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7359298
Private
John Albert Griffin
Known as Jack
1919/01/14 - Born Staines, Middelsex
Son of Beatrice (nee Goble) Griffin
Occupation Gas Works Purification Attendant
Member of St John Ambulance Brigade 2
1939/10/16 - Enlisted
Royal Army Medical Corps
198th Field Regiment
Service
1939/10/16 Enlisted Crookham
Training
Transportation With 18th Division.
1941/10/30 - Sailed from Liverpool
Within Convoy CT.5 sailing for Halifax
1941/11/08 - Reached Halifax
1941/11/08 - Transferred to USS Mount Vernon
After a brief visit to Trinidad to refuel, Cape Town was reached on December 9th. Shore leave was granted before sailing on the 13th December for Bombay only to be then ordered on the 23rd to sail for Mombassa and then finally Singapore. She was escorted by the H.M.S. Emerald and reached Singapore Harbour on January 13th 1942.
Posted to Alexandria Military Hospital - Jack survived the dreadful massacre by having been on the second floor, locking himself in one of the lavatories in the corridor and staying there until the Japanese troops had departed the following day . It was a nerve-racking experience as he could hear the rampaging soldiers outside and could see their feet under the door.2
1942/02/15 - Singapore Surrendered
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Became Japanese PoW
PoW No. 8045
Jack Shuttle first met Jack Griffin whilst attending the newly established skin clinic before the war to be treated for another outbreak of sores, he was attended to by a talkative little orderly, Jack Griffin, who told him that he hailed from Staines in Middlesex. They lived only three miles or so apart, Jack Griffin worked for the local Gas Company which was next door to the Waterworks where Jack Shuttle worked. However they were strangers but now became good friends, remaining together for the rest of their captivity. 2
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
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Date
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Camp
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Commander
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1942/02/25
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Roberts Hospital, Changi
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Col. Craven
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1942/11/06
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Transported to Thailand
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In Letter Party ‘L’
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1942/11/14
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Chungkai Hospital, Thailand
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Col. Barrett & Maj. Read
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New PoW No. II 4959
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1944/08/21
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Nacom Paton Hospital, Thailand
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Col. Coates
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New PoW No. II 7670
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1942/09/04 - Liberated Thailand
Post War
Photo taken 1946
1947 - Married Gladys Joan Hewitt
Trained as a nurse and moved to Sunderland in North East England with his wife and daughter Pauline.
Divorced Joan who moved to Hastings with Pauline.
1958 - Married Edna Copeland
They had two sons.
Jack worked as a Charge Nurse in cardiothoracic surgery at Seaham Hall Hospital.
In 1973 Pauline traced Jack and during the summer they met.
In the November of the same year Jack died.
Died
Age 54
1973
Cause of death - Heart Attack
Information
Keith Griffin
2 An extract from a book ‘Destination Kwai’ by Jack Shuttle which referred to Jack (He was know in Staines as Jack but in the North East as John).
Kew:- WO 361/2172, WO 392/24, WO 345/21, WO 361/1979, WO 361/1954, WO 361/2196, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2060, WO 361/2180,
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