04/11)
Next of kin - Wife: Elsie, 62 Gernon Road, Letchworth, Hertfordshire
Royal Artillery
135th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Field Re![]() giment
Service
Harry pictured with mates back left
1941/10/31 - The 135th Field Regiment sailed from Gourock in the Polish Free State vessel, ‘M,V. Sobieski’ and joined Convoy CT.5 (18th Division) off the Irish Coast
Also on board were the 2nd Cambridgeshire Regiment as part of the 18th Division.
1941/11/08 - Transferred to USS Mount Vernon with 53 Infantry Brigade
1941/11/10 - Sailed from Halifax in Convoy William Sail 12X
1941/11/18 - Arrived Port Spain, Trinidad
1941/11/20 - Sailed for Cape Town
1941/12/08 - Japan entered the war and invades Malaya
1941/12/09 - Arrived Cape Town
1941/12/13 - Sailed for Mombassa, Kenya
1941/12/25 Arrived Mombassa, Kenya
1941/12/29 - Mount Vernon left Kenya for Singapore in Convoy DM.1
1942/01/04 - Mount Vernon anchored at Addu Atool in the Maldive Islands, mail going ashore and taking on water. The next morning at 0900hrs, Convoy DM.1 got under way escorted by HMS Emerald , Exeter and Jumna.
1942/01/13 - At 1315hrs Mount Vernon docked at the Navy Yard, Singapore
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered to the Japanese
1943/08/23 - WO 417/65, Casualty List No. 1219. Previously posted Missing now reported ‘Prisoner of War’.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Changi Camp
PoW No. M-1185
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/10/22 - Transported overland to Thailand with Sime Road Party, train 4
16th train to Thailand
Work Group 1
New PoW No. 2279
1944/09/15 - Transported back to Singapore
River Valley Camp
1945/02/02 - Transported oversea in the Haruyasa Maru to Saigon, French Indo China. USS Paminito attacked convoy but the Haruyasa Maru not hit.
Party contained PoWs from Java Party 25, PoWs from Thailand, plus Javanese Romusha.
Party consisted of:- British 1168 - Australians 200 - Dutch 723
New PoW No. 40322
The Japanese wanted a runway built at Da Lat and 120 PoWs, including Harry, left by train.
Da Lat was a pre-war summer resort but the train did not make it that far as it was attacked by the Allies. Of the 120 only 27 survived the attack. The 27 were returned to Saigon as they were all walking wounded. Harry died in the train attack.
File of the dead which included Harry
Buried Son Mong, French Indo China
After the war Harry’s body was re-interred in a Commonwealth War Cemetery
Died
Age 24
1945/04/09
1946/01/26 - WO417/101, Casualty List No.1970. Previously shown on Casualty List No.1219 as Prisoner of War - Malaya. ‘Killed in Action’. Date of Death 1945/04/09.
Loved Ones
Son of William Henry and Alice Eliza Brown, of Letchworth, Hertfordshire
Husband of Elsie Joan Brown, of Letchworth
Memorial
25. D. 9.
Kranji War Cemetery
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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“AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER YOU”
Post War
1958/02/26 - Wife Elsie died of congenital heart disease with deficiency of heart muscle
Information
Liam Cornes
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Glenda Godfrey
Mike Heather
Japanese Transports
Thailand-Burma Railway
Private 5776807 - Thailand-Burma Railway to Saigon
Commonwealth War Grave Commission
KEW Files:- WO 361/1185, WO 392/23, WO 361/2005, WO 361/1623, WO 361/1623, WO 361/1623, WO 361/2165, WO 361/1296, WO 361/2184,
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