Burge-Stanley-Percy

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

1352074

Leading Aircraftman

Stanley Percy Burge

1920/05/11 - Born Southampton

Son of Walter and Elsie Burge

Enlisted at Blackpool after June 1940

Appointed as a Class F Reservist

Next of Kin:- Parents, W & E Burge, 22a Bath Street, Southampton, Hampshire

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

605 Squadron

Service

In November 1941, the squadron’s air crew flew off the carrier HMS Argus to Malta, where it was retained as part of the island's defences.

In January 1942 aircraft from 605 Squadron were transported by HMS Athene in crates to Takadori, Gold Coast, where they were assembled. They were then flown across Africa to Port Sudan and 50 RAF Hurricane aircraft embarked on HMS Indomitable who took them to Singapore/Java, escorted by HM Destroyers Napier, Niza, and Nestor.

Arriving in Singapore too late to prevent its capture, the air crew flew to Sumatra. The squadron flew in South Sumatra from airfields P1 and P2.

Meanwhile the 605 ground crew were transported in William Sail 14B. On January 13th they departed Durban and rendezvous with Convoy DM2, the convoy merging at 01.05 N, 91.28 E. Aboard the ships in this convoy were the Wing Headquarters and ground staff for 3 fighter squadrons. The ships of this convoy were re-routed to Batavia with one exception of the City of Canterbury, which sailed to Singapore.

Arriving at Batavia February 3rd, some were then sent north to South Sumatra and P1.

With the Japanese parachute drop the airfields became under heavy fire and were evacuated. Ground crew and artillery escaping to Java.

1942/03/08 - Java surrendered to the Japanese.

Japanese PoW

1942/03/08 - Captured Java

PoW No. III 1591

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

1943/04/13 - Medical examination by Japanese at Surabaya for fitness to travel, no one rejected, all classified fit by the Japanese.

Next morning in front of paraded PoWs, Squadron Leader Pitts was severely beaten up in an unprovoked assault, which lasted for about 15 minutes. It is thought it was to impress upon the 2,075 PoWs who were being transported that the Japanese were in charge.

1943/04/17 - Several days after embarking the two ships, Cho Saki Maru and Amagi Maru, they set sail for Haruku. The conditions on board were bad with the PoWs confined to the holds with buckets as latrines and little ventilation dysentery soon caused problems.

1943/05/05 - After 1, 200 miles at sea they arrived at Haruku where the atap hut roofs were either missing or leaked letting in the consistent rain. The natives, who built the huts, had dug their latrine at the top of the slope the camp was on and the latrines overflowed and ran into the huts, a dysentery epidemic quickly followed and the death grew.

The work at the camp was to flatten the top of the volcanic island and building an air strip. For the work the PoWs were paid 15 cents a day. As the food was poor the money was spent in the camp shop which was run by the Japanese Guard Mori. Mori kept the camp food rations poor so the PoWs had to spend their money in his shop.

1944/6 - Without warning the PoWs were ordered to embark to leave Haruku. It is believed the reason for this was the Japanese were retreating. 415 PoWs were left behind in graves at Haruku mainly due to a dysentery epidemic in the first three months.

650 of the fittest were now sent to Ambon. Work involved loading the ships at the docks with stores. Most of the Pows by now had no cloths to wear so they adopted the ‘Jap Happy’. This was a 9 x 24 inch strip of white cotton material with a tape sown at each end. One end was placed in the small of the back and the tape tied around the waist and fitted together with a bow at the front. The long piece left hanging at the back was now passed between the legs and slid beneath the bow at the front, covering the crotch.

To the PoWs it was obvious the Japanese were puling back towards Java as the ships at the harbour became less and less, it was now their turn to move out.

1944/08 - The PoWs were split into two groups, one group of 500 boarded the Maros Maru, an old steamship, and the other 150 including William were in the 150 group onboard the the Kaiysu Maru.

The Kaiysu Maru was sunk on-route by a Liberator with 138 survivors. The Maros Maru stopped at Raha and picked them up on an already crowded ship.

Conditions onboard the Maros Maru were very bad as the PoWs were kept on deck and it was stormy weather. Illness soon broke out on a starvation diet. After 14 days the PoWs were dying in large numbers, about 15 a day.

The engine was giving plenty of trouble and slowed the voyage down to Makassar in the Celebes. After reaching Makassar the PoWs were kept on the ship while the repairs were carried out, this took days and the PoWs were still dying.