Brydges-Sidney-James-Norman

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

6019090

Private

Sidney James Norman Brydges

1918/03/07 - Born West Ham, London

Son of Henry William and Ellen Brydges

(Father Henry was a Dock Labourer, Port of London Authority)

Brother to Ellen (b.1903), Henry (b.1911)

Sidney’s occupation Confectionary Packer

1940/01/05 - Enlisted

Next of Kin - Parents, H W & E Brydges, 31 Bentinck Street, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire

Cambridgeshire Regiment

1st Battalion

55th Infantry Brigade

18th Division

Service

1st Cambridgeshire Regiment at Lichfield in 1941

The Cambridgeshire Regiments had a fighting reputation and were nicknamed ‘The Fen Tigers’.

1941/10/30 - Left Britain in ‘Orcades’ with Convoy CT.5 from Liverpool to Halifax

Final Destination Unknown

1941/11/08 - Arrived Halifax

1941/11/10 - Transferred to USS West Point with the 55th Infantry Brigade. Departed Halifax in Convoy William Sail 12X.

Convoy William Sail 12X 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.

The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo.

1941/11/17 - Arrived at Trinidad in glorious sunshine so troops changed to tropical kit, but no shore-leave, left Trinidad after two days of taking on supplies.

1941/11/24 - The equator was crossed, there was a crossing the line ceremony.

After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, South Africa. By this time 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.

1941/12/08 - Japan attacked Pearl Harbour and Malaya

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.

1942/01/18 - The convoy sailed with a British escort, the H.M.S. Exeter and H.M.S. Glasgow with British and Australian destroyers. Destination was the Far East. 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 Japanese Planes, there was no damage.

1942/01/29 - The convoy reached 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.

The day after the 1st Battalion arrived the causeway over the Strait of Jahore which linked Singapore to Malaya was destroyed. This did not delay the Japanese who landed at the North West of Singapore Island on the 8th February.

The Battalion fought at the Sime Road Camp in Singapore defending Adam Park . For three days ‘The Fen Tigers’ held up the Japanese 41st Fukuyama, Regiment, which was part of the Japanese 5th Division. The fighting was intense but on the 15th February the 1st Battalion CO, Lt-Col. Carpenter, finding the Japanese bypassing his position, requested permission to withdraw from Brigade HQ. he was told to hold the position and lay down their arms as Singapore had surrendered.

1942/02/15 - Singapore Surrendered

1943/05/05 - WO 417/60, Casualty List No. 1126. Previously posted Missing, Casualty List No. 815, 15/02/1942. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Adam Park, Singapore

PoW No. M-5043

1942/05 - Keppel Harbour

Commander Lt-Col. Flowers

Worked on docks

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese index Card - Side Two

1942/11/07 - Transported overland to Thailand with ’Great World Party, train 1

32nd train to Thailand with 630 PoWs

Commander Lt-Col. Flower

1942/12/03 - Arrived in Thailand

New PoW No. 23392

After a trip that involved re building the Railway in southern Thailand.

His most likely camps would have been:-

Wang Lan,

Tha Kilen,

Nong Pladuk,

Commander Lt-Col. Toosey

1943/05 - Kinsaiyok, 162km from Nong Pladuk

Commander Major Lawrence

1943/10 - Lines from Burma and Thailand joined near Konkoita

Nong Pladuk, Camp 2

1944/06/11 - Transported to River Valley Camp, Singapore

Commander Major Seekings, 2nd, Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment

1945/02/02 - Transported Oversea to Saigon, French Indo-China in the Haruyasa Maru

2539 PoWs (1593 British, 200 Australians, 737 Dutch)

1945/02/09 - Arrived Saigon, French Indo-China, (Thailand Administration)

Commander Major Seekings

New PoW No. 10445

Camp 10 Saigon

Camp 10 was situated on the Rue Catinat, which was a main thoroughfare between the native quarter and the French quarter. The huts were of timber construction except for the hospital which was of bamboo structure with an attapi roof. All the huts had electric light.

Rice was still their main diet but they now received meat twice a week and eggs to buy in the canteen, within no time their weight improved.

1945/09/12 - Liberated Saigon Camp 10

The first flight out of Rangoon had the sick on board to be taken to Rangoon. It crashed after refueling at Bangkok, killing all on board.

Sidney was later flown via Bangkok to a Rangoon rehabilitation camp

Liberation Questionnaire

1945/11/21 - WO417/99, Casualty List No. 1916. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1126 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.