To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

Royal-Artillery-tn

850413

Private

Fred Ravenscroft

Ravenscroft-Fred

Royal Artillery

3 Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment

 

Service History

Escaped the Fall of Singapore to Sumatra

Captured 17th March 1942 when Sumatra & Java fell to the Japanese

 

Japanese PoW

The British Sumatra Battalion was formed on the 9th May 1942 with 20 officers and 480 other ranks. The service personnel were mostly escapees and considered to be trouble makers.

Leaving Padang, Sumatra by train they travelled to Fort de Kok. The next day a convoy of lorries took them to Uni Kampong Camp, where Dutch civilians were interned. On the 15th May they were packed into the hell ship England Maru bound for Mergui, Burma, to build new runways.

Mergui - the death rate was twelve.

The 10th of August transported fromMergui on the hell ship Tatu Maru to Ann Hestletine Home at Tavoy.

Tavoy - the death rate was five.

In November they were transported to Thanbyuzayat  which was the Burma starting place for the Thailand to Burma railway.

Burma-Thailand Railway - the death rate being:

Burma

 

Thanbyuzayat

14

 

18 Kilometer Camp

1

30 Kilometer Camp

6

55 Kilometer Camp

20

60 Kilometer Camp

16

 

84 Kilometer Camp

1

105 Kilometer Camp

1

114 Kilometer Camp

39

Thailand

 

Tamarkan

8

Kanchanburi 

26

Nakan Paton

1

After the railway was finished, March 1944, the British Sumatra Battalian were split up, 140 had died, 190 were at Kanchanburi Hospital and forty were still in camps along the railway line. The Japanese wanted parties for Japan and out of 2034 Dutch, Australian, American and British prisoners, seven parties (Kumis) were formed. Each kumis consisted of an officer, medical orderly and 150 other ranks. The British Sumatra Battalion helped form the  51 Kumi Party  bound for Saigon, French Indo China.

Kumis 49 (Americans), 50 (mixed nationalities) and 51 (British) arrived at the Saigon Camp situated on the Rue Catinat where one death occurred.

The 200 left behind in Burma when the 51 Kumis left, were forced from the hospital camps at Kanchanburi and Tarmakan and helped build the Tavoy Road, whilst others formed maintenance parties on the railway.

For more detail read ‘The British Sumatra Battalion’ by A.A. Apthorp

 

*

''Our Thanks are for being a Chapter in Life.''

 

 

 

Keeping The Candle Burning

 

Fepow Family

In Memory FEPOW Family Loved Ones
Designed and Maintained by Ron Taylor.

 

[FEPOW Family] [Roll of Honour] [R]

 

Honorary Life Member-1tn

Honorary Life Member of COFEPOW

 

Email Ron Taylor 

 

Copyright © FEPOW Family