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4620570
Private
James Collin Walter Elliott
1916/02/18 - Born Battersea, London
Son of Frederick and Nellie Elliott
James father Frederick Elliott died 1926
Step son of John Robbins
Occupation Printer
Next of kin, Mrs Robins, Lavenda Sweep, London SW11
Sherwood Foresters
1/5 Battalion
Service
1940/04/18 - Enlisted
The Sherwood Foresters as now part of the 55 Infantry Brigade, received orders to be mobilised to Liverpool for oversea duty.
Orcades
The 1/5 Battalion left Liverpool on the 30th October 1941 in the ‘Orcades’ with Convoy CT.5 and sailed for Halifax with the 18th Division. The final destination was unknown but was thought to be the Middle East.
USS West Point
On reaching Halifax on November 10th, they were transferred to USS West Point as part of the 55th Infantry Brigade and 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.
Convoy William Sail 12X
Above Photo supplied by the late Maurice Rooney
Detailed Account by Thomas M. Allison
A reproduction of an account by Thomas M. Allison who is understood to be serving as an American Naval officer in the convoy.
Aircraft
Vought SB 2U Vindicator Scout Bomber - USS Ranger which was flying an Anti Submarine patrol over the convoy.
Ships Front Line, Top to Bottom:-
USS West Point - USS Mount Vernon - USS Wakefield - USS Quincy (Heavy Cruiser)
Ships Back Line Top to Bottom:-
USAT Leonard Wood - USS Vincennes (Heavy Cruiser) - USS Joseph T Dickman
The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo.
Arrived at Trinidad 17th November in glorious sunshine so troops changed to tropical kit, but no shore-leave, left Trinidad after two days of taking on supplies. The equator was crossed soon after leaving Trinidad on the 24th, there was a crossing the line ceremony.
After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, and soon after on the 8th December news reached the regiment that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbour, Malaya and Hong Kong.
Britain and America were now at war with Japan and the rumours were that the convoy was now heading for the Far East and not the Middle East as first thought.
On the 13th December the convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay.
After 17,011 miles at sea Bombay was reached on 27th December. Travelling up country by train to Ahmednagar, near Poona where they trained for the next twelve days, route marching in the sun to get used to the heat and wondering what all this was for, they were soon to find out.
The Battalion embarked on the 17th January and the convoy sailed with a British escort on January 18th January 1942, with 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.
The convoy reached the safety of Keppel Harbour, Singapore on 29th January. 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 1/5 Battalion arrived at Singapore, 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.
Singapore surrendered to the Japanese 15th February 1942
1942/04/06 - WO 417/41, Casualty List No. 790. Missing.
1943/07/29 - WO 417/64, Casualty List No 1199. Previously reported on Casualty List No 790 as Missing now reported Prisoner of War.
1945/09/27 - WO417/97_1, Casualty List No. 1869. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1199 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Changi Camp
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/11/01 - Transported overland to Thailand with ‘Q’ Letter Party
24th Train from Singapore to Thailand with 650 PoWs
Commander Lt-Col. D.R. Thomas, 5th Battalion, Beds & Herts Regiment
New PoW No. II 5339 - 9
Work Group 2
Camps in Thailand:-
1942/11 - Ban Pong
1943/02 - Chungkai plus Chungkai Hospital
1943/06 - Tha Khanun plus Hospital
1943/10 - Lines joined at Konkoita
New PoW No. II 6193
Tha Muang
1945/08/30 - Liberated Thailand
Liberation Questionnaire filled in by James after being liberated
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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
September 1946 - James married Jacqueline Florence Pluckrose
Jacqueline had been stationed at Bletchley Park during WWII.
Died
Aged 55
21st November 1971
Living at Magdalen Road, Hastings
Information
Spike Elliott
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Convoy William Sail 12X
Fall of Malaya and Singapore
Japanese Transport
Thailand Burma Railway
Sherwood Foresters 1/5 Btn
KEW Files:- WO 361/2176, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2172, WO 392/24, WO 361/1954, WO 361/2196, WO 345/16, WO 361/1979,
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