|
1452791
Lance Bombardier
Henry William Ceaser
1913/11/30 - Born Gelli, Pentre, Rhonnda, South Wales
Son of William John and Beatrice Annie Ceaser
Henry was baptised 31st December 1913, Ystradyfodwg, Glamorganshire
Brother to Annie May, Howard George and Thomas Arthur
1935 - Henry married Olive Mary Adlam of Pontypridd, Glamorganshire
Next of Kin Wife, Mrs Olive May Ceaser, Churchfield Row, Pentre, Rhondda
Royal Artillery
241/77 Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment
Service
The 77 H.A.A. Regiment was a Welsh TA Regiment, comprising of four Batteries, 239, 240, 241 and 242.
June, 1941 - The 77 H.A.A. were now down to three Batteries 239, 240 and 241.
The Territorial Chester area 21st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment together with the 48th L.A.A Regiment, 77 H.A.A. and 18 L.A.A. Regiments of the Royal Artillery left the Clyde for the Middle East in Convoy William Sail 14
1941/12/08 - Japan attacked Malaya entering the war against Britain.
1942/01/13 - By the time WS 14 had reached Durban, South Africa their destination had changed to the Singapore and they sailed in Convoy DM-2 (Durban Malaya -2).
1942/01/19 - Off Mombasa at 01.05 N, 91.28 E they merged with Convoy Bm-12 (Bombay Malaya -12) and were re-routed to Batavia, Java with their supplies.
1942/02/03 - Arrived Batavia in Empress of Australia.
The 48 L.A.A Regiment was formed in 1940 and comprised of 49, 95 and 242 Batteries.
48 LAA Regiment, Royal Artillery, on arrival in Batavia, deployed the 49 Battery around Kalidjati airfield, North of Bandoeng. The 95 Battery were deployed at Andir airfield, Bandoeng and HQ together with 242 Battery were in Batavia.
The 77 H.A.A Regiment less 239 Battery, were transported by train to Surabaya setting up their guns to defend Eastern Java against enemy aircraft. The 239 battery stayed in defence of Batavia.
1942/02/06 - At 0300 hrs a troop train carrying part of 77 HAA Regiment crashed into an ammunition train on a single track bridge just outside Surabaya, 30 were killed and 100 were injured.
1942/02/28 - A strong Japanese force landed on the North Coast of Java at Eretenwetan. Using tanks they soon reached Kalidjati airfield, destroying the 49th Battery of the 48 L.A.A. Regiment.
1942/03/04 - By this time the Dutch forces in Java were being severely hit by the Japanese advance. The 239 Battery, 77 H.A.A and the 242 Battery, 48 L.A.A were ordered to move and defend the Bandoeng area.
1942/03/08 - Java surrendered to the Japanese.
1943/02/01 - WO 417/58, Casualty List No. 1088. Reported ‘Missing’.
1943/04/05 - WO 417/59. Reported on Casualty List No. 1101 as a ‘Prisoner of War’.
1946/01/03 - WO417/100, Casualty List No. 1950. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1101 as Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Netherlands East Indies. Reported ‘Died 2nd July 1943’.
Japanese PoW
Captured 1942/03/11 in Java
PoW No. III 723
Japanese Index Card - Side one
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
Before leaving Sarabaya Camp in Java, the PoW were examined, well they walked past the doctor in single file, that was the examination, everyone was passed fit.
1943/04/17 - The morning of the transport Squadron Leader Pitts was without warning badly beaten in front of the assembled PoWs. it went on for about 15 minutes the assailant was Sergeant Mori who was trying to impress the 2,060 British and Dutch awaiting transport.
The holds of the two ships Cho Saki Maru (1,030 PoWs) and Amagi Maru (1,030 PoWs) were very cramped with just enough room for the PoWs to lie down, head to toe with those next to them. The latrines were two buckets with holes in them suspended over the side of the ships. The ships remained in Sarabaya harbour for days and dysentery broke out due to cramped and unhygienic conditions on board. Eventually the ships got under way in convoy.
1943/05/05 - The ships arrived at Haruku in the Spice Islands. No deaths on voyage but many with illness.
The huts were of bamboo and made by the Haruku natives but many did not have any atap roof and the PoWs were faced with heavy rain on arrival. Some latrine pits had been dug for the native workmen’s use, but with the heavy rain they were overflowing. The camp was situated on a slop and the huts were lower than the latrines so their contents flowed into the camp and the huts.
Walking in this mess caused infection to spread quickly and dysentery spread, as there were no bunks in the huts the PoWs had to sleep on the floor and it developed into an dysentery epidemic.
The Japanese decided the illness was caused by flies and gave orders that each PoW had to catch 100 flies per day.
Dysentery was not the only illness the men suffered, the symptoms of another illness was a burning sensation in the feet. This was caused by a lack of vitamin B. The men called it ‘Happy Feet’ and most of the camp suffered from it. At night there were many walking up and down the huts as this was the only way to relieve the burning pain in their feet.
May and June was a nightmare for the doctors with little medicine to cope with the epidemic, it reached it’s peak in July with 350 deaths mainly from Bacterial Dysentery.
The work was strenuous as it involved hard labour flattening the top of a vilcano and building a runway. Food was important to keep the PoWs fit, but food on Haruku was a big problem as the rations supplied by the Japanese were insufficient. It was found that the Japanese were selling the rice supplied for the PoWs to the local natives so the PoWs only received 400-600 grams rice a day, green vegetables 10-30 grams daily and meat 30 grams weekly. The polished white rice had very few vitamins and without meat would lead to vitamin deficiency disease. The meat supplied was water buffalo and sometimes a dog, so the PoW sought to supplement their diet, after a few months the leaves off bushes and plants had disappeared but the grass kept growing and was added to the rice by the PoWs, but was of very little nutritive help.
The working PoWs received 15 cents a day and was spent in the Camp shop to buy vegetables, the shop was run by Japanese Sergeant Moyo who was also in charge of the work parties, so the money was given by one hand and taken back with the other.
The PoWs health was slowly deteriorating.
Henry passed away with Bacillary Dysentery at Camp 3, Cape Marakee, Haruku Island. He was buried there but in 1948 his body was reburied in Ambon War Cemetery.
Died
Age 29
2nd July 1943
Cause of death Bacillary Dysentery
Loved Ones
Son of William John and Beatrice Annie Ceaser
Husband of Olive May Ceaser, Churchfield Row, Pentre, Rhondda
Memorial
4. C. 2.
Ambon War Cemetery
Indonesia
Information
Glenda Godfrey
WS Convoys to Far East
Japanese Index Cards
British FEPOWs C
Commonwealth War Grave Commission
KEW Files:- WO 361/1616, WO 392/23, WO 361/1516, WO 361/1656, WO 361/1222, WO 361/1616, WO 361/1945, WO 304/3, WO 345/09, WO 361/2008,
|
