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815566
Lance Bombardier
Donald Lamb
1913/09/20 - Born Belfast, Northern Island
Son of Florence Lamb
Occupation Crane Driver
Royal Artillery
3rd Battery 6th Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment
Service
1941/11/04 - Sailed from the Clyde to Freetown on the Empress of Japan convoy WS12Z, signals section 6th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment. Supposed destination was the Middle East.
1941/11/28 - Convoy arrived Freetown with shore leave.
1941/12/08 - Japan entered war and attacked Malaya.
1941/12/18 - Convoy arrived Durban with shore leave. The 6th H.A.A. were now included into the 18th Division and ordered to Singapore.
1941/12/24 - Departed Durban for Singapore SS Narkunda convoy DM.1
1942/01/13 - Arrived Singapore and defended the south coast of Singapore a couple of miles in from Keppel Harbour. A mishap had occurred on route as their stocks of ammunition had already been sent ahead to the original destination in the Middle East. The gunners found their stocks very short. Integrating their borrowed guns with existing defences, they formed the eastern part of the outer ring surrounding Singapore City. Most were still in desert uniforms as there had not been time to issue jungle greens. Their sand coloured camouflage nets stood out in the green of their surroundings. No time was given to adjust as there was constant Japanese air attacks.
1942/01/21 - Their first casualties were sustained when two men were caught in a truck by Japanese air fire, Bombardier Oakley was killed and Gunner Anstree was seriously injured.
After the causeway between Singapore and Malaya was blown at the end of January. The Japanese were seen to arrive on the South West coast of Johore. The Japanese landed on the North west coast of Singapore and their aircraft had a free run of the air space, what planes were left in Singapore were withdrawn to Sumatra at P1 and P2 airfields.
Digging in both sides of the Keppel Road, their artillery weapons now indisposed, as the Japanese advanced closer the gunners became infantry in the trenches, but the end was in site.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered
1942/04/28 - WO 417/42, Casualty List No 809. Missing.
Reported a Prisoner of War
Japanesse 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.
1942/10/18 - 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’.
Japanese Commander Ozaki says in his statement he arrived on Ballale late November 1942 and a few days later the prisoners arrived on Ballale.
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.
Ballale Air Strip
Supplied by Beryl Canwell
The air strip, which the PoWs worked on, 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.
A mass grave was found on Ballale from the help given by Chinese labourers. 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.
1946/06/25 - WO417/102, Casualty List No. 2036. Previously posted on Casualty List No. 809 as Missing 15/02/1942. Date of Casualty recorded on original source as 'On or shortly after 04/04/1942'. Presumed Died whilst Prisoner of War.
Died
Age 28
The Commonwealth War Graves used 1943/3/05 as they needed a date for their records but as there were no survivors on Balllale or records, it is not known when the PoWs died.
Memorial
Column 10.
Singapore Memorial
Information
Emma Daker
Japanese Transports
600 Gunners Party - Roll of Honour
Commonwealth War Grave Commission
KEW Files:- WO 392/25, WO 345/30,
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