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5827325
Lance Corporal
Malcolm John Williamson
1921/05/03 - Born Oulton Broad, Suffolk
Son of Malcolm John and Ethel Williamson
Occupation Driver
1938/05/25 - Enlisted
Sherwood Foresters
1/5th Battalion
‘D’ Company
Service
The 1/5th (Derbyshire) Battalion was a Territorial Army formation originally serving with the 148th Infantry Brigade, part of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division. In December 1939, the battalion was reassigned to the 25th Infantry Brigade and saw service with the BEF in France and Belgium in 1940 and being evacuated at Dunkirk. In late 1940, it was again reassigned to the 55th Infantry Brigade, 18th Infantry Division.
1941/10/30 - The 1/5 Sherwood Foresters left Britain in ‘Orcades’ with Convoy CT.5 from Liverpool to Halifax
Final Destination Unknown
1941/11/08 - Arrived Halifax
1941/11/10 - Transferred to USS West Point and departed Halifax in Convoy William Sail 12X
Convoy William Sail 12X 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.
Ships Front Line Top to Bottom
USS West Point - USS Mount Vernon - USS Wakefield - USS Quincy (Heavy Cruiser)
The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo.
1941/11/17 - Arrived at Trinidad in glorious sunshine so troops changed to tropical kit, but no shore-leave, left Trinidad after two days of taking on supplies.
1941/11/24 - The equator was crossed, there was a crossing the line ceremony.
After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, South Africa. By this time the 1941/12/08 - Americans were in the war as the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbour and attacked Malaya and the rumours were that they were heading for the Far East and not the Middle East as first thought.
1941/12/13 - The convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay.
1941/12/27 - After 17,011 miles at sea Bombay was reached.
1942/01/18 - The convoy sailed with a British escort, the H.M.S. Exeter and H.M.S. Glasgow with British and Australian destroyers. Destination was the far East. Passing Colombo, (Ceylon), crossing the equator for the third time, the convoy passed through the Sundra Straits between Java and Samatra and then the Banka Straits. The convoy was then bombed by Japanese Planes, there was no damage.
1942/01/29 - The convoy reached the safety of Keppel Harbour, Singapore. Ships were ablaze in the harbour, clouds of smoke drifted across the sky and the smell of fumes was overpowering, this was not the best of greetings. The Japanese had taken most of Malaya in the last three weeks and were only thirty miles away from Singapore.
1942/02/15 - Singapore Surrendered
1942/04/07 - WO 417/41, Casualty List No. 791. Missing
1943/06/22 - WO 417/62, Casualty List No 1167. Previously reported on Casualty List No 791 as Missing now reported Prisoner of War.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Changi Camp (18th Division Area)
PoW No. M-4470
Commander Lt.-Col. Lilly
1942/04/04 - River Valley Road Camp
Commander Lt.-Col. Holmes
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/10/14 - Transported overland to Thailand
New PoW No. VII 17616
Worked with Workgroup 6
Between Wang Lang and Tha Kilen, Thailand
Commander Lt.-Col. Flower, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
(Lt-Col Flower left Singapore 1942/11/07)
1943/03/03 - Kanchanaburi Aerodrome Camp, Thailand
Commander Captain Renwick, 1/5 Battalion, Sherwood Foresters
1944/12/10 - Wang Pho - Tavoy Road Project
The work was to cut an escape route from Wang Pho to Tavoy on the Burma Coast.
1945/06/05 - The 3 metre wide road was completed
1945/05/23 - Lang Suan, Chumphon, South Thailand
Commander WO2 Fielder
New PoW No. VII 17159
Work involved repairing Railway
1945/08/30 - Liberated
1945/09/21 - WO417/96_2, Casualty List No. 1864. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1167 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.
Information
Rachel Brown - Granddaughter
Janice Skilton
Liberation Questionnaire
Convoy William sail 12X
Japanese Transport
Thailand - Burma Railway
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
KEW Files:- WO 361/2172, WO 345/56, WO 361/1955, WO 392/26, WO 361/2165, WO 361/2165, WO 361/2196,
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