Clifton-John-Henry

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

1687077

Gunner

John Henry Clifton

1909/07/15 - Born Blaydon, Durham

Son of Henry and Sarah Jane (nee Smyth) Clifton

(Father Henry (born 1878) was a Signalman and married Sarah Jane 1906)

John’s Occupation - Government official

1940/09/16 - Enlisted

Royal Artillery Attestations Entry

Next of Kin - Parents, H and S.J Clifton of Atkinson Road, Benwell, County Durham

Royal Artillery

6th Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment

12 Battery

Service

1941/11/04 - Sailed from the Clyde to Freetown on the Empress of Japan convoy WS12Z, signals section 6th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment. Supposed destination was the Middle East.

1941/11/28 - Convoy arrived Freetown with shore leave.

1941/12/08 - Japan entered war and attacked Malaya.

1941/12/18 - Convoy arrived Durban with shore leave. The 6th H.A.A. were now included into the 18th Division and ordered to Singapore.

1941/12/24 - Departed Durban for Singapore SS Narkunda convoy DM.1

1942/01/13 - Arrived Singapore and defended the south coast of Singapore. A mishap had occurred on route as their stocks of ammunition had already been sent ahead to the original destination in the Middle East. The gunners found their stocks very short.

1942/01/31 - Batteries 12 and 15 were re-equipped transported to Palembang, Sumatra, to defend two airfields, P1 - Pangkalan Benteng north of Palambang and P2 - Prabumulith 40 miles south. They also defended oil refineries close by P1. Again they found that they were only equipped with 6 x 3.7” mobile guns and very little ammunition for them. After some delay 10 x 3.7” guns and ammunition arrived with the SS Subadar but again another mishap as the necessary equipment for controlling the guns had been sent to the Middle East.

The airfields at P1 and P2 were important to the defence of Singapore by the RAF but when Singapore fell on the 15th February to the Japanese, the 12th and 15th batteries of the 6th H.A.A. were no longer required at the airfields as the RAF moved the planes out of P1 and P2. The defence of the oil refineries was now their only duty but the Japanese heavily attacked them in the air and after dropping paratroopers, on the ground. In an impossible situation the 12th and 15th joined together and under orders destroyed their guns and evacuated to Java on the SS Yoma.

1942/02/17 - Transported to Java. With no artillery guns the battalion became infantry on airfield defence. The survivors of the 12th defending Kalidjati and the 15th Tjilitan, both in the Batavia area.

1942/03/08 - Java surrendered to Japanese

1942/08/24 - WO 417/48, Casualty List No. 910. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/05/25 - WO 417/58, Casualty List No. 1092. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/06/16 - WO 417/62, Casualty List No. 1162. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1092 as Missing. Now Reported ‘Missing believed Prisoner of War’.

1943/07/08 - WO 417/63, Casualty List No. 1181. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1162 as Missing believed Prisoner of War, now reported Prisoner of War.

Japanese PoW

1942/03/08 - Captured Java

1942/03/28 - Tanon Priok, Batavia

PoW No. 1025

Worked as Sick Bed Orderly

Camp Commanders Col. Lane

and Lt-Col. Dillon

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

1943/03/ - Cycle Camp, Batavia

Work involved Making Blast Walls, Distribution of wood etc. and cleaning river bed

Commander Wing Commander William Trevor Hugh Nichols, RAF

New PoW No. II 5201

1944/05/14 - Transported from Java in the Chuka Maru with Java Party 21 to Sumatra

Party consisted of 12 RN, 112 Army, 189 RAF and 1615 Dutch

1944/06/22 - Arrived at Pakanbaroe, these were the first to work on the Northern section at Camp 1 of the Sumatra Railway.

John Worked at Sumatra Camps:-

Camp 1 - Pakanbaroe

Camp 2 - Tengkirang

Camp 3 - Taratakboeloch

About 5,000 Allied military personnel, mainly Dutch and English, but including a little over 200 Australians and 15 Americans, were engaged in the building of a narrow-gauge railway across the central portion of the island of Sumatra, in what is now known as Indonesia.

The northern terminal of the railway was the city of Pekanbaru (new spelling), therefore the project became known as the Pekanbaru Rail Line or Sumatra Railway.

The PoWs were overworked, underfed, provided with little medicine, and subjected to constant physical and mental abuse by their Japanese guards. There were no pipers or drummers. No flowers or national flag on a coffin for the 700 men who died working on the Sumatra Railway.

1945/09/17 - Liberated

Liberation Questionnaire

1945/11/13 - WO417/99, Casualty List No. 1909. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1181 as reported Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Netherlands East Indies.