Bradshaw-Alfred-John

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

7387186

Private

Alfred John Bradshaw

1909/05/21 - Born Stafford

Son of Alfred and Emily (nee Perry) Bradshaw

Brother to Emily, Florence, Violet, Gladys and Ernest

In October 1931, Alfred married Evelyn Ida Cartwright.

Evelyn was known to the family as Ida.

Alfred worked for R.T. Jennings a local Shoe company, his role with them was a Packer/Storeman

They were blessed with three children,

Brenda born in 1932

Peter born in 1934

Paul born in 1941

Their youngest son Paul was born in October 1941, Alfred only just got to see his youngest child just before he embarked. He wouldn't see him again until shortly after his 4th Birthday.

Alfred’s father passed away early January of 1942, shortly before the Battle for Singapore. It is not known if he knew of his father’s death till he returned home.

Next of Kin Mrs E I Bradshaw, 33 Fonthill Road, Stafford

Royal Army Medical Corps

196 Field Ambulance

Service

1940/09/03 - Enlisted

On 1st December 1939, the 161 (East Anglian) Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps - Territorial Army, formed a training cadre for a new duplicate unit -The 196 Field Ambulance of the Royal Army Medical Corps.

An infantry Field Ambulance at that time comprised of a Medical Officer, his batman, 13 officers and 225 other ranks (Sergeants, Corporals and Privates). The unit also had 42 vehicles including 8 six wheeled motor ambulances, which were driven and maintained by members of the Royal Army Service Corp, who were attached to the unit. There were three Field Ambulances per Division and 1 per Corps. The 196 Field Ambulance was destined to become part of the 18th Division, 54th Brigade along with the 4th Royal Norfolk and 4th and 5th Suffolk Regiments.

The 196 Field Ambulance in December 1940 stayed at Witton for a few months, not moving on again until December 1940, nearly a year since the unit was formed. The MDS was based at Witton House and there were two ADS’s at Acle - “A” Coy, and Barton Hall - “B” Coy. There was also detachments of Regimental Aid Posts at Rollesbury and Great Yarmouth. Private John Margerum remembers tearing down the “Acle straight” when Great Yarmouth was raided by the Germans, to help with the injured at the hospital there.

It appears that between moving from Witton to Newton Hall, Newton, Cambridge in December 1940, the unit was based at the Old Hall, Hethersett. “A” coy moved from Somerleyton Hall to Chatteris, Cambs and “B” coy from Witton to West Wratting, Cambs. This continued into January 1941 with the HQ operating a Main Dressing Station (MDS) and “A” and “B” Coy operating ADS‘s at Chatteris and West Wratting.

On 3rd January 1941 the unit moved to Yeltholm, Kelso, Roxburghshire, Scotland. It was reported that weather conditions were poor with snow and ice present during this time. Some of the unit were given leave during January during some severe weather conditions at times.

In April 1941 the whole unit stayed in Bury, Lancashire at “Two Brookes Mill”, Hawkshaw until August 1941. The Nursing medics of the unit attended a course in Manchester at a rate of 12 men every 14 days. Training continued throughout July with courses on Law, messing, clothing and equipment as well. There was also joint exercises with other units from the 18th Division and Western command.

The unit moved on the 13th August 1941, by road and rail, to it’s final British location of Norton Manor, Prestigne in Radnorshire, with all of the unit arriving by the 18th August. There it pitched in a tented camp and continued training as part of the 54th Brigade, 18th (East Anglia) Division. Here the unit had it’s picture taken outside the manor.

On 24th September Lieut Col Huston was told that the unit would proceed overseas at an early date as part of the 18th Division. The unit was then given embarkation leave at 30% of the unit a week, starting 26th September 1941. This leave lasted for seven days.

By the 27th October 1941 the unit was back to together at Norton Hall. Around 0830hrs they marched through the streets of Prestigne to a special troop train, that took them to Avonmouth and the Bristol Channel. This was the final step on the 196’s journey of Britain.

SS Oronsay

The men boarded the SS Oronsay, which was an Orient Line British ship of 20000 tonnes. There were two other Field Ambulances that were part of the 18th Division as well. These were the 197 and 198 Field Ambulances and were attached to 55th and 53rd Brigade’s. A lot of these men were from East Anglia as well. The whole of the 18th Division boarded their troopships including the British vessels Reina Del Pacifico, Orcades, Andes, Warwick Castle, Durban Castle, Duchess of Atholl and Oronsay. There was also a Polish ship the MV Sobieski. These were escorted by British cruisers, Destroyers and Corvette class ships.

Around 15 men of the 196 had already left for Liverpool for embarkation there and they travelled on the SS Andes to meet the rest of the convoy. On each ship there was a detachment of Royal Army Medical Corps personnel away from the main body of their individual unit. This was known as “trooping” and had the purpose of caring for combatant troops medically when they went abroad on a ship.

On 28th October 1941 The SS Oronsay left Avonmouth and headed up the English coast in stormy weather, with nearly all of the 196 and around 3000 other troops.

On the 30th October the SS Oronsay arrived at Greenock in Scotland where it joined the rest of the fleet for an, unknown at that time, journey across the Atlantic to Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. The 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment were also on the SS Andes. A lot of the men realised that they were heading West and for Canada or the US.

The 2nd of November, in the middle of the Atlantic, saw the British convoy meet up with an American convoy of escort ships that would escort them to Halifax. The British escorts then left the convoy and this job was taken over by the US Navy. Of course the United States had not joined the war at this stage, so this convoy remained secret. They arrived in Halifax on 7th November 1941 and barely had chance to stretch their legs before embarking once again for another unknown destination.

USS Joseph T. Dickman

The 196 and most of the Division were kitted out for Desert fighting, so speculation ran that they were set for Africa or the Middle East. Transport this time was provided by the US Navy and the 196 Embarked on the USS Joseph T Dickman, an American troopship.

The convoy set sail on 10th November 1941 and on 22nd November had travelled to Trinidad in the West Indies to refuel. There was no time to allow the troops onto land at this stage though and the convoy soon set sail once again. On the 24th the unit were “victims” of the American Crossing the line ceremony, as the convoy crossed the equator, many of the unit getting an impromptu soaking or haircut, by the US hosts.

The convoy arrived in Cape Town, South Africa only to hear that the Japanese had attacked Pearl harbour and landed at the Thailand border with Malaya and soon after the sinking of HMS Repulse and Prince of Wales, off the Malaya coast, this being a huge loss to the Royal Navy.

The troops were given four/five days shore leave, this being a welcome relief to the unit, having spent 10 weeks at sea. Some of the unit described Table Mountain among other sights they had seen. It was around this time that the convoy was officially being diverted from its original secret destination of the Levant-Caspian front to the Malay Peninsula.

The 196th spent Christmas day in 1941 aboard the Joseph T Dickman. The menu was Roast Turkey, Giblet gravy, pickles, Sage Dressing, Cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and Buttered Peas to start. Plum Pudding, Camperdown sauce and Fruit salad for afters. There was also Bread, Candy, Tea, Raisin cookies, butter and cigarettes. The ship’s food was complimented by many in the unit.

The 27th December 1941 saw the unit arrive in Bombay, India, where they were granted a few days shore leave which they spent in the city. In early January of 1942, they were then taken by train around 150 miles inland, via Poona and on to Ahmednagar, which was an old WW1 barracks area, or fort. The living quarters were huts with a veranda, and the first encounters with mosquitoes were experienced. Here they spent around two weeks acclimatising and performing their final training.

USS West Point

The next stage of this epic journey was a train journey back to Bombay and another sea journey, this time on the 17th January, they embarked aboard the USS West Point. This was a magnificent vessel that had been the SS America, before it was converted into a troopship. The same detachment, originally on the SS Andes, travelled on the USS Wakefield. The West Point and Wakefield were part of a convoy destined for Singapore, and it left Bombay on 18th January 1942. The journey saw the first encounters with the Japanese, as an escort vessel fired on a Japanese plane, apparently on a reece mission.

The convoy reached Keppel Harbour in Singapore and the 196 disembarked on 29th January 1942.

They were taken by lorries to a tented camp on the Tampines Road. They were to provide medical treatment to the soldiers of the 54th Brigade who were now to be deployed in the North East sector of the island, next to 55th Brigade and the Singapore City troops. The men of the Royal Army Medical Corps were not issued with any weapons, and relied on the fighting troops around them for protection, as much as the fighting troops relied on them for medical treatment. This North East Coastal sector faced the Malay peninsula, where the Japanese had been steadily advancing, and were expected to attack from.

Austin K2 Ambulance

The rear body was built by Mann Egerton, could take 10 casualties sitting or 4 stretcher cases.

All of the 196’s equipment had been unloaded and delivered to them by the 31st January. This equipment included:-

8 - Austin K2 Ambulances
19 - 3 tonne Bedford Lorries
5 - Motorcycles
1 - Water tank

These vehicles were driven and maintained by members of the Royal Army Service Corps, who were attached to the 196 Field Ambulance since they had been formed.

One Section established a dressing station behind the 5th Suffolks and another Section established a dressing station behind the 4th Suffolks. These contained around 20 men of the 196 each. A further Dressing station was established at the camp where the pool of Ambulances were kept, ready to take cases from Divisional HQ, Royal Artillery and reserve battalions. A lot of the men’s time was taken digging trenches for themselves and for the tents to protect them from small arms and explosive rounds.

On 1st February 1942 the unit experienced the first enemy activity with artillery fire and air bombing. By this time, the Japanese had almost complete air superiority, as the RAF had been evacuated from the Island. Twenty men of the unit formed a dressing station behind the 5th Beds. and Herts, who were part of 55th Brigade, to the left of 54th Brigade.

Between 2nd and 5th February the unit maintained it’s position and treated the wounded from the Japanese fire. The minor sick were treated and held in the Dressing Stations, with the major casualties evacuated in ambulances, to one of three hospitals in Singapore, as they were quite close to the Dressing Stations.

On 6th February the Dressing station of the 196 behind the 5th Suffolks area was shelled by the Japanese and Private Moffat was seriously injured by shrapnel and Private Goldthorpe was also slightly injured. These were the first casualties of the war for the unit, this was the day before the Japanese landed a small force on an island opposite 54th brigades position.

The Japanese landed on Singapore island late on 8th February 1942, in the North Western sector. This was held by the 8th Australian division. They quickly established a bridgehead and began to work their way inland towards Singapore City. Lt-Col. Huston noted that he was informed of this landing on 10th February. In between this time he withdrew the Dressing station from behind the 4th Suffolks, due to an Indian Brigade taking over their position.

As the situation began to grow more desperate, thirty men from the Royal Army Service Corps were taken from the 196 and told to report as riflemen. 54th Brigade and forces in the North East now began the move to the West of Singapore, in an effort to contain the Japanese advance. The dressing stations were called back to the main tented camp on the Tampines Road, except one, which remained in support of the 5th Suffolks. The 13th of February now saw the 196 deployed in the Thompson Road/Bukit Timah Road area of the island, just north of Singapore City and almost exactly in the centre. The unit was heavily shelled around Thompson Road, though and almost immediately they were ordered to move from that location. The unit came under Japanese rifle fire as it prepared to move.

The site of the City High School

The site of the City High School

The further withdrawal resulted in the 196’s Main Dressing Station being set up at the City High School around 1800hrs on the 13th February. Other men of the 196 were still in the thick of the action as the Regimental Aid Posts and an Advanced Dressing Stations were still supporting the fighting line on the 14th February.

At one of the Regimental Aid Posts the Captain commanding the post, and two men were killed by heavy shelling, the Captain was a member of the RAMC, but not attached to the 196. This day was one of the busiest for the unit they treating large numbers of casualties. Private Stewart of the 196 was injured following the shelling of the Thompson Road. The Regimental Aid Posts and Advanced Dressing Stations were bravely assisting the troops where they could and evacuating many wounded men mainly from the 5th Suffolks, 4th Norfolks and 1/5th Sherwood Forrester’s. Men of Tomforce had to surround and protect the 196 Field Ambulance as they attempted to withdraw casualties from the frontline to the Main Dressing Station.

The morning of 15th February saw large numbers of severe casualties received at the Main Dressing Station, and Lt-Col. Huston reports that 200 were being treated. Only the cases requiring difficult surgery were withdrawn to local hospitals. The Main Dressing Station buildings at the City High school were being straddled and strafed by artillery and air attack, Lt-Col. Huston ordered the evacuation of the wounded to hospitals as the morning wore on. The 196 suffered more casualties as Major Read and Sergeant Cain were wounded and Lieutenant Cuthbert was severely wounded at the 4th Suffolk Regimental Aid Post.

It is difficult to tell where individuals of the 196 were at this stage, but the battle was coming to a close. There were many wounded being treated by the medical units, and many men survived due to their skill and care. The War Diary of the unit shows records of 426 men treated between 12th-15th February and 11 of those treated that died. The records are not fully complete and won’t ever be, due to the extremely trying conditions.

Goodwood Park Hotel on Scotts Road

Later occupied by Japanese officers

The early afternoon of the 15th February saw the 196 set up an Aid Post at the Goodwood Park Hotel. Around this time, the commander of the Allied forces in Singapore unconditionally surrendered the Island and City to the Japanese. The Japanese had complete air superiority and had captured the Islands water reservoirs, giving Percival no choice but to surrender.

The 196 Field Ambulance had come through the battle with five men wounded, but no deaths.

1942/03/16 - WO 417/40, Casaulty List No. 772. Reported ‘Missing’.

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

PoW No. II 572

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index card - Side Two

1942/06/24 - Transported with June Party to Thailand

Commanders:- Major P.D. Wiers, RA and Major M.T. Read, RAMC, 196 Fd. Amb.

This was the 4th train from Singapore to Thailand with 600 PoWs

Work Group 2

New PoW No. II 3335

Unknown Hospital Camps

1943/10/25 - The rail lines from Thailand and Burma were joined near Konkoita, Thailand.

1945/08/30 - Liberated Thailand

Flown from Bangkok to Rangoon Reception Centre

Liberation Questionnaire was filled in by Arthur after being liberated

1945/10/15 - WO417/98, Casualty List No. 1884. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1138 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.

Repatriation