|
5951366
Lance Corporal
Frank Fisher
1919/06/12 - Born Maulden, Bedfordshire
Son of John and Maud Fisher
Occupation Carpenter
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
5th Battalion
‘A’ Company
Service
1939/09/01 - The 5th Battalion, Beds & Herts Regiment were formed.
Together with the 1/5th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters and 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment, they made up the 55th Brigade of the 18th Division.
Towards Christmas 1939, Norfolk was used as the training camps:- West Tofts, North Walsham and Thetford.
In the middle of May 1940 till January 1941 all the units were posted to Galashiels in Scotland and the training became more intense.
1941/09/09 - Tropical kit was issued and orders were to proceed to Liverpool.
Reno Del Pacifico
1941/10/30 - The 5th Bed & Herts, 5th Suffolk Battalion together with the 18th Division HQ sailed in the Reno Del Pacifico from Liverpool in Convoy CT.5.1941/10/30 - Sailed with Convoy CT.5 from Liverpool with the 18th Division
1941/11/08 - Arrived Halifax and transferred to USS West Point with 55th Infantry Brigade.
1941/11/10 - They sailed from Halifax in Convoy William Sail 12X. Sailing via Trinidad and Cape Town.
1941/11/10- The voyage 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.
Above Photo 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)
The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo, arriving at Trinidad on 17th November in glorious sunshine so the tropical kit came out, but unfortunately no shore-leave. Left after two days of taking on supplies.
1941/11/24 - The convoy crossed the equator, there was a crossing the line ceremony.
Crossing the Line Ceremony Certificate
After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, South Africa.
1941/12/08 - The Americans were in the war as the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbour and attacked Malaya and the rumours were that they were heading for the Far East and not the Middle East as first thought.
1941/12/13 - The convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay.
1941/12/25 - USS Mount Vernon left convoy with the 53rd Infantry Brigade, sailing for Singapore in convoy DM1
1941/12/27 - After 17,011 miles at sea the 54th and 55th Infantry Brigades reached Bombay and became Task Force 14.2.
1942/01/17 - Troops embarked on the USS West Point and the convoy sailed the next day with a British escort, the H.M.S. Exeter and H.M.S. Glasgow with British and Australian destroyers. As Japan had entered the war, destination was the far East. The Prince of Wales and the Repulse had both been sunk by the Japanese off Malaya. Passing Colombo, (Ceylon), crossing the equator for the third time, the convoy passed through the Sundra Straits between Java and Samatra and then the Banka Straits. The convoy was then bombed by Jap Planes, there was no damage.
1942/01/29 - Arrived Keppel Harbour Singapore
1942/02/15 - Singapore Surrendered to the Japanese
1942/05/06 - WO 417/43, Casualty List No. 861. Missing.
1943/07/23 - WO 417/64, Casualty List No. 1194. Previously reported Missing on Casualty List No. 816, 15/02/1942 now reported Prisoner of War.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured
PoW No. M-10761
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1943/03/21 - Transported overland to Thailand with ‘D’ Force
Commander Lt-Col. G.G. Carpenter, 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment
1943/03/27 - Arrived Nong Pladuk, Thailand
New PoW No. IV 10929
Camps in Thailand
New PoW No. 6571
1945/08/30 - Liberated Thailand
1946/01/11 - WO417/100, Casualty List No. 1957. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1194 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.
|
|
|
|
|
Pacific Star
|
War Medal
|
1939-1945 Star
|
|
|
|
Information
Rebecca Cole
Japanese Transport
Thailand - Burma Railway
Book ‘From the Woodlands to the Jungle’ by Martyn Fryer (Beds & Herts Regiment)
KEW Files:- WO 361/2172, WO 392/24, WO 345/18, WO 367/2, WO 361/1979, WO 361/1954, WO 361/2196, WO 361/2059, WO 361/2177, WO 361/2070,
|
