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2572701
Private
Thomas William Crisp
1921/08/26 - Born Ipswich, Suffolk
Son of William and Pheobe
Occupation Lorry Driver
1939/06/26 - Enlisted
Suffolk Regiment
4th Battalion
18th Division
Service
Tropical kit was issued and orders were to proceed to Liverpool.
Andes
1941/10/30 - The 4th Battalion was then made ready to embark on the Andes in Convoy CT.5, destination unknown.
USS Wakefield
Arriving at Halifax 8th November the men were then moved across to the transport ship tied along side, the 27,000 ton Wakefield.
On November 10th the voyage continued with six American troopships, two cruisers, eight destroyers and the aircraft carrier Ranger, the Convoy William Sail 12X was under way, destination still unknown.
The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo, arriving at Trinidad on 17th November in glorious sunshine so our tropical kit came out, but unfortunately no shore-leave, we left after two days of taking on supplies. On 24th we crossed the equator, there was a crossing the line ceremony.
After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, South Africa. By this time the Americans were in the war as the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbour and attacked Malaya and the rumours were that they were heading for the Far East and not the Middle East as first thought.
On December 13th the convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay. After 17,011 miles at sea Bombay was reached December 27th 1941.
India 1943
Embarked on 17th January back onto the Wakefield. The convoy sailed the next day with a British escort, the H.M.S. Exeter and H.M.S. Glasgow with British and Australian destroyers. Japan had entered the war by attacking Malaya on 8th December 1941, destination was the far East. The Prince of Wales and the Repulse had both been sunk by the Japanese off Malaya. Passing Colombo, (Ceylon), crossing the equator for the third time, the convoy passed through the Sundra Straits between Java and Sumatra and then the Banka Straits. The convoy was then bombed by Jap Planes, there was no damage, the Wakefield was the first of our convoy to reach the safety of Keppel Harbour, Singapore on the 29th January 1942. Ships were ablaze in the harbour, clouds of smoke drifted across the sky and the smell of fumes was overpowering, this was not the best of greetings. The Japanese had taken most of Malaya in the last three weeks and were only thirty miles away from Singapore.
1942/02/15 - Singapore Surrendered
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
PoW No. 2291
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
Letter Home
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1942/10/25
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Transported overland to Thailand in ‘X’ Letter Party
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Lt-Col C.E. Morrison, 1st Leicesters
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17th Train from Singapore to Thailand
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PoW No. IV 4075
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1942/11/03
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Tonchan, Thailand
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Major Jackson
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Early 1943
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Tarsao South, Thailand
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Major Jackson
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1943/05/28
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Tarsao, Thailand
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Col. Knights
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1943/07/09
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Tha Makhan, Thailand
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Col. Toosey
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1943/11/11
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Chungkai, Thailand
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Col. Awtran
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1944/05/27
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Tha Muang, Thailand
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Col;. Knights
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New PoW No. 5194
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1944/10/15
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Tymonta, Thailand
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Major Parsons
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1945/07/
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Benkassie, Thailand
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1945/08/30 - Liberated Thailand
Home
Thomas featured top left
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Post War
1948/04/24 - Thomas married Edith Mary Rodd
Marriage took place in Ipswich, Suffolk when he was 26 years old.
Thomas with his wife Edith in 1974
Died
15th May 1984
Information
Michael Crisp
My Home Town
Convoy William Sail 12X
Thailand-Burma Railway
KEW:- WO 361/2172, WO 345/13, WO 361/1979, WO 361/1954, WO 392/23, WO 361/1987, WO 361/2169, WO 361/2058, WO 361/2176,
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