Mayne-Brian

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

127726

Captain

Brian Mayne

M.B. (Bachelor of Medicine)

1915/08/12 - Born Dublin, Ireland

Son of Henry Pelham and Nora Hellena

Occupation Doctor

1940/03/01 - Enlisted

Next of Kin - Wife, A. Mayne, Hillside, Killiney, County Dublin

Royal Army Medical Corps

197 Field Ambulance

55 Brigade, 18th Division

Service

Brian is 3rd from left of the 6 in the back row in the photograph. This “official” photograph was taken by Guy Milly, Cannock.

The role of the Field Ambulance was to treat and evacuate the wounded from the front line to a Casualty Clearing Station where more advanced medical care could be given. This was done through a series of Dressing stations. Each unit had a Regimental Aid Post (RAP) as close to the front line as possible. This was usually the first stop for all casualties. Most casualties were brought to the RAP by Regimental Stretcher Bearers. Basic treatment and assessments were carried out by an RAMC doctor attached to the unit, before more serious casualties were evacuated to an Advanced Dressing Station (ADS) by Field Ambulance stretcher bearers. From here the casualty was again treated or assessed before being taken to a Main Dressing Station (MDS) before finally being evacuated to the Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) or hospital. The Field Ambulance was responsible for everything coming from the RAP and going to the CCS. Ambulances were driven by members of the RASC attached to the unit, who were also armed for the protection of the RAMC. The RAMC men did not carry or have access to any weapons and relied solely on the soldiers around them for protection.

1941/10/30 - Left Liverpool for Halifax in Convoy CT.5.

1941/11/08 - At Halifax transferred to American liners

1941/11/10 - Left Halifax with Convoy William Sail 12X, destination unknown, believed to be Middle East.

Above Photo of Convoy William Sail 12X 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)

1941/12/08 - Japan entered war by bombing Pearl Harbour and invading Malaya

18th Division diverted from Middle East and sent to Singapore

1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered to Japanese

1942/04/14 - WO417/2, Casualty List No.797. Reported ‘Missing’

1942/12/22 - WO417/004, Casualty List No. 1013. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 797 as reported Missing, 15/02/1942. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

1942/02/15 - Developed peritonitis from a perforated appendix

Changi - MO Roberts Hospital

PoW No. i 431

Commander Col. Gavea, Royal Army Medical Corps

Commander Lt-Col. Collins, Royal Army Medical Corps

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

1943/08 - B.G.H Selerang

Commander Lt-Col. Collins, Royal Army Medical Corps

New PoW No. 722

1944/05 - B.G.H Kranji

Commander Lt-Col. Collins, Royal Army Medical Corps

1945/11/02 - Liberated

General Seishiro Itagaki, Japanese Commander of Singapore, would not accept the surrender. Plus it gave him time to cover up all Japanese Atrocities in Singapore. The allied naval landing force 'Operation Tiderace' were delayed as it was still understood the Japanese would dispose of all the PoWs in Singapore if they landed. Mountbatten ordered British paratroopers into Singapore to protect the camps. To many of the PoWs in Singapore, those red berets of the paratroopers were the first signs that the war had ended. All this delayed organising the PoWs. It wasn't till the 12th September that Lord Mountbatten accepted the Japanese surrender at the Municipal Building. Hospital cases were the first to leave Singapore 1945/09/10 on the HMHS Koroa. They were soon followed by Repatriation ships which started reaching the UK about the 15th of October 1945. Why many of the liberated PoWs on these ships had November on their Japanese Index cards, I don't know as in other areas of the Far East, PoWs were marked as Liberated at their PoW camps with the correct date. Unless General Seishiro Itagaki did not make the cards available when the camps were liberated.

Liberation Questionnaire

1945/09/28 - WO417/9, Casualty List No. 1870. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1013 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.