George-Ronald-Frederick-Wardle

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

6147376

Private

Ronald Frederick Wardle George

1914/02/08 - Born Caterham, Surrey

Son of Marian Isabella George

Occupation Milk Roundsman

1937/08/21 - Married Anne Watson at St John's Church, Caterham

1940/06/24 - Enlisted

Next of kin: Mrs A George, Stafford Road, Caterham, Surrey

East Surrey Regiment

2nd Battalion

British Battalion

Service

East Surry Regiment

Ronald is top row, 3rd from left.

When Japan entered the war attacking Malaya on the 8th December 1941, the 2nd Battalion was position at Jitra in Malaya.

By the 11th of December the East Surrey Regiment were confronted by the Japanese commanded by Saeki who decided to attack the troops at Jitra during the night of the 11th and in doing so suffered heavy losses by the allied positioning of their machine guns. Saeki then decided to throw everything he had at the centre of the British defences and succeeded in driving a deep wedge into their positions before he came up against the Leicesters and the 2/2nd Gurkhas who stopped the Japanese attack, the 2nd East Surreys then counterattacked to help the Leicesters. By the 12th December Major-general Kawamura commanding the 9th Infantry arrived at Jitra and sent his 41st Regiment down the eastern side of the main road and the 40th Regiment down the western side to assist Saeki who was still being held by the Leicesters. Murray-Lyons ordered the Leicesters to withdraw behind a stream called the Sungei Jitra, the Leicesters had fought bravely and their good positions were argued but they had to obey the order.

At a meeting just south of Gurun on the 14th December, Murray-Lyon told General Heath that his troops were not in condition to withstand another retreat but if they had to a strong defensive position should be chosen and a concentrated defines should be planned, with transportation for his troops. General Heath agreed that the 11th Division should hold Gurun and the 12th Brigade would hold the Japanese to the east at Kroh and Grik. After a conversation on the phone that night with Percival, Heath got his way and it was agreed that the 11th would retreat a further sixty mile to a defensive position beyond the Perak River delaying the Japanese as long as possible so Penang could be evacuated.

That night the Japanese attacked in numbers and drove a gap in the Punjabi defences and reached the 2nd East Surrey headquarters and then the 6th Brigade headquarters, killing everyone there, when Murray-Lyon saw the damage he immediately ordered a seven mile withdrawal, but finding the numbers of troops left, sent more orders to withdraw behind the Muda River. The remaining troops had some luck as the Japanese had been hit hard as well and they did not follow up on the action giving the remains of the 11th Division time to fall back, giving the British time to evacuate Penang.

The British started evacuating on the 13th but the orders included only British born personnel and civilians, this caused a feeling of despair among the Asiatic population, and anger towards the British for leaving them to fend for themselves at a time when they wanted leadership.

On the 17th December the Kobayashi Battalion of the Japanese 5th Division landed on Penang from small boats and the island was theirs.

Fearing his troops would be cut off by the Japanese troops from Kroh, Percival tried to use the natural obstacle of the Perak River as a defines against the Japanese tanks.

The 2nd Battalion, East Surrey Regiment and 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment were amalgamated to form the ‘British Battalion’ . The two battalions suffered had heavy losses and were amalgamated on 20th December 1941 as the ‘British Battalion’ under the command of Lieut. Col. C.E. Morrison, D.S.O., M.C., of The Royal Leicestershire Regiment.

Yamashita read the situation well and on the 26th December the 4th Guards Regiment crossed the Perak River to the north of Kuala Kangsar through thick jungle and then headed south for Ipoh, trying to outflank the British, they would then proceed to Kuala Lumpur. The British front had now been joined by the 12th Indian Brigade and the badly cut up 6th Brigade had merged into the 15th Brigade, they had now retreated by the 31st December to a strong defensible sight at Kampar where the artillery for once had a clear sighting of the ground between them and the advancing Japanese.

The 2nd Battalion, East Surrey Regiment and 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment were amalgamated to form the ‘British Battalion’ during World War II. The two battalions suffered heavy losses in North Malaya after the Japanese attack in December 1941 and were amalgamated on 20th December 1941 as the British Battalion under the command of Lieut. Col. C.E. Morrison, D.S.O., M.C., of The Royal Leicestershire Regiment. They fought as such till Malaya and Singapore fell to the Japanese on the 15th February 1942.

1943/08/09 - WO 417/64, Casualty List No. 1207. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 773 as Missing. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

PoW No. M-2334

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

1942/11/10 - Transported Overland to Thailand

Work Group 4

New PoW No. IV 5850

Thailand Camps:-

1943/03 - Kannyu, 149 km from Nong Pladuk

1943/04 - Tonchan, 138 km from Nong Pladuk

Camp Leader Lt-Col. McKlar

1943/09 - Tha Sao, 125 km from Nong Pladuk

Camp Leader Lt-Col. Knight

1943/10/25 - The rail lines from Thailand to Burma joined near Konkoita. Thailand.

1944/07 - Tha Muang, 39 km from Nong Pladuk

Camp Leader Lt-Col. Knight

1944/10 - Tymonta

Camp Leader Major Parsons

1945/11 - Nakom Nai

Camp Leader RSM Stimpson

New PoW No. 7124

1945/09/04 - Liberated

Flown to Rangoon to be shipped home

Liberation Questionnaire filled in by Ronald after being liberated

1945/09/25, WO417/97_1, Casualty List No. 1867. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1207 as Prisoner of War now not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.