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PLY/X2195
Marine
George Fredrick Whitman
1916/10/24 - Born Plymouth
Son of George and Maud Whitman
Royal Marine
H.M.S Prince of Wales
Service
In November, 1941 HMS Prince of Wales was ordered to Colombo to be part of Churchill’s defence against a suspected Japanese attack, the force to be known as ‘Z Force’.
Z Force comprised of:
Prince of Wales
Repulse
Electra
Express
HMAS Vulture
HMS Tenedos
The fleet being ordered to Singapore.
On 8th December at 1735 hours it sailed from Singapore to intercept Japanese battle cruisers ‘Kongo’ off the east coast of Malaya, information was that no air support could be given the Z Force.
On 9th December between 1700 and 1800 hours enemy aircraft were spotted by the Prince of Wales. Tenodos was ordered back to Singapore at 1814 hours. The proposed attack by Z Force on a Japanese landing at Singgora was then abandoned as a Japanese air attack was feared and the fleet had no air cover. The fleet was therefore ordered back to Singapore.
At midnight a report was received that the Japanese were landing at Kuantan and as this was on the way back to Singapore and 400 mile from Japanese known airstrips in French Indo-China, Z force was sent to intercept the Japanese landing fleet.
On 10th December at 0800 hours as no enemy craft were sighted off Kuantan, the Express was sent ahead to report on the situation. Z Force had previously passed some barges and turned to investigate further when enemy aircraft attacked.
Nine enemy high level bombers attacked Repulse from ahead dropping one bomb each. Repulse was hit on port hanger, bursting through the deck below the Marines mess deck, no serious damage reported.
Nine torpedo bombers then attacked Prince of Wales on the port side putting both port shafts out of action. The steering gear failed and the ship listed 13 degrees to port. In the attack two enemy aircraft were shot down.
A further attack by high level bombers on Repulse did no damage.
Prince of Wales was then attacked by nine Torpedo bombers and incapable of any defensive manoeuvre was hit three times:- Near Stem, Abreast B Turret and Aft. The speed dropped to 8 knots. One aircraft was shot down.
As Repulse turned to starboard she was attacked by three enemy aircraft, but no hits were reported. Then nine torpedo bombers attacked in various directions, the first hit jammed the rudder, losing control of the ship. Three more bombs found their targets:- Port side aft, Abreast Port Engine Room and Starboard Side Boiler Room. Repulse listing badly capsized and sunk at 1235 hours. Electra and Vampire picked up survivors.
Prince of Wales was further attacked by nine high level bombers and was badly damaged by a bomb exploding on the main deck. Express manoeuvred alongside and took of the crew before the ship sunk at 1320 hours.
A search by the remaining ships for survivors was then abandoned and the ships returned to Singapore.
The Repulse lost 27 officers and 486 men. The Prince of Wales lost 42 officers and 754 men.
A few days later, the 210 Royal Marines who were rescued, were formed into a Naval Battalion under Captain R.G.S. (Bob) Lang RM. They were deployed to guard the Naval Base, Royal Navy Wireless Transmission Station at Kranji and the Royal Navy Armaments Depot. Five other rescued officers were included, Captain Claude Derek Aylwin, Lts. Charles Verdon, Jim Davis, Tom Sherdan and Geoffrey Hulton.
On December 24th 1941, forty of the force were sent up-country into Malaya to join Major Angus Rose 2A and SH of Roseforce. They were to be involved in special operations behind the Japanese lines but the speed of the Japanese advance saw them employed in demolition work.
The forty marines fought a gallant delaying action in the North of Malaya before action at Slim River on January 7th 1942 saw them out maneuvered by the Japanese, leaving the allied troops to find their own way back in the long retreat to Singapore Island where they acted as a rearguard during the crossing of the Causeway.
In the mean time the remainder of the marines had been moved to Tyersall Park Camp to be amalgamated into a battalion known as the Plymouth Argylls.
On the night of February 8th 1942 the Japanese successfully crossed the Straits of Johore and gained a foothold on Singapore’s north western shore, held by the Australians who were forced back. On February 9th the Plymouth Argylls were ordered to advance northwards up the Bukit Timah Road then westward along the Choa Chu Kang Road towards Tengah airfield where they came under air attack and suffered casualties. On February 11th the Plymouth Argylls engaged the Japanese between Tengah and the Dairy Farm that lay east of the Upper Bukit Timah Road and were cut off by enemy tanks who demolished two Plymouth Argyll roadblocks. The main body of the marines escaped carrying an officer, through the dairy farm using a pipeline to the golf course back to Tyersall Park. Soon after the camp and the neighbouring Indian Military Hospital were destroyed in an air attack. The marines stayed in their trenches until the surrender on February 15th 1942.
Some marines escaped captivity on board HMS Tapah but were later captured, HMS Grasshopper which was sunk and Mata Hari which was captured, others escaped using small craft. Most of those who survived entered captivity in Sumatra at Palembang and Padang. 22 Plymouth Marines made it to Ceylon with 52 Argylls.
31 Royal Marines were killed-in-action, died of wounds at Singapore or were lost at sea assisting in the evacuation of civilians to Sumatra.
On February 17th those Argylls and Marines at Tyersall Park, with Charles Stuart playing the pipes marched out of the camp to Changi.
Before Singapore fell to the Japanese George had escaped in one of the crafts from Singapore.
As the escape was unofficial there was no record of George leaving Singapore, he was therefore recorded as missing in Malaya, presumed killed in action.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Banka Island
Muntok to Palembang
PoW No. II 498
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
Camps:-
New PoW No. II 11292
Chng Hwa
Mulo
Sungei Gerong
Liberated Sumatra
Died
May 1984
Plymouth
Information
Force Z - By Vice Admiral G. Layton
Plymouth Argyll Royal Marines
KEW Files:- WO 361/1948, WO 392/26, WO 345/55,
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