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6750
Lance Corporal
Cecil Armstrong Harvison
Known as Jack
1903/09/28 - Born Rochdale, New South Wales, Australia.
Son of Joseph and Jane Harvison.
Occupation Mining Engineer, Anglo-Oriental.
Married to Olga Gwyneth, and they were blessed with children, Dianne and Donald Joseph.
Federated Malay States Volunteer Force
45 Reserve Motor Transport Company
Service
1941/12/08 - Japan entered the war by attacking Pearl Harbour, Hong Kong and Malaya.
Japanese troops landed at Singora and Patani, Thailand and Kota Bharu, Malaya.
The Japanese troops landing at Kota Bharu, soon took control of the airfield and the defending troops then had very little air cover.
The battle hardened Japanese quickly gained a foothold and pushed the defending troops back to Singapore Island.
On the 31st of January 1942, the Causeway joining Malaya to Singapore was blown in an attempt to halt the Japanese troops.
Jack’s wife Olga Gwyneth evacuated on the ‘Aorangi’ to Fremantle then Sydney, arriving 3rd February 1942.
On the night of the 8th of February 1942, the Japanese landed on the North West side of Singapore Island. General Percival had made strong the North East coastline thinking that is where the Japanese would attack, but the Japanese bluff worked, as by the 15th February 1942, Singapore was forced into surrendering.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Changi, Camp Leader General Percival
PoW No. I 13396
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/05/19 - Jack Transported to Pulau Camp at Blakang Mati
Camp Leader Major Oakey, AIF
New PoW No. 5401
Blakang Mati had over 1000 PoWs, 250 of them were Australians.
The barracks and hygiene were good but the men were carrying out heavy work, handling bombs, petrol and oil for the Japanese Air Force.
1944/01/20 - Back to Changi, Singapore
Camp Leader Lt-Col. Newey, SSVF
1945/09/02 - On Changi Roll
1945/11/02 - Liberated Changi
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 written by Jack after release
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Far East Medals
Post War
Olga returned to Southern Kinta Consolidated, Chemor, Malaya in 1946.
Olga died suddenly 21st February 1953 at Jamberoo, New South Wales.
Jack retired to Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.
Jack died 4th June 1982.
Information
Jonathan Moffatt
Fall of Malaya and Singapore
PoW Camps - Pulau Blakang Mati
Liberation Questionnaire - COFEPOW
KEW Files:- WO 361/1947, WO 392/24, WO 361/2229, WO 361/2060, WO 345/23,
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