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5775344
Private
James Ferrow
1919/09/29 - Born Great Yarmouth
Royal Norfolk Regiment
6th Battalion
Japanese POW
Captured Singapore
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/10/26 - Transported overland to Thailand Letter Party ‘W’
Under Lt-Col R McL. More, R,A., 2 H.A.A. K.S.P.A
New PoW No. 26583
Transported back to Singapore on July 11th 1944, 760 men under Major Seekings, 2nd Cambridgeshires, arrived at River Valley Road from Nong Pladuk.
January 25th 1945, Major Seekings, Captain Spooner and 218 English POWs, ex Singapore, arrive at Saigon Camp. Camp 10 was situated on the Rue Catinat, which was a main thoroughfare between the native quarter and the French quarter. The huts were of timber construction except for the hospital which was of bamboo structure with an attapi roof. All the huts had electric light.
New PoW No. 41454
Liberated Saigon, flown to Bangkok, where he wrote home to his mother, 7th September 1942.
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Dear Mother,
I'm writing this letter from the aerodrome at Bangkok-we were transported by plane from Saigon this morning and expect to leave for Rangoon (also by air) tomorrow morning. To finish a really exciting day we were visited this afternoon by Lady Louis Mountbatten and she spoke to me personally- what a day!
I do hope you are all well-I'll repeat my request for photos if you get them. How are things at home- food short? Give my love to Dad and everybody. Hope to be home next month.
Your loving son,
Jim
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The next morning Flight 66 took off for Rangoon
Died
Age: 25
8th September 1945
James died on Flight 66 of 117 Squadron RAF Dakota, which was carrying POW’s from Saigon to Rangoon, the plane crashed at sea killing all on board.
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Newspaper Article
Plane Crashed Carrying POWS
Flight 66 of 117 Squadron RAF Dakota left Rangoon Mingladoon on the 8th September 1945 for Saigon to evacuate British Prisoners of War in the area who had been prisoners under the Japanese for three and a half years, all were suffering from starvation and tropical diseases.
On arrival the plane, loaded with 24 POW’s and the RAF crew of four, took off on the return flight, landing at Bangkok to refuel.
It is then reported that about 1pm on that day villagers to the village of Nuaunggangle about 13 mile north west of Moulmein in Burma and about 150 miles south east of the final destination of Rangoon heard an aircraft out at sea, followed by an explosion. The same evening at high tide they found various articles washed ashore and the next day at low tide saw the wreckage scattered over a sandbank. Several bodies which were unidentified were recovered but no trace of survivors were found.
The following is a list of crew and exprisoners who were known to be on the aircraft and died. All their names are recorded on the Singapore Memorial in Kranji War Cemetery Singapore.
Crew: Wing Cdr Samson AJDFC (30); Sq Ltd Grotrian RPD (36); Flt/Lt Bridge R (39); Flt/Lt Cuthbert JF DFC (37); all of 117 Squadron RAF.
POWs: Cpl Ablitt HR (33) RAMC; L.Sgt Arthur EA (34) 51 Fld RA; Gnr Bruce JB (38) k; Gnr Cotterill H (44) RA; Gnr Crawford JJ (29) RA; Bdr Daws F (33) RA; L/Sgt De Roux MF (40) RNF; Pte Edwards H (26) RAMC; L/Sgt Edwards EJ (29) Gordons; Sgt Hawthorn RH (37) RA; Gnr Hendy NF (23) RA; Pte Marskell GE (23) Suffolks; Gnr Payne JD (39) RA; L/Bdr Randell WJ (39) RA; Pte Ferrow J (25) 6 Norfolks; Pte Gadd RGV (23) E Surreys; Pte Jeeps L (24) 2 Cambs; L/Bdr Murfin R (28) RA; Gnr Pears JP (29) RA; Dvr Price M (33) RASC; Sgm Roy LFN (29) R Sigs; Pte Skeldon A (29) Argylls; Sgt Thomas V (29) RA; L/Cpl Warren FJ (31) RASC.
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Loved Ones
Son of George Ferrow, B.E.M. and Ellen Ferrow, of Southtown, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Brother to David
Memorial
Column 50.
SINGAPORE MEMORIAL
Information
Commonwealth War Grave Commission
KEW:- WO 361/2059, WO 361/2165, WO 361/2059, WO 361/2166, WO 361/2177, WO 345/17, WO 361/2005, WO 361/2027
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