Moye-Claude- Harry

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

5828156

Private

Claude Harry Moye

1918/09/09 - Born Samford, Suffolk

Son of Stanley and Laura Moye

(Father Stanley assisted his father on Woodhouse Farm)

Brother to Ronald (b.1910), Ruby (b1912), Thomas (b.1915) and Mabel (b.1916)

Claude’s occupation - Flour Mill Hand

1939/04/24 - Enlisted

Suffolk Regiment

5th Battalion

18th Division

54th Infantry Brigade

Service

1941/09/09 - Tropical kit was issued and orders were to proceed to Liverpool.

Reno Del Pacifico

1941/10/30 - The 5th Suffolk Battalion together with the 18th Division HQ sailed in the Reno Del Pacifico from Liverpool in Convoy CT.5.

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.

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 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.

1941/12/13 - The convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay.

1941/12/27 - After 17,011 miles at sea Bombay was reached.

1942/01/17 - Embarked 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. As Japan had entered the war, 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.

1942/01/29 - The Wakefield was the first of the convoy to reach the safety of Keppel Harbour, Singapore. 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.

1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered to the Japanese

1942/04/29 - WO 417/42, Casualty List No 810. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/08/11 - WO 417/64, Casualty List No. 1209. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 810 as Missing. Now reported Prisoner of War.

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

1942/02/17 - Changi Camp

PoW No. M-1127

1942/05/24 - Bukit Timah

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

1942/10/17 - Transported overland to Thailand with Sime Road Party, train 1

13th train to Thailand

New PoW No. 15295

Work Group 1

Commander Lt-Col. Baker, 5th Suffolk Regiment

Thailand Camps:-

1941/01/03 - Chungkai, 60km from Nong Pladuk

1943/05/06 - Wang Takhian, 81.30km from Nong Pladuk

Ban Khao, 87.93km from Nong Pladuk

Kanchanaburi, 52km from Nong Pladuk

Bhatona, 173.70km from Nong Pladuk

1943/08/10 - Konkoita, 257km from Nong Pladuk

New PoW No. 11754

1944/08/12 - Hindat, 197.75km from Nong Pladuk

1944/09/09 - Nong Pladuk

Attached to Work Group 4

1945/06/06 - Tha Muang

Pratcha

1945/08/30 - Liberated Pracha, Thailand

Liberation Questionnaire

1945/10/27 - WO417/98, Casualty List No. 1895. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1209 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.