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896127
Gunner
George Oldfield
1916/06/21, Born Bradford
Son of Arthur and Sarah Emma Oldfield
Brother of Fred and Ronald
Royal Artillery
122 Field Regiment
Service
1939/06/01 - The 122 Field Regiment was formed in Bradford as a Territorial unit
1941/01/03 - Departed Glasgow in Empress of Japan.
1941/03/03 - Arrived Singapore.
Now part of 12th Indian Brigade.
1941/12/08 - Japan invades Malaya from landings on the Malayan border with Thailand.
The 278 Battery of the 122 Field Regiment were transported to North Malaya and the 280 Battery took positions in Southern Area, Singapore.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrenders to Japanese
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
PoW No. II 1336
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/06/26 - Transported overland to Thailand with June Mainland Parties,
train 5. Group II
New PoW No. II 43661
Part of the Communications Party under Captain Martens working on posts and wires for the telegraph lines as far as the Kinsaiyok area.
1943, July - Returned to Kanchanaburi Hospital then Chungkai.
1944 - Transported overland back to Singapore
1944/06/26 - Boarded the Hofuku Maru at Singapore. The total number on board was 1287 all ranks. The PoWs were divided between two holds and were so crowded that it was impossible for everyone to lie down at once. They stayed in Singapore harbour until July 4th.
1944/07/04 - The Hofuku Maru sailed from Singapore in a convoy to Miri, Borneo as part of convoy SHIMI-05. The convoy consisted of 10 ships, 5 of which carried, in total, 5,000 PoWs, all in appalling conditions.
1944/07/09 - Arrived at Miri in Borneo having broken down for six hours on the way. At Borneo, the Hofuku Maru left the convoy with engine problems, and sailed on to the Philippines.
1944/07/19 - Arrived Manila, remaining in Manila until mid-September while the engines were repaired. Part of the cargo was unloaded and the Japanese civilians who were on board were disembarked. The PoWs remained on board and with their diet of rice and the fact that they were not allowed on deck after their arrival at Manila, it soon began to have serious effects and they suffered terribly from disease, hunger, and thirst.
1944//09/20 - Engines repaired, the Hofuku Maru and 10 other ships formed Convoy MATA-27, and sailed from Manila to Japan. The following morning, the convoy was attacked 80 miles north of Corregidor by more than 100 American carrier planes. All eleven ships in the convoy were sunk.
Of those on the Hofuku Maru, 1,047 of the 1,289 British and Dutch PoWs on board died.
Died
Age 28
21st September 1944
Died in the sinking of the Hofuku Maru
Loved Ones
Son of Arthur and Sarah Emma Oldfield, of Bradford, Yorkshire
Memorial
Column 27
Singapore Memorial
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Information
Lisa Cartwright - Supplied photo
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Thailand Burma Railway
Hofuku Maru
KEW Files:- WO 392/25, WO 345/39, WO 361/1742, WO 361/2057, WO 361/2005, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2187,
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