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4970625
Gunner
Richard John Adams
Born 1910/04/08, Nottingham
Son of Richard and Edith Adams, Buxton, Derbyshire
Occupation Butcher
Royal Artillery
80 Anti-Tank Regiment
11th Division
Service
1941/08/28 - Mobilisation Centre to join 80 Anti-Tank Regiment. Departed Nottingham for Gourock, Scotland.
1941/08/29 14:00 - Boarded HMT Scythia (Ex. RMS Scythia, Cunard Line)
1941/08/30 23:00 - Convoy sailed for Singapore. (although no one onboard knew the destination at this time) This was named Convoy WS 11.
1941/09/13 - Arrived Freetown, Sierra Leone.
1941/09/18 - Sailed from Freetown.
1941/10/03 - Arrived Durban, South Africa.
1941/10/07 - Changed ships to SS Johan de Witt and sailed from Durban.
1941/10/22 - Arrived Bombay, India
1941/10/27 - Sailed from Bombay.
1941/10/31 - Called into Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1941/11/06 - Arrived Singapore. Upon disembarking the men were marched to the railway station where they entrained. 32 men were left at the docks to deal with weapons, stores and other equipment, for delivery over the next few days.
Instead of remaining together as a 4 battery regiment, the 80th Anti-Tank Regiment were informed that each gun crew would be operating independently under different commands.
Battery 2 and 215 were to come under the command of 11th Indian Division.
Battery 272 was to come under the command of 9th Indian Division.
Battery 273 was to come under the command of Malaya Command.
All battery’s were in action in Malaya.
There are no records to confirm which battery Richard operated with, but he was 11th Indian Division.
Battery 272 were in action at Taiping, Kuala Krai, Gong Kedah Aerodrome, and Port Swettersham and reported mainly to the 5th Baluch Regiment.
Battery 2 and 215 were further north around Alor Star Aerodrome and Sungai Patarni.
1941/12/08 - The Japanese land at Sungai Patarni and Khota Baru.
For the next 3 months the allied forces fought a retreating action throughout Malaya, with particular strong battles at places they thought would become a holding line such as the Slim River. However, this was not just a battle of troops as the Japanese were jungle trained, had plenty of tanks, but most important had a massive airforce. The British and Australian airforce consisted of very old and slow aircraft such as Brewster Buffalo which were no match for the bombers and Zero fighters. Even the arrival of 50 Hurricanes that arrived in January only lasted a week.
1942/01/29 - All allied troops have retreated to Singapore.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrenders to the Japanese
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/10/25 Oversea in England Maru to Taiwan with ‘Z’ Party with 1100 PoWs
Under Commander Lt-Col E.W.F Jephson, R.A, 5th Field HQ
1942/11/14 - Arrived Keeling, Taiwan, transported to Kinkaseki with 500 PoWs
New PoW No. 1693
Commander Major Crossley, R.A.
The PoW Camp was situated in the village of Kinsakeki about 15 mile from Keelung. The work at the camp was mining ore in the copper mine. The mine was just over a mile from the camp. In 1943 a 1.25 mile tunnel was completed by Chinese workmen, this tunnel connected the mine to the camp. This tunnel had no lighting or props and there were many rock falls making it more hazardous then the mine itself and the PoWs had to go through the tunnel twice a day, to and from work.
In the mine itself there were four layers below the main tunnel, each 200 feet below the next and as the main tunnel was 800 feet above sea level, the last tunnel was below sea level. There was no ventilation system in the mine at all. As there was sulphurous water in the tunnels and the last tunnel was extremely hot, men could not work in that tunnel for more than six minutes before collapsing.
Beatings were often handed out if the PoWs did not reach their quota of ore dug in a day.
1943/08/20 - Left Kinkaseki,
Shirakowa, Taiwan
1945/08/30 - Died at Taihoku, Taiwan
Cause of death Pulmorary Tuberculosis and Malnutrition
Died
Aged 35
30th August 1945
Loved Ones
Parents: Richard & Edith Adams, 35 South Avenue, Buxton, Derbyshire
Memorial
V. F. 3.
SAI WAN WAR CEMETERY
China, (including Hong Kong)
1946/02/09 - WO417/101, Casualty List No.1982. Previously shown on Casualty List No.1112 as Prisoner of War Malaya. Now Reported ‘Died’.
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Information
Glenda Godfrey
Never Forgotten
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
KEW Files:- WO345/01, WO 361/1968, WO 361/1350, WO 361/1475/1, WO 1475/2, WO 392/23, WO 361/1216
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