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1218482
Aircraftman 2nd Class
Alec John Hughes
1921/10/21 - Born Folkstone, Kent
Son of mother Edie Hughes
Grandson of William and Annie Clara Hughes from the Folkestone area.
1939 - Census has Alec living at 2 Coome Villas, Folkstone, with mother Edith and Grandparents, William and Annie. Mother Edith was bedridden.
1940/06/01 – Alec with his Mother Edie Hughes who died aged 36
Alec’s occupation Cycle Salesman
1941/02/04 – Enlisted into 242 Squadron RAFVR
Next of kin - Mrs W. Hughes, 2 Coombe Cott, Hawkinge, Kent
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
242 Squadron
Service
1941/12/08 - 242 groundcrew departed aboard Warwick Castle from Gourock, Scotland with Convoy William Sail 12Z
1941/12/21-25 - anchored at Freetown, Sierra Leone, shore leave denied
1941/12/29 - crossed Equator
1942/01/05-09 – docked at Cape Town, South Africa and allowed ashore.
1941/12/24 - Convoy DM1 (ex WS 12-ZM) with 232 Squadron, departed Durban.
1942/01/05 - Departed the Addu Atoll
1942/01/13 - Arrived Singapore. On arrival in Singapore they were at Seletar and Kalang airports. All accounts say that the ground component of 242 Squadrons, were working on Spitfires at Seletar.
En route its pilots (242) were flown off to Malta where they were later absorbed no No.126 Squadron. The ground echelon arrived in Singapore in January 1942, being merged with other personnel of Nos.232 and 605 Squadrons to service Hurricanes of a composite unit. The Japanese advance and air superiority forced a withdrawal to Sumatra and Java, where it was dispersed by 10 March 1942.
After arriving in Singapore, the Japanese were about to attack Singapore and the RAF squadrons were soon withdrawn to Sumatra and later Java.
1942/03/04 - The ground crews arrived in Batavia. and based at Tjililitan (Meester Cornelius) Airfield, in West Java - inland from south coast of western Java- SE of Bandung. Squadrons 232 and 242 were amalgamated, and became 232 Squadron.
On 28 Feb, 232 Squadron volunteered to stay in Java and moved to Andir Airstrip near Bandung - ground parties also - by road. Planes did night attack against Japanese landings but the Japanese landed in Java.
As casualties increased and spares diminished the squadron began to get dispersed and by the end of February 1942, it had practically ceased to exist.
1942/03/08 - The 234 Squadron were at Andir when Java surrendered to the Japanese
Japanese PoW
1942/03/08 - Captured Java
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/09/22 - Transported oversea to Singapore with Java Party 2
1942/09/26 - Arrived Changi, Singapore
1942/10/09 - Departed Singapore for Kuching, Borneo with 1203 PoWs
1943/04/08-18 - Arrive Sandakan
1945/03/28 - Died, believed at Sandakan, no known grave.
Death Certificate
As the Japanese ‘Death Certificate’ records 1945/03/28, this date is used for Alec’s death, although we now know most of the death certificates at Sandakan were fabricated. In another certificate it records cause of death as ‘Acute Enteritis’.
Of over 2500 PoWs, only six Australians survived Sandakan, as they escaped. The remaining died in the hands of the Japanese.
Please read ‘Sandakan’ for more information
Died
28th March 1945
Believed to be Sandakan, no known grave
Loved Ones
William and Annie Hughes of Hawkinge, Nr. Folkstone, Kent
Memorial
Column 456.
Singapore Memorial
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Sandakan Memorial
(Photo by Keith Meakins)
Information
Claire Jordan - the photo Claire supplied was coloured by her husband Poppy Research
William Sail Convoys
Sandakan - Roll of Honour, ‘Atrocities’ section
Book:- ‘Sandakan - A Conspiracy of Silence’ by Lynette Ramsay Silver
Commonwealth War Grave Commission
KEW Files:- WO 345/26, WO 361/1499, WO 361/2207,
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