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756994
Douglas Roy Willgoss
Known as Roy
RAF Reserve
Service History
Assembled Hurricanes from crates, airfield not known.
Went to see "Gone with the Wind" the day before the Singapore surrender. Airfield mortar bombed at night and next day burned Hurricanes as no one to fly them. Left airfield and moved to town another regiment, helping with machine gun crew using aircraft tracer ammunition, letting belts run over their arms wrapped in sacking, the guns were overheating.
Left Island on small boat going to Java. Travelled inland and sheltered from rain in the opposite end of building to Japanese.
Turned in by Dutch.
Japanese POW
Captured in Java and returned by ship to Singapore.
Sent on draft to Moluccas (Haruku, Ambon), Java to to build airfield. Ship name not known.
Injured from an American bombing raid and leg operated on with knife and fork by English Doctor to remove shrapnel, recovered. Met up with doctor after the war, he was a consultant in London.
Returned to Singapore on completion of airfield.
After liberation was sent to Batavia with RAPWI where Roy fixed an abandoned Packard car in which he drove Lady Mountbatten on her Batavia visit. There is a photo of the car and a small Union Jack flag that was carried on the car. The flag was signed by members of the RAPWI unit before Roy left for home.
Roy flew from Singapore to India by Imperial Airways (sandwich box still in his belongings) then Liberator. Arrived home in shorts although it was winter.
Posted to Hendon maybe on guard duty.
Worked for a short time at Miles Aircraft at Woodley airdrome before retuning to building trade as a carpenter.
Died
Age 88
26th March 2008
Following a short illness that was in no doubt the culmination of the effects of his time as a FEPOW
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