To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

Cambrideshire-tn

6020936

Private

George Charles Lancefield

jcross

1916/05/25 - Born Thornton Heath, Surrey

Son of William Johnson and Violet Ruth Fancefield

Occupation Solicitors Clerk

George was Assistant Scout Master with 1st Crystal palace at the outbreak of WW2

 

Cambridgeshire Regiment

1st Battalion

 

Service

1st Battalion

 Cambridgeshire Regiment

orcades4tn

1941/10/30 - Left Britain in ‘Orcades’ with Convoy CT.5 from Liverpool to Halifax

Final Destination Unknown

1941/11/08 - Arrived Halifax

USS West Point-3

1941/11/10 - Transferred to USS West Point and departed Halifax in Convoy William Sail 12X

Convoy William Sail 12X 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.

The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo.

1941/11/17 - Arrived at Trinidad in glorious sunshine so troops changed to tropical kit, but no shore-leave, left Trinidad after two days of taking on supplies.

1941/11/24 -  The equator was crossed, there was a crossing the line ceremony.

After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, South Africa. By this time 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.

1941/12/08 - Japan attacked Pearl Harbour and Malaya

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.

1942/01/18 - The convoy sailed with a British escort, the H.M.S. Exeter and H.M.S. Glasgow with British and Australian destroyers. Destination was the far East. 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 Japanese Planes, there was no damage.

1942/01/29 - The convoy reached 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

 

1942/05/07 - WO 417/43, Casualty List No. 817. Missing.

1943/09/17 - WO 417/66, Casualty List No.1241. Previously shown on Casualty List No.817 as Missing, 15/02/1942. Now a Prisoner of War.

 

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

PoW No. M-5360

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Lancefield-George-Charles-01

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

Lancefield-George-Charles-02

1942/11/02 - Transported overland from Singapore to Thailand in ’P’ Letter Party. The 25th Train from Singapore to Thailand with 650 PoWs.

261 - 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment in this party

Commander Lt-Col H.A. Fitt, 18 Recce Corps, 18th Division.

New PoW No. II 4663

Work Force 2 Camps (distance in Km from Nong Pladuk):-

Wang Lan (68.59km)

Wang Takhian (81.30km)

 Ban Khao (87.93km)

Nong Pradi (101.60km)

Wang Pho (Arrow Hill) (111.50km)

Tha Khanun (223.40km).

 Probably under command of A. A. Johnson 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment.

1943/10/  - Chungkai Camp

1943/12/14 - Chungkai Hospital Septic Scabies and Ulcers.

1944/02/24 - Discharged from hospital.

 

Transported back to Singapore

New PoW No. II 42779

1944/07/04 - Transported from Singapore in the Hofuku Maru part of Japan Party 2

hofuku_maru-tn

The Hofuku Maru was sailing from  Singapore to Miri, Borneo as part of convoy  SHIMI-05. The convoy consisted of 10 ships, 5 of which carried, in total, 5,000 POWs, all in appalling conditions.

At Borneo, the Hofuku Maru left the convoy with engine problems, and sailed on to the Philippines, arriving on 19th July. She remained in Manila until mid-September while the engines were repaired. The POWs remained on board, suffering terribly from disease, hunger, and thirst.

On September 20, 1944, the Hofuku Maru and 10 other ships formed Convoy MATA-27, and sailed from Manila to Japan. The following morning, the convoy was attacked 80 miles north of Corregidor by more than 100 American carrier planes. All eleven ships in the convoy were sunk. Of those on the Hofuku Maru, 1,047 of the 1289 British and Dutch POWs on board died.

 

Died

Age 28

1944/09/21

Died when the Hofuku Maru was sunk by American planes on leaving Manila

 

1945/09/21 - WO417/97_1, Casualty List No. 1864. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1241 as Prisoner of War - Malaya. Missing.

1946/01/26 - WO417/101, Casualty List No.1970. Previously shown on Casualty List No.1864 as Missing whilst Prisoner of War. Presumed Killed in Action whilst Prisoner of War.

 

Loved Ones

Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Lancefield, of Thornton Heath, Surrey

 

Memorial

Singapore Memorial-3

Column 59.

Singapore Memorial

 

Called To A Higher Serivice

2nd Croydon Boy Scout Group

Plaque-03tn

pacific-star-tn

war-medal-1939-1945-tn

1939-1945 Star-tn

Pacific Star

War Medal

1939-1945 Star

 

Information

George Campbell

Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre

Japanese Transport

Hofuku Maru

Hell in Five - Jack Symon was on the Hofuka Maru, read his book here

Commonwealth War Grave Commission

KEW Files:- WO 361/758, WO 361/1742, WO 361/2057, WO 345/30, WO 361/2005, WO 392/25, WO 361/2061, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2069, WO 361/2177,

*

''Our Thanks are for being a Chapter in Life.''

 

 

 

Keeping The Candle Burning

 

Fepow Family

In Memory of FEPOW Family Loved Ones
Designed and Maintained by Ron Taylor.

 

[FEPOW Family] [Roll of Honour] [Site Memorial] [L]

 

Honorary Life Member-1tn

Honorary Life Member of COFEPOW

 

Email Ron Taylor 

 

Copyright © FEPOW Family