|
7376299
Lance Corporal
Allan Alfred Carter
1919/12/05 - Southend-on-Sea
Son of Alfred and Maud Louise Carter
Elder brother to Basil and Hugh
Occupation Solicitors Clerk
Next of Kin Parents, A. and M.L. Carter, Sutton Road, Southend on Sea
Royal Army Medical Corps
196 Field Ambulance
Service
On 1st December 1939, the 196 Field Ambulance of the Royal Army Medical Corps was formed. Comprising 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 Corps, 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.
On the 15th January 1940 the unit, with around just 30 men in total transferred to Necton Hall, Norfolk. The unit stayed at Necton until May 14th 1940 and during this period the 196 rapidly began to take shape as a unit. The 5th March 1940 saw the largest number of men enlisted to the unit.
51 men moved to establish Advance Dressing Stations (ADS) at Loddon, Coltishall and Acle in Norfolk. With the move of the ADS’s, the HQ of the unit was based at White House in Trowse on the 15th May 1940. The unit was formed into three companies, A, B and HQ.
On the 31st May 1940, the headquarters then moved to “Coonoor”, 151 Yarmouth Road, Thorpe, Norfolk.
In July 1940 the unit was based at Witton House in Witton near Norwich having moved there on 6th July. On the 5th July Lieutant Colonel Huston reported for duty as the officer commanding the 196 Field Ambulance. He would stay as the last officer to command the unit.
They 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.
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.
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 the 27th October 1941 the 196 Field Ambulance unit marched through the streets of Prestigne to a special troop train, that took them to Avonmouth and the Bristol Channel.
SS Oronsay
The 196 Field Ambulance boarded the SS Oronsay, along with the 197 and 198 Field Ambulances that were also part of the 18th Division.
Around 15 medics 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 fleet, sailing to an unknown destination.
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. They arrived in Halifax on 7th November 1941 and were to embark onto different ships, many being American Liners.
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 now ‘William Sail 12X Convoy’ set sail on 10th November 1941 and on 22nd November had travelled to Trinidad in the West Indies to refuel. On the 24th the unit were involved in the ‘Crossing the line ceremony’, as the convoy crossed the equator. Shortly after the convoy arrived in Cape Town, South Africa the men heard that Japan had entered the war by attacking Pearl Harbour, Malaya and Hong Kong.
The troops were given four/five days shore leave, which was welcome having spent 10 weeks at sea. On returning to the ship the final destination was found to be Singapore.
Christmas day in 1941 was spent aboard the Joseph T Dickman. On the 27th December 1941 the unit arrived 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 taken by train around 150 miles inland, via Poona and on to Ahmednagar, which was an old WW1 barracks area. They spent around two weeks acclimatising and performing their final training.
USS West Wakefield
After the train journey back to Bombay, they sailed on the 17th January aboard the USS West Point and USS Wakefield. leaving Bombay on the 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 Field Ambulance 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. This North East Coastal sector faced the Malay peninsula, where the Japanese had been steadily advancing, and were expected to attack from.
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
Austin K2 Ambulance
The rear body was built by Mann Egerton, could take 10 casualties sitting or 4 stretcher cases.
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.
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.
The first casualties of the war for the unit happened on the 6th February, when Private Moffat was seriously injured by shrapnel and Private Goldthorpe was also slightly injured.
The Japanese landed on Singapore island late on 8th February 1942, in the North Western sector, facing the 8th Australian division, the Japanese quickly established a foothold and began to work their way inland towards Singapore City.
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 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. This day was one of the busiest for the unit they treating large numbers of casualties. 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 at the City High school, Main Dressing Station which was 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.
Goodwood Park Hotel on Scotts Road
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’.
1943/5/08 - Casualty List No 1129. Previously posted on Casualty List No 772 as Missing now reported Prisoner of War.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Changi, Roberts Barracks, British PoW Hospital
PoW No. I 1837
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
943/04/25 - Transported to Thailand with ‘F’ Force - Train 8
70th Train from Singapore to Thailand
Commander Lt-Col. S.W. Harris, 148 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
The route in cattle trucks to Thailand:-
1943/04/26 - Kuala Lumpur (0300 hrs), had rice and dried fish at Ipoh (1600 hrs)
1943/04/27 - Reached Pai (0200 hrs), arrived Haadyi (1700 hrs)
1943/04/28 - Water in cattle trucks very short, heat stifling in trucks all day..
1943/04/29 - reached Ban Pong
The PoWs were ordered off the Cattle trucks on arrival and after a walk of nearly a mile to a transit camp where they were then informed they would be marching North West along the railway route in 14 mile stages. Many of the PoWs tried to sell their possessions to the Thais but not at a good price as the Thais knew the the PoWs from ‘F’ Force were already in bad shape and could not carry their baggage for long.
1943/05/02 - After two days of walking through the night, as it was too hot in the daylight sun, they reached the small town of Kanchanaburi. Many who tried to carry their possessions left them at this staging camp.
Walking at night caused many problems as the track was uneven with bamboo shots cutting into their feet, in time tropical ulcers would form.
1943/05/13 - PoWs from train 9 caught up with train 8 party and they moved out together at 1930 hrs.
1943/06/02 - Reached Songkurai, many of the PoWs had dropped out along the route.
New PoW No. 2755
Working at Songkurai then to Thanbaya, where he worked in the Hospital as a medic.
He then travelled back to Kanchanaburi ‘F’ and ‘H’ Hospital before returning to Singapore.
1945/09/05 - On Changi Roll
1945/11/02 - Liberated
General Seishiro Itagaki, Japanese Commander of Singapore, would not accept the surrender. Plus it gave him time to cover up all Japanese Atrocities in Singapore. The allied naval landing force 'Operation Tiderace' were delayed as it was still understood the Japanese would dispose of all the PoWs in Singapore if they landed. Mountbatten ordered British paratroopers into Singapore to protect the camps. To many of the PoWs in Singapore, those red berets of the paratroopers were the first signs that the war had ended. All this delayed organising the PoWs. It wasn't till the 12th September that Lord Mountbatten accepted the Japanese surrender at the Municipal Building. Hospital cases were the first to leave Singapore 1945/09/10 on the HMHS Koroa. They were soon followed by Repatriation ships which started reaching the UK about the 15th of October 1945. Why many of the liberated PoWs on these ships had November on their Japanese Index cards, I don't know as in other areas of the Far East, PoWs were marked as Liberated at their PoW camps with the correct date. Unless General Seishiro Itagaki did not make the cards available when the camps were liberated.
1945/11/13 - WO417/99, Casualty List No. 1909. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1129 as reported Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.
|
|
|
|
|
Pacific Star
|
War Medal
|
1939-1945 Star
|
|
|
|
Far East Medals
Post War
Allan married Sybil Margaret Outen within a year of returning home.
Allan and Sybil pictured with a friend
Sybil passed away on the 20th July 2005
Allan passed away on the 21st November 2008
Information
Peter Carter - Nephew
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Convoy William Sail 12X
Fall of Malaya and Singapore
The men of the 196 Field Ambulance
196 Field Ambulance
KEW Files:- WO 345/9, WO 361/2201, WO 392/22, WO 361/1946, WO 361/2229, WO 361/2025, WO 361/2070, WO 397/2, WO 392/23, WO 361/2058, WO 361/2180,
|
