Ferrow-James

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

5775344

Private

James Ferrow

1919/09/29 - Born Great Yarmouth

Son of George and Ellen (nee Baker) Ferrow

Brother to David

Next of Kin Parents, George and Ellen Ferrow, 151 Middlegate Street, Great Yarmouth

Royal Norfolk Regiment

6th Battalion

Service

September 1st 1939 in Norwich saw the battalion mobilised with 24 officers, 27 warrant officers and sergeants, and 483 other ranks. Lt.-Col. D.C.Buxton was in command and Maj. H.S.Ling MC was second in command. The battalion was organised into three rifle companies at the outbreak of war with a further “D” company being formed on November 30th when the battalion reached a strength of 785 in all ranks. At the end of 1939 they were moved to Sheringham and were billeted in the town. They were then brigaded with the 5th Battalion, Royal Norfolks and the 2nd Battalion, Cambridgeshires to form the 53 Infantry Brigade which was part of the 18th Division.

During the bad winter of early 1940 the brigade helped the Norfolk County Council with snow clearing in the area, it was very cold work with high drifts of snow. The bad weather made out door training difficult and there was not many halls big enough for them, their training suffered. The dining room of the Sheringham Hotel came to the rescue and helped the men train in the warmer conditions. The main training was the handling of rifles, bren gun and anti-tank rifle.

When the weather improved, training begun outside in ernist, with route marches up to 15 miles, but equipment was still short with only six bren guns and one 2 inch mortar within the battalion.

As the spring came night patrols were performed and the Sheringham golf course became their training ground with a rifle range in Upper Sheringham. With the invasions of Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg the battalion was given the task of guarding West Raynham aerodrome and Cromer Pier. The battalion manned the coast from Overstrand to Sheringham in four places Overstrand, Cromer, East & West Runton, and Sheringham.

When a roundsman reported seeing parachutists at Felbrigg on May 14th, a platoon from “D” company was sent out to search the area. They had no luck in their search and when cross examined again it was found the roundsman was lying.

On May 22nd, Lt.-Col. Buxton was relieved in command by Lt.-Col. F.L.Cubitt. Further coastal defences were laid. With the invasion threat now over in July and although still manning the coastal defences, serious training begun with larger scaled exercises with the 5th battalion. In August they were relieved of their coastal duties by the 2nd Cambridgeshires and moved to the Gresham School at Holt for a month of training. During this period Lt.-Col. J.F.Ross took over command and Maj. F.M.E.D.Drake was put as second-in-command from the 1st Battalion.

The 6th Battalion relieved the 5th Battalion at Weybourne on September 21st, training continued till October when the battalion was relieved by the 9 Lincolns, this took the whole of the 18 Division into reserve with quarters at Swaffham in Houses and farms.

In January 1941 a move to Scotland for the 18th Division saw more advanced training, the 6th Battalion being entrained for Dumfries. The day before their departure a German bomber dropped its bombs on the Swaffham Railway station, causing the death of six privates who were loading the train.

February saw the Scottish weather prove hostile with snow on most days, training continued in the companies and it wasn’t till the weather improved during March that battalion, Brigade and Divisional exercises could take place. The hills helped develop the men physically, and by the beginning of April 1941 the battalion looked in shape.

A move to Hartford saw more specialised training with large scale exercises and assault crossings of the Rivers Weaver, Teme and Severn. Each rifle company was put through a three day march covering 60 miles which finished with a night attack.

Lt.-Col. I.C.G.Lywood took over command on July 15th and in August the division was moved to Lancaster with the battalion being accommodated at Knowsley Park. They were put under canvas until wooden buildings were erected. An attack on Carlisle was carried out at the end of the month, testing its defences. A further attack, this time on Otley in Yorkshire, was carried out at the beginning of September.

The battalion, division and brigade were then given news that they were ready for posting abroad and on October 27th the battalion embarked from Gourock on the Duchess of Atholl for Halifax.

US Mount Vernon

At Halifax the whole of the 53 Brigade was transshipped to the Mount Vernon. After a brief visit to Trinidad to refuel, Cape Town was reached on December 9th only to find Japan had entered the war the day before, attacking Pearl Harbour and Malaya.

Japanese troops had landed at Singora and Patai in Thailand and Kota Bharu in Malaya. The Japanese quickly advanced to the Kota Bharu airfield and took control, this hit the defending troops hard as it limited air cover.

Shore leave was granted before sailing on the 13th December for Bombay only to be then ordered on the 23rd to sail for Mombassa and then finally Singapore. She was escorted by the H.M.S. Emerald and reached Singapore Harbour on January 13th 1942, the battalion disembarked in heavy rain and moved to Tyersall Park Camp by truck.

Preparations for moving the troops from the Tyersall Camp to Malaya, were made on the 14th January. Four experienced F.M.S.V.F. officers were attached for communication with the Malays as interpreters and interrogators.

No training was given before they were dispatched and the hope they were to receive any in Malaya was quickly demised as they were put straight into the battle for South Malaya.

On January 16th Advance Battalion H.Q. were moved along with “C” and “D” companies by transports to Yong Peng, on the following day Maj. A.B.Cubitt and the rest of the battalion joined them.

Moving west from Yong Peng “C” and “D” companies took up defensive positions along the Bakri Road at the defile marked on the map. “A” and “B” companies were moved in just to the rear to support. The battalions task was to cover the lines of communication with the 45 Infantry Brigade who were under heavy attack near Muar.

The 19th January was spent patrolling the road and the Simpang-Kanan River although they made no contact with the enemy, the Australian “B” Echelon transport passed through the battalion lines and was attacked six miles north.

On the 20th a patrol suffered casualties when attacked near the river, then later a full attack took place. The Japanese attacked from the forward positions and also having infiltrated got behind “C” and “D” companies and attacked them from the rear, cutting off help from “A” or “B” companies.

“D” company held out and stayed together but “C” company having been out on patrol during the attack were separated and lost contact. During the attack “D” company lost their commander Capt. P.M.Westagate. “C” company had their commander, Capt.H.P.Pilkington wounded and 2nd/Lt. J.E.Parker was killed. Fighting carried on during the night but with the Japanese in control of the south of the defile “D” company was in a dire position. Early the next morning the 3/16 Punjabis and then “B” company tried in vain to force out the enemy, both attacks failed. With “D” company still cut off the defile was given up and a new line of defence further south was set up.

On the 22nd January the 2nd Loyals got into a position to attack the defile but with no artillery fire it was called off. In the afternoon the battalion which now consisted of less then two companies were ordered to withdraw to Yong Peng. “B” company fought bravely in in a rearguard action for the brigade and they reached Yong Peng late that evening.

Command of the battalion was taken over by Major A.B.Cubitt when Lt-Col. Lywood was evacuated to Singapore with illness.

On the 23rd the battalion was moved to Skudai, just south of Ayer Hitam. Early on the 24th the battalion moved up again to Benut on the coastal road, where it was reorganised as Battalion H.Q. and “A” and “B” companies, their support was by the 4.5 Howitzers and one section of Royal Engineers. There orders were to keep the road open for the 5th Norfolks and 2nd Cambridgeshires, this also included a mixture from the Leicestershire and East Surrey Regiments. “A” company supported at Rengit whilst the remainder moved forward to Seggarang, eight miles south of Batu Pahat. Although no enemy were reported in the area the rear of the force came under heavy machine-gun fire and suffered casualties, snipers did not help their situation neither.

Having taken control of Senggarang, they could not cover their rear and the enemy infiltrated and set up road blocks behind them, cutting them off from “A” company. The 15 Brigade was then ordered to withdraw from Batu Pahat to help at Senggarang. Late on the 26th the Cambridgeshires were ordered to fight their way south and “A” company to attack from the south, to try to clear the road, both failed. The bridge at Senggarang was then blown and the 250 transport vehicles destroyed, the troops were ordered to find their way back through the jungle.

“A” company by this time had been surrounded by the Japanese at Rengit, they held off attack after attack until it was seen to be a hopeless situation, they then took to the jungle and two officers and 85 other ranks made their escape to Singapore.

After the withdrawal from Senggarang about 200 men made their way through the jungle to Ponggor on the coast, where they were taken off by Royal Navy gunboats to make a rather uncomfortable trip back to Singapore, they were then housed near the Seleltar River.

The causeway joining Malaya to Singapore Island was blown on the 31st January to halt the Japanese Advance, but the Japanese Landed on the North West coast of Singapore Island on the 9th February and quickly gained advantage towards the reservoirs which supplied water to Singapore City.

Singapore Surrender by Leo Rawlings

Singapore surrendered to Japan on the 15th February 1942.

1942/04/02 - WO 417/41, Casualty List No. 787. Reported ‘Missing’.

1945/10/04 - WO417/97-2, Casualty List No. 1875. Previously shown as Prisoner of War Malaya. Missing ‘Believed Killed’.

1946/05/08 - WO417/102, Casualty List No. 2029. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1875 as Missing believed Killed Home and Stations Abroad. ‘Presume Died’.

Japanese POW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

PoW No. M-1254

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

1942/10/26 - Transported overland to Thailand Letter Party ‘W’

Under Lt-Col R McL. More, R,A., 2 H.A.A. K.S.P.A

Work Group 1

New PoW No. 26583

Nong Pladuk 1

Transported back to Singapore on July 11th 1944, 760 men under Major Seekings, 2nd Cambridgeshires, arrived at River Valley Road from Nong Pladuk.

January 25th 1945, Major Seekings, Captain Spooner and 218 English POWs, ex Singapore, arrive at Saigon Camp. 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.

New PoW No. 41454

Liberated Saigon, flown to Bangkok, where he wrote home to his mother, 7th September 1942.

Dear Mother,

I'm writing this letter from the aerodrome at Bangkok-we were transported by plane from Saigon this morning and expect to leave for Rangoon (also by air) tomorrow morning. To finish a really exciting day we were visited this afternoon by Lady Louis Mountbatten and she spoke to me personally- what a day!

I do hope you are all well-I'll repeat my request for photos if you get them. How are things at home- food short? Give my love to Dad and everybody. Hope to be home next month.

Your loving son,

Jim

The next morning Flight 66 took off for Rangoon

Died

Age: 25

8th September 1945

James died on Flight 66 of 117 Squadron RAF Dakota, which was carrying POW’s from Saigon to Rangoon, the plane crashed at sea killing all on board.

Newspaper Article

Plane Crashed Carrying POWS

Flight 66 of 117 Squadron RAF Dakota left Rangoon Mingladoon on the 8th September 1945 for Saigon to evacuate British Prisoners of War in the area who had been prisoners under the Japanese for three and a half years, all were suffering from starvation and tropical diseases.

On arrival the plane, loaded with 24 POW’s and the RAF crew of four, took off on the return flight, landing at Bangkok to refuel.

It is then reported that about 1pm on that day villagers to the village of Nuaunggangle about 13 mile north west of Moulmein in Burma and about 150 miles south east of the final destination of Rangoon heard an aircraft out at sea, followed by an explosion. The same evening at high tide they found various articles washed ashore and the next day at low tide saw the wreckage scattered over a sandbank. Several bodies which were unidentified were recovered but no trace of survivors were found.

The following is a list of crew and exprisoners who were known to be on the aircraft and died. All their names are recorded on the Singapore Memorial in Kranji War Cemetery Singapore.

Crew: Wing Cdr Samson AJDFC (30); Sq Ltd Grotrian RPD (36); Flt/Lt Bridge R (39); Flt/Lt Cuthbert JF DFC (37); all of 117 Squadron RAF.

POWs: Cpl Ablitt HR (33) RAMC; L.Sgt Arthur EA (34) 51 Fld RA; Gnr Bruce JB (38) k; Gnr Cotterill H (44) RA; Gnr Crawford JJ (29) RA; Bdr Daws F (33) RA; L/Sgt De Roux MF (40) RNF; Pte Edwards H (26) RAMC; L/Sgt Edwards EJ (29) Gordons; Sgt Hawthorn RH (37) RA; Gnr Hendy NF (23) RA; Pte Marskell GE (23) Suffolks; Gnr Payne JD (39) RA; L/Bdr Randell WJ (39) RA; Pte Ferrow J (25) 6 Norfolks; Pte Gadd RGV (23) E Surreys; Pte Jeeps L (24) 2 Cambs; L/Bdr Murfin R (28) RA; Gnr Pears JP (29) RA; Dvr Price M (33) RASC; Sgm Roy LFN (29) R Sigs; Pte Skeldon A (29) Argylls; Sgt Thomas V (29) RA; L/Cpl Warren FJ (31) RASC.

Loved Ones

Son of George Ferrow, B.E.M. and Ellen Ferrow, of Southtown, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

Brother to David

Memorial