Warner-Geoffrey-William

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

5827176

Private

Geoffrey William Warner

1919/10/10 - Born Badingham, Suffolk

Son of William and Mildred Warner

Brother to Kathleen Dora, Ena Maud, Edna Gwendoline and Jean Eleanor

Next of Kin Parents, William and Mildred Warner, of Badingham, Suffolk

Suffolk Regiment

4th Battalion

18th Division

Service

4th Battalion

The 4th Battalion were formed with territorials from the Suffolk area. After some basic training they were put on guard duty in Lowestoft, patrolling the dry docks where Allied submarines were serviced. A few days were then spent at Loddon before returning to the Waverly hotel, in St Olaves, returning to guard duty at Haddiscoe railway station. Further training took place at Langley Park, Loddon, where marching, and camp life were the order of the day. A farm at Cawston in Norfolk was the next venue, with the luxury of sleeping in a farmers barn but the training was increased. The next stage was from late July to the end of September doing guard duty near the harbour mouth at Great Yarmouth. The guard duty consisted of twenty-four hour stints, two hours on, four hours off, one day a week was a rest day.

A move to Hatley St George, Bedfordshire occurred in September 1940 living in disused cottages on the Hatley Hall Estate. Training was increased with long route marches. Just before the new year the battalion was moved to Stobbs Camp, Harwick in Scotland, and housed in Nissan huts, the weather was bitter. The training lasted till April.

The battalion was then bussed to Pilsmouth Bleach Mills, Bury in Lancashire where training continued. In August the battalion was moved again to wooden huts near Hereford , where training and farm work was carried out.

King George VI inspected the battalion in Hereford at the cathedral whilst the Suffolk Regimental band from Bury St Edmunds played.

Once more we were on the move - ‘It was dark when we left Hereford. We knew we were going abroad, but not where’.

SS Andes

The battalion was then entrained to Liverpool, where the boarded the SS Andes, it was believed their destination was the Middle East.

The SS Andes passage was to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, across a very rough sea.

USS Wakefield

The 4th battalion, being part of the 54 Infantry Brigade, then changed ship to the American liner ‘USS Wakefield’ and became part of the Convoy William Sail 12X.

The Convoy William Sail 12X with six American troopships, two cruisers, eight destroyers and the aircraft carrier Ranger, the Convoy William Sail 12X was under way on the 10th November, destination still unknown.

Convoy William Sail 12X

Above Photo supplied by the late Maurice Rooney

Detailed Account by Thomas M. Allison

A reproduction of an account by Thomas M. Allison who is understood to be serving as an American Naval officer in the convoy.

Aircraft

Vought SB 2U Vindicator Scout Bomber - USS Ranger which was flying an Anti Submarine patrol over the convoy.

Ships Front Line, Top to Bottom:-

USS West Point - USS Mount Vernon - USS Wakefield - USS Quincy (Heavy Cruiser)

Ships Back Line Top to Bottom:-

USS Leonard Wood - USS Vincennes (Heavy Cruiser) - USS Joseph T Dickman

The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo.

Arrived at Trinidad 17th November in glorious sunshine so troops changed to tropical kit, but no shore-leave, left Trinidad after two days of taking on supplies. The equator was crossed soon after leaving Trinidad on the 24th, there was a crossing the line ceremony.

After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, and soon after on the 8th December news reached the regiment that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbour and Malaya.

Britain and America were now at war with Japan and the rumours were that the convoy was now heading for the Far East and not the Middle East as first thought.

Up till now the destination of the convoy was the Middle East but with Japan entering the war, it became obvious that the 18th Division would be sent to the Far East.

At this point the convoy was split with one part going to Mombassa and then on to Malaya and the Wakefield going to India, arriving at Bombay on the 5th January 1942, then on by train to Ahmenager, which was inland from Bombay where more training took place for the Far eastern climate. The 54th Infantry, which included the 4th Suffolks stayed at Ahmenager for three weeks, then back to Bombay where the Wakefield had waited, sailing once again this time to Singapore arriving 29th January, just two days before the causeway was blown between Malaya and Singapore.

Singapore by this time was under siege and the battalion found themselves in old tents in a rubber plantation along Tampines Road. Orders were received to defend the Golf Course which was bombed directly it got dark.

The Battalion then moved to Coastal Defence positions on the Changi Peninsular where they remained for the next ten days.

On the 11th January the battalion withdrew to the eastern side of the Peirce Reservoir to relieve two companies of the 1st Cambridgeshies, now under the 55 Infantry Brigade. Trenches were dug and positions taken by 2pm. A change of plan then caused mayhem as the Battalion were moved by truck on very busy roads and bombing to the Singapore Racecourse to try to stem the Japanese advance. Joining with 4th Royal Norfolks, and ‘Tomforce’, on the right to form a perimeter defence of the MacRitchie Reservoir. The 4th Suffolks were now back under the 54 Infantry Brigade command.

All looked to be in place until an order for the 4th Suffolks to advance towards the Swiss Rifle Club Range, letting the Japanese infiltrate with cover fire from high ground on Bukit Tinggi, which the 11th Regiment IJA already held. This caused the right flank of the Royal Norfolks to be exposed. The enemy quickly took the advantage and completely surrounded the Battalion leaving only a small area free to the east.

At 9am on the 12th the Japanese attacked the forward line at ‘A’ company, Royal Norfolks in strength on the Bukit Timah road, using tanks they forced the company back. A counter attack was planned but orders to withdraw to Adam Road were received. They withdrew though the east gap but the carriers had to go down the Bukit Timah road and came across enemy tanks but against all the odds they managed to fight their way through without loss to Adam Park..

From the 13th the 4th Suffolks fought at Sime Road with ‘C’ company in the Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery with ‘B’ Company pushing along Sime Road to link ‘B’ and ‘D’ Companies at the Club House, which they now held.

Orders to retreat to the outskirts of Singapore were given just as they arrived at their destination on the 15th February 1942.

Surrender of Singapore

by Leo Rawlings

Percival surrendered, just 18 days after the USS Wakefield had docked at Singapore.

1942/04/18 - WO 417/42, Casualty List No. 801. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/07/31 - WO 417/64, Casualty List No 1201. Previously reported on Casualty List No 801 as Missing Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War.

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

PoW No. 5778

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

1943/04/27 - Transported overland to Thailand with ‘F’ Force, train 10

73rd overland train to Thailand

Work Group 4

The route in cattle trucks to Thailand:-

Kuala Lumpur (0300 hrs), had rice and dried fish at Ipoh

Reached Pai (0200 hrs), arrived Haadyi (1700 hrs)

Water in cattle trucks very short, heat stifling in trucks all day..

1943/05/02 - Reached Ban Pong

The PoWs were ordered off the Cattle trucks on arrival and after a walk of nearly a mile to a transit camp where they were then informed they would be marching North West along the railway route in 14 mile stages. Many of the PoWs tried to sell their possessions to the Thais but not at a good price as the Thais knew the the PoWs from ‘F’ Force were already in bad shape and could not carry their baggage for long.

After two days of walking through the night, as it was too hot in the daylight sun, they reached the small town of Kanchanaburi. Many who tried to carry their possessions left them at this staging camp.

Walking at night caused many problems as the track was uneven with bamboo shots cutting into their feet, in time tropical ulcers would form.

Reached Kami Songkurai, many of the PoWs had dropped out along the route.

‘F’ Force had the most deaths on the Thailand Burma Railway

‘F’ Force Summery

	*British*	*Australian*	*Total*
*Departed April 1943*	*3336*	*3664*	*7000*

*Returned Dec. 1943 - Sime Road*	*175*	*165*	*340*
*Returned Dec. 1943 - Changi*	*835*	*2060*	*2895*
*Returned Apr. 1944 - Changi*	*295*	*411*	*706*
	*1305*	*2636*	*3941*
*Less Died at Changi*	17	32	49
	*1288*	*2604*	*3892*
*I.J.A. Custody (Including Changi Hosp.)*	11		11
*Alive as at 30th Apr. 1944*	*1299*	*2604*	*3903*


*Died Thailand Burma Railway*	*2013*	*1014*	*3027*
*Died Changi*	17	32	49
*Missing*	7	14	21
*Total Casualties*	*2037*	*1060*	*3097*

*Casualty Percentage*	*61.03%*	*28.95%*	*44.21%*