
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.

|

|

|
Pacific Star
|
War Medal
|
1939-1945 Star
|
|
|
|
Far East Medals
Post War
Nancy (Anne) and Ronald were blessed with Robert Milburn George, born in Caterham on 3rd September 1946.

Nancy and Ronald with Granddaughter Vicky, born 1976
Ronald died 20th December 1977
Information
Vicky (nee George) Johnson - Granddaughter
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
British Batalion
Fall of Malaya and Singapore
Thailand Burma Railway
KEW Files:- WO 361/1979, WO 361/2169, WO 361/1954, WO 361/2196, WO 361/1987, WO 345/20,
|