|
7609466
Private
Roland John Wise
1913/08/15 - Born Maidstone, Kent
Son of Rowland John and Rose Wise
Brother to Rosie and Mary
Attended All Saints School
Occupation Upholsterer at Len Cabinet Works
1939/09/29 - Enlisted
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
18th Division Workshops
Service
1941/09/09 - Tropical kit was issued and orders were to proceed to Liverpool.
1941/10/30 - The Royal Army Ordnance 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, Roland worked in the 18th Divisional Workshops.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered to the Japanese
1942/03/27 - Maidstone Telegraph
1942/03/25 - Casualty List No. 780. Reported ‘Missing’.
1943/08/13 - Casualty List No. 1211. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 780 as Missing. Now reported ‘Prisoner of War’.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
PoW No. M-4236
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/10/31 - Transported overland to Thailand with ‘R’ Letter Party, train 7
Commander Lt-Col. A.A. Johnson, 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Attached to Work Group 2
New PoW No. 4269
Thailand Camps:-
1943/03/05 - Chungkai
Camp Leader Lt-Col. Barrett, Royal Army Medical Corps
Ban Khao Camp
Returned to Chungkai Hospital with beginnings of a Tropical Ulcer on his left leg. He then remained at Chungkai until August 1944, after enduring five operations on his leg. Two being in October 1943 and 1st November 1943.
New PoW No. 17321
1944/08/21 - Nakhon Pathom Hospital
Camp Leader Lt/Col. Coates, Australian Army Medical Corps
1945/09/04 - Liberated Thailand
Flown from Bangkok to Rangoon to be shipped home
Liberation Questionnaire
1945/09/24 - Casualty List No. 1866. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1211 as Prisoner of War now not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.
|
|
|
|
|
Pacific Star
|
War Medal
|
1939-1945 Star
|
|
|
|
Post War
1946/04/22 - Married Phyllis Mary Blackman at St Phillip’s Church, Maidstone
1981/11/25 - Roland died Maidstone, Kent
Information
Sonia Holmes - Daughter
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Convoy William Sail 12X
Fall of Malaya and Singapore
Thailand Burma Railway
Liberation Questionnaire
KEW Files:- WO 361/2181, WO 361/2167, WO 345/57, WO 361/2196, WO 361/1955, WO 361/2172,
|
