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1052033
Corporal
Stanley Bleasdale Bruce
1912/01/08 - Born Liverpool
Son of Herbert and Jane Bruce
Brother to Bert, Jean, Irene, Donald, Tom, Harry and Gordon
Occupation Wine and Spirit Salesman
1939/09/02 - Married Emily Davies at North Liverpool
1940/06/06 - Enlisted at Padgate
Next of Kin - Wife, Mrs S.B. Bruce, Stoneycroft, Liverpool
Royal Air Force
250 AMES
Air Ministry Experimental Station, was the name given to British Air Ministry's radar development
Service
Stationed Singapore.
Escaped Singapore before it fell to the Japanese.
Japanese PoW
1942/03/17 - Captured Padang, Sumatra
PoW No. II 10999
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese PoW Card - Side Two
1942/05/09 - The British Sumatra Battalion was formed with 20 officers and 480 other ranks. The service personnel were mostly escapees and considered to be trouble makers. Their commander was Captain Dudley Apthorp.
Leaving Padang, Sumatra by train they travelled to Fort de Kok. The next day a convoy of lorries took them to Uni Kampong Camp, where Dutch civilians were interned.
1945/05/15 - They were packed into the hell ship England Maru bound for Mergui, Burma.
Transported to Burma was in a convoy of four ships:-
Toyohoshi Maru (Australians ‘A’ Force)
Kyokusei Maru (1200 Dutch, Harry’s transport ?)
England Maru (500 from British Sumatra Battalion)
Celebes Maru (1000 Australians from Singapore)
At Mergui they were put to work building new runways, the death rate at Mergui was twelve.
1942/08/10 - Saw another move on the hell ship Tatu Maru to Ann Hestletine Home at Tavoy, where the death rate fell to five.
The next move to Thanbyuzayat in November was the start of a hard toil on the Thailand to Burma railway were they worked with the Dutch in Group 3.
New PoW No. III 6400
Stanley’s Camps in Burma were:-
Thanbyuzayat
26 Kilo
35 Kilo
The death rate for the British Sumatra Battalion was:
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Burma
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Thanbyuzayat
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14
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18 Kilometer Camp
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1
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30 Kilometer Camp
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6
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55 Kilometer Camp
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20
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60 Kilometer Camp
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16
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84 Kilometer Camp
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1
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105 Kilometer Camp
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1
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114 Kilometer Camp
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39
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Thailand
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Tamarkan
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8
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Kanchanburi
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26
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Nakan Paton
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1
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After the railway was finished, in March 1944, the British Sumatra Battalion were split up, 140 had died, 190 were at Kanchanburi Hospital and forty were still in camps along the railway line. The Japanese wanted parties for Japan and out of 2034 Dutch, Australian, American and British prisoners, seven parties (Kumis) were formed. Each kumis consisted of an officer, medical orderly and 150 other ranks. The British Sumatra Battalion helped form the 51 Kumis Party bound for Saigon, French Indo China.
The 200 British Sumatra Battalion left behind in Burma when the 51 Kumis left, were forced from the hospital camps at Kanchanburi and Tarmakan and and put to work maintaining the railway.
New PoW No. II 3685
1945/03 - A bridge on the North South Railway at Lang Suan, Chumphon Province, was bombed by allied aircraft. A number of PoWs were sent south to repair the bridge which was then bombed again.
1945/08/30 - Liberated Lang Suan, Thailand
Liberation Questionnaire
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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
Stanley and Emily were blessed with children, Paul and Kevin.
Grandparents to Elizabeth, Sarah, David, Janet Emily and Simon.
Died
Stanley died aged 65
23rd January, 1977
Information
Gillian Chartrand - Niece
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Stefan Zing
Glenda Godfrey
Kevin Snowdon
Japanese Transport
British Sumatra Battalion
Thailand-Burma Railway
Liberation Questionnaire - COFEPOW
KEW Files:- WO 361/2172, WO 345/7, WO 361/1954, WO 361/1979, WO 392/23, WO 361/1987, WO 361/2168,
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