Arnold-Kenneth-Stanley

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

2090438

Driver

Kenneth Stanley Arnold

1919/04/04 - Born Sutton St James, Lincoln

Son of Edith (nee Jessop) Arnold

1921 - Living with Grandparents, George and Jane Jessop

Occupation Baker

Next of Kin Mother, Mrs E Arnold, 21 Victoria Road, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

Royal Engineers

287 Field Company

18th Division

Service

1939/05/30 - Enlisted

The 287 Field Company were transported to Liverpool and sailed from Great Britain on the 30th October 1941 with Convoy CT.5.

1941/11/08 - At Halifax the 287 Field Company personnel were transferred USS Mount Vernon with the 53rd Infantry Brigade.

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)

1942/11/25 - Arrived Trinidad

1941/11/26 - Departed Trinidad

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

1941/12/09 - Arrived Cape Town, South Africa and shore leave granted.

1941/12/13 - Departed Cape Town

The 18th Division diverted from Middle East, their new destination was Singapore.

1941/12/25 - The Mount Vernon arrived Mombassa now in Convoy DM1 (Durban Malaya One

1941/12/29 - Departed Mombassa, escorted by the H.M.S. Emerald.

1942/01/13 - Arrived Singapore

On the 31st of January 1942, the Causeway joining Malaya to Singapore had been blown in an attempt to halt the Japanese troops.

On the night of the 8th of February 1942, the Japanese landed on the North West side of Singapore Island. General Percival had made strong the North East coastline thinking that is where the Japanese would attack, but the Japanese bluff worked, as by the 15th February 1942, Singapore was forced into surrendering.

‘Singapore Surrender’ by Leo Rawlings

1942/03/28 - WO 417/40, Casualty List No. 783. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/03/27 - WO 417/58, Casualty List No. 1094. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 783 as Missing, now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.

1945/11/10 - WO417/99, Casualty List No. 1907. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1094 as reported Prisoner of War now Not a ‘Prisoner of War’. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

PoW No. 1085

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

1943/04/25 - Transported to Thailand with ‘F’ Force, train 8

*PoWs Transported*
*Head Quarters*	69
*18th Division*	*479*
*Heavy Artillery*	55
*Total*	*600*

Commander Lt-Col. F.W. Harris, 148 Field HQ, Royal Artillery, 18th Div.

New PoW No. 1384

The route in cattle trucks to Thailand:-

1943/04/26 - Kuala Lumpur (0300 hrs), had rice and dried fish at Ipoh (1600 hrs)

1943/04/27 - Reached Pai (0200 hrs), arrived Haadyi (1700 hrs)

1943/04/28 - Water in cattle trucks very short, heat stifling in trucks all day..

1943/04/29 - reached Ban Pong

The PoWs were ordered off the Cattle trucks on arrival and after a walk of nearly a mile to a transit camp where they were then informed they would be marching North West along the railway route in 14 mile stages. Many of the PoWs tried to sell their possessions to the Thais but not at a good price as the Thais knew the the PoWs from ‘F’ Force were already in bad shape and could not carry their baggage for long.

1943/05/02 - After two days of walking through the night, as it was too hot in the daylight sun, they reached the small town of Kanchanaburi. Many who tried to carry their possessions left them at this staging camp.

Walking at night caused many problems as the track was uneven with bamboo shots cutting into their feet, in time tropical ulcers would form.

1943/05/13 - PoWs from train 9 caught up with train 8 party and they moved out together at 1930 hrs.

1943/06/02 - Reached Songkurai, many of the PoWs had dropped out along the route.

Thailand - Burma Camps:-

Songkurai, Thailand

Thanbaya Hospital, Burma

‘F’ and ‘H’ Hospital Kanchanaburi, Thailand

1943/10/25 - The rail tracks from Thailand and Burma joined near Konkoita, Thailand

Arnold-Kenneth-Stanley - F Force 1944 Nov

1943/12/21 - Transported back to Singapore

1945/09/05 - On Changi Roll

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 filled in by Kenneth after being liberated