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1273387
Aircraftman 1st Class
Ernest George Johnson
Born 1911/10/26 - Bishopstone, Swindon, Wiltshire
Son of Robert and Mary Johnson
Occupation Heavy Goods Lorry Driver
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
152 Maintenance Unit
Japanese PoW
1942/03/08 - Captured Garoet, Java
PoW No. 2562
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/09/26 - Transported in the Kalgan from Batavia oversea with Java Party 2 to Singapore
1942/10/09 - PoWs embarked at 1330 hours Hiteru Maru. Sailing at 1700 hours. Destination to Borneo with 1886 PoWs. The ship anchored in the Singapore Roads overnight.
1942/10/10 - At 0830 hours the ship sailed, arriving Sarawak at 1800 Hours, the ship anchored overnight.
1942/10/11 - The ship sailed slowly up the Kuching River and ran into a thunderstorm, where it spent the night.
1942/10/13 - At 0830 hours the 1000 PoWs disembarked. The rest carried on with the ship to Miri then Jesselton.
In April 1943 two parties of British left Jesseleton for Sandakan.
New PoW No, 2661
The treatment of the Sandakan PoWs was bad and got worse over the next year.
In January 1945 the Japanese stopped feeding the PoWs who only survived on the food they had stored. The Japanese now decided to move the PoWs inland, and the Sandakan Marches followed.
Only six Australian PoWs survived Sandakan as they escaped while on the marches.
Over 2500 PoWs died at Sandakan or on the Sandakan Marches.
Died either on the Sandakan Marches or at Sandakan. The record below is information from Japanese records which cannot to be trusted.
Died
1945/02/14
Put to death by the Japanese on the Sandakan Marches or at Sandakan.
Memorial
Column 454
Singapore Memorial
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Information
Book - ‘Sandakan - A Conspiracy of Silence’ by Lynette Ramsay Silver
Photo of Ernest supplied by Tony Honeyman
Sandakan
Rev. John Wanless
Commonwealth War Grave Commission
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