Frew-Ronald-James

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

1873289

Sapper

Ronald James Frew

1918/05/05 - Born Hythe, Kent

Son of George and Elizabeth (nee Lindsey) Frew

Occupation Regular Army, Instrument Mechanic

1933/05/03 - Enlisted

1941 - Married Margaret C Sullivan in Singapore

Next of kin:- Wife, M, 5d Magrath Cross Road, Bangalore, India

Royal Engineers

41st Fortress Company

Singapore

1941/12/08 - Japanese Invade Malaya landing on the east coast of the Thailand Malay border and quickly push on down to Singapore.

Fall of Malaya and Singapore

1942/02/15 - Singapore Surrenders

1942/03/26 - WO 417/40, Casualty List No. 781. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/05/14 - WO417/60, Casualty List No. 1134. Previously posted Missing, 15/02/1942, Casualty List No. 781. Now Reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

1942/02/15 - Changi PoW Camp

Commander Col. Holmes, 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment

PoW No. I 2805

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

New PoW No. 4519

1945 - Ronald work in the Changi X10 Funk Holes

Funk Holes were in preparation for a Japanese defence against invasion.

They also had a more sinister use, the PoWs were to be disposed of in the holes if there was an Allied invasion and the Allies were aware of this.

Please read Funk Holes

1945/11/02 - Liberated Singapore

General Seishiro Itagaki, Japanese Commander of Singapore, would not accept the surrender. Plus it gave him time to cover up all Japanese Atrocities in Singapore. The allied naval landing force 'Operation Tiderace' were delayed as it was still understood the Japanese would dispose of all the PoWs in Singapore if they landed. Mountbatten ordered British paratroopers into Singapore to protect the camps. To many of the PoWs in Singapore, those red berets of the paratroopers were the first signs that the war had ended. All this delayed organising the PoWs. It wasn't till the 12th September that Lord Mountbatten accepted the Japanese surrender at the Municipal Building. Hospital cases were the first to leave Singapore 1945/09/10 on the HMHS Koroa. They were soon followed by Repatriation ships which started reaching the UK about the 15th of October 1945. Why many of the liberated PoWs on these ships had November on their Japanese Index cards, I don't know as in other areas of the Far East, PoWs were marked as Liberated at their PoW camps with the correct date. Unless General Seishiro Itagaki did not make the cards available when the camps were liberated.

Liberation Questionnaire

1945/10/05 - WO417/97-2, Casualty List No. 1876. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1134 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.