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3854137
Private
James William Johnson
1913/10/05 - Born Horwich, Bolton, Lancashire
Son of William Isaac and Dora May Johnson
Brother to Arthur and Joseph Edward
Education St. Catherine’s School
Occupation before enlisting as a regular in the Army,
he was a Mechanic working for W.R. Pickup’s Ltd of Horwich.
1936/02/10 - Enlisted
Next of Kin:- Father William Johnson, Horwich, Bolton, Lancashire
Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
2nd Battalion
Service
At the outbreak of WWII the 2nd Battalion Loyal Regiment were in Singapore, as garrison duty.
1941/12/08 - The Japanese attacked Malaya and in doing so declared war against Britain.
On the 8th December 1941, the Japanese landed troops on the Thailand/Malaya border at Singora and Patani in Thailand, plus Kota Bharu in Malaya. They took control of the Kota Bharu air field, leaving the defending troops with very little air cover.
Within the month the Japanese had taken control of northern Malaya and having taken control of airfields in French Indo China, they had control of the air.
1942/01/12 the Loyals were moved from fortress reserve at Singapore to enforce the Indian and Australian troops who were falling back through Johore. Over the next 14 days they fought rearguard actions, assisting the withdrawal from Malaya back to Singapore. When Singapore was reached the Battalion were held in reserve on the causeway until it was blown on 31st January.
1942/02/08 - The Japanese landed on 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.
The garrison pushed back to Singapore City, defending positions on Reformatory Road.
1942/02/12 - A series of withdrawals took the Battalion to Gillman Barracks, which was their peacetime base.
1942/02/15 - A further withdrawal to Mount Washington where the surviving Loyals were ordered to lay down their arms. Singapore had surrendered to the Japanese.
1942/03/26 - WO 417/40, Casualty List No. 781. Reported ‘Missing’
1943/05/15 - Casualty List No. 1135. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 781 as Missing. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Changi
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1943/04/30 - Transported overland with ‘F’ Force to Thailand, train 13
PoW No. IV 5210
Thailand Camps:-
1943, May - Tha Sao Hospital (unable to carry on with ‘F’ Force)
1943, September - Kanchanaburi ‘F’ and ‘H’ Force Hospital
‘F’ Force had the most deaths on the Thailand Burma Railway
Many of the PoWs in ‘F’ Force were sick in hospital before being transported to Thailand. The almost 300 Km march from Ban Pong to Songkurai was too much for many and they fell out. James being one of them, falling out at Tha Sao and being placed into Tha Sao Hospital.
‘F’ Force Summery
1943, December - Transported back to Changi, Singapore.
New PoW No. 6268
Singapore Camps:-
1944, September - Kranji Hospital
1944, November - Changi Hospital
1945, June - Normanton Camp
1945, July - Keppel Harbour
1945, July - River Valley Road Hospital
1945, August - Keppel Harbour
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 written by James after being Liberated.
1946/01/30 - WO417/101, Casualty List No.1973. Previously shown on Casualty List No.1135 as Prisoner of War - Malaya. Now Not Prisoner of War.
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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
When James was liberated, he stayed in a hospital in Bangalore for five months then was moved to another hospital in Baragwanath, Johannesburg.
January 1947 Newspaper Cutting
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600 Miles Flight to See Sick Son
A Horwich man, who has not seen his soldier son for 12 years, flies to South Africa on Saturday to visit him in Hospital at Baragwanath, Johannesburg, where he is lying dangerously ill as the result of three years imprisonment in Japanese hands,
The father Mr William Johnson, 7 Mason St., Horwich, obtained the necessary permission and facilities for his 600 miles plane journey through application to the Welfare Officer of the 2nd Battalion of ‘The Loyals’, the regiment his son has served in for the greater part of his 12 years Army Service. Repeated endeavours extending over several months, in other quarters had brought no success.
The son, 33 year old Private James William Johnson who sailed for the Far East over 11 years ago and has not been home since is suffering from pulmonary malaria, the result of treatment as a Japanese prisoner of war employed on the building of the Infamous Thailand Railway. He was in Shanghai during the Japanese war against China in 1936 and was captured at the fall of Singapore. Released in 1945, he spent five months in hospital in Bangalore, before moved to South Africa 12 months ago. His condition is regarded as too dangerous to be moved and he is described as getting weaker in a medical report dated December 27th which his father received yesterday.
Mr Johnson left Horwich for London this morning to report to Grosvenor House, headquarters of the Red Cross Society, where his passport and all the official documents authorizing his journey are waiting. He told an ‘Evening News’ reporter last night that the flight, the first he has ever made, will cost him nothing and he expects to be in South Africa on Tuesday.
Employed at W.R. Pickup’s Ltd., Horwich, as foreman in charge of sanitary casting production, Mr Johnson has been granted unlimited leave of Absence by the directors,
Mr Johnson’s younger son, Private Joseph Edward Johnson, Loyal Regiment, also posted missing in Malaya, was afterwards reported safe in Bombay.
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1947 Newspaper Cutting
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Sick Son Improving
News Delights Mother
“It is very good news,” said Mrs William Johnson, 7 Mason St. Horwich, to an ‘Evening News’ reporter to-day when discussing a report from Johannesburg of the improvement in the condition of her soldier son lying dangerously ill in a military hospital.
The Improved condition is thought to have resulted from the visit of her husband, Mr William Johnson, who flew to South Africa at the week-end to see his son for the first time in 12 years.
The son 33 year old Private James William Johnson, Loyal Regiment, is suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis and malaria as a result of treatment as a Japanese prisoner of war. Yesterday, according to the South Africa report, he was sitting up in bed talking with his father and feeling much better.
Mr W. Johnson is living in the Sergeant’s staff hut at the hospital and intends to remain there until his son is well on the way to recovery.
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James made it home to Horwich, but died aged 35 in 1949.
At home with his loved ones.
God Bless
Information
Leanne Johnson - Relation Great Uncle
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Fall of Malaya and Singapore
Thailand Burma Railway
KEW Files:- WO 361/2070, WO 361/2201, WO 361/2229, WO 367-2, WO 361/1947, WO 361/2025, WO 345/28,
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