|
S/80879
Corporal
Harold Leslie Rogers
1919/12/29 - Born Birmingham
Son of Robert Alfred and Rose Anne Rogers
Brother to Robert Edwin
1939/09/01 - Enlisted
Royal Army Service Corps
54 Infantry Brigade Group Company
Service
1941/09/09 - Tropical kit was issued and orders were to proceed to Liverpool.
1941/10/30 - The Royal Army Service Corps sailed from Liverpool in Convoy CT.5.
Arriving at Halifax 8th November the men were then moved to US Liners
1941/11/10- 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.
Above Photo supplied by the late Maurice Rooney
Vought SB 2U Vindicator Scout Bomber - USS Ranger which was flying an Anti Submarine patrol over the convoy.
Front Line Top to Bottom
USS West Point - USS Mount Vernon - USS Wakefield - USS Quincy (Heavy Cruiser)
Back Row Top To Bottom
USAT Leonard Wood - USS Vincennes (Heavy Cruiser) - USS Joseph T Dickman
(USS Orizaba Ap-24 also sailed with Convoy though not pictured in photo)
The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo, arriving at Trinidad on 17th November in glorious sunshine so the tropical kit came out, but unfortunately no shore-leave. Left after two days of taking on supplies.
1941/11/24 - The convoy crossed the equator, there was a crossing the line ceremony.
Crossing the Line Ceremony Certificate
After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, South Africa.
1941/12/08 - The Americans were now in the war as the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbour and attacked Malaya and the rumours were that is was not the Middle East as first thought, but they were heading for the Far East and Singapore.
After reaching Singapore, Harold was again with the 54 Infantry Brigade Group Company.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered to the Japanese
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Changi
PoW No. M-793
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/06/18 - Transported overland to Thailand in June Mainland Party, train 1.
Commander Major R.S. Sykes of the Royal Army Service Corps, 18th Division,
The PoWs were herded into cattle trucks and driven up Malaya and into Thailand. After five days in those cattle trucks, which were very cold at night and stiflingly hot during the day, they were very grateful to arrive at Nong Pladuk and were treated very well, the food was a lot better then at Changi.
New PoW No. 24628
Work Group 1
Their first job was to clear a large area of trees and put up attap shelters, they were told a Japanese workshop was to be built there. Then word got around that it was to be the start of a railway line to go 415kms to Burma.
The ‘June Mainland Party’ were the first work group to Thailand and were to prepare for the building of the Thailand to Burma Railway, to be started in October 1942.
Harold’s Thailand Camps:-
1942 June - Nong Pladuk
Comp Leader Lt-Col. Toosey
1945 March - Bangkok
New PoW No. I 38814
1945 July - Ubon
1945/08/15 - Emperors ‘end of aggression’ speech
1945/08/19 - Harold suffered from bacillary dysentery and was admitted to the camp hospital.
Harold then left Ubon for Bangkok with 15 others, in advance of the main liberated Ubon PoWs, to receive better medical care.
Flown from Bangkok to Rangoon, Burma to be shipped home.
Liberation Questionnaire
|
|
|
|
|
Pacific Star
|
War Medal
|
1939-1945 Star
|
|
|
|
Post War
1951/06/02 - Married Patricia M. Hughes in Birmingham
1957 - They were blessed with daughter Janet
Died
1972/01/13 - Harold Lesley of Wigorn Road, Smethwick Warley, Birmingham
Information
Lucy May Jones and Tod Jones - Harold was their Granddad
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Convoy William Sail 12X
Thailand Burma Railway
Ubon Camp - Roll of Honour
Book ‘Ubon - The Last Camp Before Fredom’ by Ray Withnall
Kew Files:- WO 361/2172, WO 361/1955, WO 361/2196, WO 392/26, WO 361/2165,
|
