|
941918
Gunner
James Albert Atkins
Known as ‘Tommy’
1918/10/13 - Born Tipton, Staffordshire
Occupation Printer
Royal Artillery
148th Field Regt R.A.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
PoW No. 2659
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/10/28 - Transported from Tanjong Rhu, Singapore to Taiwan
The PoWs were tested for dysentery and disinfected before departure by going stripping and going through a trough of hot water with disinfectant
The PoWs were herded into the holds below the waterline. The entrance and exit to these holds was by a vertical ladder.
During the day the PoWs were allowed on deck for 15 minutes only, the rest of the day they spent in the stinking holds of the ship with dysentery a major concern. Below decks buckets were the toilets and were emptied via a rope attached, spillage meant the floor of the hold was slippery and very smelly. In the 15 minutes allowed on deck a box arrangement suspended over the side of the ship, with a hole in the bottom was a more frightening toilet. The South China Sea was rough and this did not help with sea sickness and more and more men going down with Dysentery. There were deaths on board the ship, numbers unknown, all buried at sea.
1942/11/17 - Arrive Taiwan
New PoW No. F.243
1945/02/27 - Transported ‘Taiko Maru’ to Japan
1945/03/10 - Arrived Japan transported to Fukuoka 24B - Emukae
1945/09/02 - Liberated
Information
Arthur Titherington’s Book - ‘One day At A Time’
KEW:- WO 345/2, WO 361/1254, WO 392/23, WO 361/1968, WO 361/2058, WO 361/2184, WO 361/2160, WO 361/1475
|
