|
T/142245
Driver
Henry William Clark
Known as Harry
Born 1919/08/02 - Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.
Son of William and Maggie Clark, of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
Royal Army Service Corps
18th Division Troops
Service
In October 1941, orders were at last received to prepare for foreign service.
Convoy CT.5 (18th Division) formed off the Irish Coast.
1941/11/08 - The 18th Division Troops transferred to American liners at Halaifax.
Convoy William Sail 12X travelled Via Port Spain, Trinidad and Cape Town to Kenya.
Above Photo of Convoy William Sail 12X supplied by the late Maurice Rooney
Vought SB 2U Vindicator Scout Bomber - USS Ranger which was flying an Anti Submarine patrol over the convoy.
Front Line Top to Bottom:-
USS West Point - USS Mount Vernon - USS Wakefield - USS Quincy (Heavy Cruiser)
Back Row Top To Bottom:-
USAT Leonard Wood - USS Vincennes (Heavy Cruiser) - USS Joseph T Dickman
(USS Orizaba Ap-24 also sailed with Convoy though not pictured in photo)
1941/12/08 - Japan invades Malaya
The American liners disembarked the 18th Division at Singapore.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered to the Japanese
1942/03/31 - WO 417/41, Casualty List No. 785. Reported ‘Missing’.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
PoW No. IV 881
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/11/01 - Transported to Thailand with with Letter Party Q.
On arrival in Thailand he was attached to Group 4 06 (L) work battalion.
Working in the area from Tha Sao to Wang Pho North and perhaps further North.
4 Letters were sent home from Thailand.
By mid 1944 he was at Tha Muang then sent back to Singapore.
On 4th September 1944, convoy HI-72 sailed from Singapore, destination Japan. Two of these ships, Rakuyo Maru and the Kachidoki Maru carried PoWs. The Rakuyo Maru carried 1317 Pows (British and Australian) and the Kachidoki Maru a further 900 (all British).
On the 12th of September the convoy was attacked by US submarines and both these ships were hit. The Kachidoki Maru was torpedoed by the US submarine Pampanito at 22:40 hours.
The Japanese rescued some of the POWs from these two ships and they continued their journey to Japan on the Kibitsu Maru.
All of those who survived the sinking of the Kachidoki Maru jumped within the first ten minutes of the ship being hit.
1945/04/03 - WO417/90.1, Casualty List No. 1721. Previously reported Prisoner of War in Japanese hands on Casualty List No.1243. Now reported missing. Date not reported.
1944/09/12 - WO417/100, Casualty List No. 1930. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1721 as reported Missing whilst Prisoner of War. Presumed Killed in Action whilst Prisoner of War, ‘At Sea’.
Died
Age 25
1944/09/12
Kachidoki Maru - Sunk North East of Hainan Island off China.
Sunk by USS Pampanito. Carrying 900 British prisoners from Singapore to Japan, 400 were lost.
Loved Ones
Parents: William and Maggie Clark, of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.
Memorial
Column 99.
Singapore Memorial
|
|
|
|
|
Pacific Star
|
War Medal
|
1939-1945 Star
|
|
|
|
Information
Alison Linsley-Melo (Harry's great niece)
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Convoy William Sail 12X
Thailand-Burm Railway
Kichidoki Maru
Commonwealth War Grave Commission
KEW Files:- WO 345/10, WO 361/2169, WO 392/23, WO 361/2057, WO 361/1987, WO 361/2005, WO 361/1742,
|
