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C/JX278236
Able Seaman
Joseph Henry Dodsworth
Known as Joe
1906/12/03 - Born Millford, Sunderland
Son of Joseph and Mary Dodsworth
1941/06/09 - Enlisted
Next of kin - Mother, Mary Dodsworth, 30 Duke Street, Millfield, County Durham
Royal Navy
HMS Mata Hari
Service
In November, 1941 HMS Repulse was ordered to Colombo to be part of Churchill’s defence against a suspected Japanese attack, the force to be known as ‘Z Force’.
Z Force comprised of:
Prince of Wales
Repulse
Electra
Express
HMAS Vulture
HMS Tenedos
The fleet being ordered to Singapore.
On 8th December at 1735 hours it sailed from Singapore to intercept Japanese battle cruisers ‘Kongo’ off the east coast of Malaya, information was that no air support could be given the Z Force.
On 9th December between 1700 and 1800 hours enemy aircraft were spotted by the Prince of Wales. Tenodos was ordered back to Singapore at 1814 hours. The proposed attack by Z Force on a Japanese landing at Singgora was then abandoned as a Japanese air attack was feared and the fleet had no air cover. The fleet was therefore ordered back to Singapore.
At midnight a report was received that the Japanese were landing at Kuantan and as this was on the way back to Singapore and 400 mile from Japanese known airstrips in French Indo-China, Z force was sent to intercept the Japanese landing fleet.
On 10th December at 0800 hours as no enemy craft were sighted off Kuantan, the Express was sent ahead to report on the situation. Z Force had previously passed some barges and turned to investigate further when enemy aircraft attacked.
Nine enemy high level bombers attacked Repulse from ahead dropping one bomb each. Repulse was hit on port hanger, bursting through the deck below the Marines mess deck, no serious damage reported.
Nine torpedo bombers then attacked Prince of Wales on the port side putting both port shafts out of action. The steering gear failed and the ship listed 13 degrees to port. In the attack two enemy aircraft were shot down.
A further attack by high level bombers on Repulse did no damage.
Prince of Wales was then attacked by nine Torpedo bombers and incapable of any defensive manoeuvre was hit three times:- Near Stem, Abreast B Turret and Aft. The speed dropped to 8 knots. One aircraft was shot down.
As Repulse turned to starboard she was attacked by three enemy aircraft, but no hits were reported. Then nine torpedo bombers attacked in various directions, the first hit jammed the rudder, losing control of the ship. Three more bombs found their targets:- Port side aft, Abreast Port Engine Room and Starboard Side Boiler Room. Repulse listing badly capsized and sunk at 1235 hours. Electra and Vampire picked up survivors.
Prince of Wales was further attacked by nine high level bombers and was badly damaged by a bomb exploding on the main deck. Express manoeuvred alongside and took of the crew before the ship sunk at 1320 hours.
A search by the remaining ships for survivors was then abandoned and the ships returned to Singapore.
The Repulse lost 27 officers and 486 men. The Prince of Wales lost 42 officers and 754 men.
Joseph survived the sinking of Repulse and taken to Singapore.
1942/02/12 - HMS Mata Hari left Singapore with civilians and nurses on board.
The Mata Hari was bombed by the Japanese but not hit. They picked up five sailors, survivors from the gunboat HMS Scorpion, which was sunk and they had been in the water for about five hours.
The Mata Hari was captured by the Japanese 10 miles South East of Muntok. No lives lost.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Muntok
1942/02/16 - Taken to Sumatra
PoW No. 568
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/07/18-20 - Transferred from Palembang to Changi with Special Party
1942/07/20 - Arrived Changi, Singapore
1942/08/16 - Transported to Taiwan
Heito Camp No.3, Taiwan
PoW No. 2340
1942/08/ - British and Allied POWs arrived in Taiwan in late August and were sent to Heito Camp. The group included the ‘Special Party’ these were high ranking officers:- Lieut. Generals Percival and Heath, Major General Callaghan of the Australian Imperial Forces from Singapore, and Lieut. General H. ter Poorton from the Dutch East Indies. There were many brigadiers and colonels as well as their batmen in this group, and after about a week at Heito, all the senior officers were moved out to join their American counterparts - Lieut. General Jonathan Wainwright, Major Generals King and Moore and other high-ranking officers who had come to Taiwan earlier from the Philippines, at Karenko Camp. The majority of the enlisted men remained at Heito.
The wok at Heito was to collect rocks from a dry riverbed so sugar cane could be grown. The rocks were placed in wicker baskets and loaded into hopper cars. Beatings were often and malaria broke out mainly due to the camp being near a large swamp.
The Japanese Commandant 1st Lieutenant Tamaki cared very little for the PoWs. 132 PoWs died at Heito.
1942/11/28 - Transported to Japan in Dainichi Maru
Tokyo 2B Yokohama
PoW No. 631
Joe informed these deaths at Tokyo 2B Camp:-
1942/12/08 - John Oliver Plunkett, Lt-Col. Army (Blood Poisoning)
1942/12/12 - Hugh Caldwell, C/KX121552, Stoker, Royal Navy (Dysentery)
1942/12/31 - Robert Cain, 2989044, Private, Army, (Beri Beri)
1943/01/26 - Alan Forster, 2989009, Private, Army, (Malnutrition)
1943/02/01 - Gerardhus Langanberg, Sergeant, Army, (Malaria - Beri Beri)
1943/02/18 - Harold Bishop, 1183752, L.A.C. Air Force, (Pneumonia)
1943/03/01 - Lewis Hughs, Civilian, (Pneumonia)
1943/04/03 - George McFarlane, 2582143, Signalman, Army, (Malaria, Acute Enteritis)
1943/08/01 - Camp renamed Tokyo 1D, Yokohama
New PoW No. 4823
Work was ship yard labour
1945/04/13 - Camp destroyed
1945/05/13 - Transferred to Sendai 2B Camp, Japan
1945/09/09 - Liberated Sendai 2B
Liberation Questionnaire
Information
Phil Nelson - Wife’s Grandfather
Japanese Transport
Never Forgotten, Taiwan PoW Camps
Roger Mansell’s Site
Liberation Questionnaire - COFEPOW
KEW Files:- WO 361/1970, WO 392/23, WO 345/15, WO 361/1745, WO 361/2071, WO 361/2019,
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