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5829588
Corporal
Jack Ivor Evans
1917/10/17 - Born Treorchy, Wales
Son of Caradoc and Mary Ann Evans
Occupation Textile Buyer
1940/01/08 - Enlisted
Suffolk Regiment
4th Battalion
18th Division
11th Indian Division - (Malaya)
Service
Suffolk Regiment
4th Battalion
Andes
The Suffolk Regiment 4th Battalion was made ready at Liverpool to embark on the Andes, being part of Convoy C.T.5. Destination unknown.
USS Wakefield
Arriving at Halifax 8th November the men were then moved across to the transport ship tied along side, the 27,000 ton Wakefield.
On November 10th 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.
The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo, arriving at Trinidad on 17th November in glorious sunshine so our tropical kit came out, but unfortunately no shore-leave, we left after two days of taking on supplies. On 24th we crossed the equator, there was a crossing the line ceremony.
After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, South Africa. By this time the 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.
On December 13th the convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay. After 17,011 miles at sea Bombay was reached December 27th 1941.
Embarked on 17th January back onto the Wakefield. The convoy sailed the next day with a British escort, the H.M.S. Exeter and H.M.S. Glasgow with British and Australian destroyers. Japan had entered the war by attacking Malaya on 8th December 1941, destination was the far East. The Prince of Wales and the Repulse had both been sunk by the Japanese off Malaya. Passing Colombo, (Ceylon), crossing the equator for the third time, the convoy passed through the Sundra Straits between Java and Sumatra and then the Banka Straits. The convoy was then bombed by Jap Planes, there was no damage, the Wakefield was the first of our convoy to reach the safety of Keppel Harbour, Singapore on the 29th January 1942. 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.
The 18th Division was moved to hold the north-eastern part of the island near the Changi Peninsula.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered to the Japanese
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
February > April 1942 - Changi
April > November 1942 - Bukit Timah Road
November > December 1942 - Sime Road
December > April 1943 Changi
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1943/04/18 - Overland to Thailand with ‘F’ Force
63rd Train from Singapore to Thailand
Commander L/Col. S.W. Harris, Royal Artillery
1943/04/24 - From Ban Pong to Songkurai
1943/05/06 - Escaped Songkurai in morning during air raid
Eight Escapees:-
Lance Corporal William H. Dawkins, 6019193, 4th Suffolk Regiment
Corporal Jack Ivor Evans, 5829588, 4th Suffolk Regiment
L/Sergeant Peter Richard. Jackson, 5830401, 4th Suffolk Regiment
Private Francis Leonard E. Edley, 12446, Singapore Volunteers
Private Frederick Frederick John Woolard, 898747, Royal Artillery
Sergeant James Singleton, 885723, Royal Artillery. Died in jungle, September 1943
Sergeant Ian O’Brian Bradley, 838011, Royal Artillery
Lance Bombardier B. Bradley, 4746298, 85th Anti tank Reg , R.A.
1943/10/01 - All recaptured except Singleton
Given Life Sentences and taken to Outram Road Jail, Singapore
L/B Bradley died Outram Jail July 1945, Buried Kranji War Cemetery
1945/08/19 - Changi
Liberated Changi
Taken to Rangoon Hospital
Journey Home
Frank - Jack - Joe - Pug
1945 - Columbo
Suez
Names unknown
Died
22nd May 2001
Information
Mary Morgan
Commonwealth War Graves
COFEPOW Liberation Questionnaires
Thailand - Burma Railway
KEW:- WO 392/24, WO 361/1504, WO 361/1504, WO 345/17, WO 361/2059, WO 361/2176, WO 361/2176, WO 361/2229,
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