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2124246
Sapper
Frederick William Bowler
1907/12/26 - Born Hunningham Hill, Warwickshire
Son of Walter and Emily Bowler
(Father’s occupation Motor Driver, Midland Auto Car Co., Motor Engineers)
1908/03/01 - Baptised, Hunningham, Warickshire
Brother to Ernest (b.1902), Stapher (b.1904), Gladys (b. 1906)
and Leonard (b.1910)
Frederick’s occupation Printers Packer
1933 - Married Violet Marlow, Leicester
1935/01/29 - The couple were blessed with their first child, George
1940/10/17 - Enlisted
Next of kin - Wife, Violet Bowler, 19 Kate Street, Leicester
Royal Engineers
288 Field Company
18th Division
Service
288 Field Company
1941/10/30 - Sailed with Convoy CT.5 from Liverpool with the 18th Division
1941/11/08 - Arrived Halifax and transferred to USS West Point with 55th Infantry Brigade (3250 troops).
1941/11/10 - They sailed from Halifax in Convoy William Sail 12X. Sailing via Trinidad and Cape Town.
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.
1941/12/25 - USS Mount Vernon left convoy with the 53rd Infantry Brigade, sailing for Singapore in convoy DM1
1941/12/27 - After 17,011 miles at sea the 54th and 55th Infantry Brigades reached Bombay and became Task Force 14.2.
1942/01/17 - Troops embarked on the USS West Point and 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 Samatra and then the Banka Straits. The convoy was then bombed by Jap Planes, there was no damage.
1942/01/29 - Arrived Keppel Harbour Singapore
1942/02/15 - Singapore Surrendered to the Japanese
1942/03/27 - WO 417/40, Casualty List No. 782. Reported ‘Missing’.
1943/05/03 - WO 417/60, Casualty List No. 1124. Previously reported Missing, Casualty List No. 782, 15/02/1942. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
River Valley Camp
PoW No. M-451
1942/08/ - Changi Camp
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1943/03/23 - Overland to Thailand ‘D’, train 9
58th train to Thailand
Commander Lt-Col. G.G. Carpenter, 1st Cambridgeshire Regiment
1943/03/27 - Arrived Thailand
Work Group 1
New PoW No. 23674
1943/04/ - Wang Pho, 111km from Nong Pladuk
1943/04/ - Chungkai Hospital, 60km from Nong Pladuk
1943/08/ - Nong Pladuk Hospital
1943/09 - Admitted to Nong Pladuk Hospital
1943/12 - Admitted to Nong Pladuk Hospital
1944/02 - Admitted to Nong Pladuk Hospital
1944/03 - Admitted to Nong Pladuk Hospital
1944/04 - Admitted to Nong Pladuk Hospital
1944/12/28 - Admitted Nakhon Pathom Hospital
1945 - Early that year admitted back to Nakhon Pathom Hospital
Then to Ubon Camp (situated North East of Bangkok)
New PoW No. 3251
1945/08/30 - Liberated
Liberation Questionnaire
1945/10/18 - WO417/98, Casualty List No. 1887. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1124 as reported Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Post War
Frederick and Violet were blessed with six children:- George, Dorothy, Pamela , David, Kathleen and Helen
Information
Dawn Miller - Grandchild
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Convoy William Sail 12X
Japanese Transports
Thailand-Burma Railway
Ubon Camp - by Ray Withnall
Liberation Questionnaire
KEW Files:- WO 361/2172, WO 345/6, WO 367/2, WO 361/1979, WO 361/1954, WO 361/2196, WO 392/23, WO 361/2165, WO 361/2058, WO 361/2191, WO 361/2070,
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