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126131
Lieutenant
Trevor Henry Johnson
1915/11/16 - Born East Grinstead, Sussex
Son of Alexander Howard and Emily Kate Johnson
Brother to Alec Albert, Rowland Nicholas, Cecil Howard, Kathleen Mabel and Laura Elizabeth Martha
1941/08/23 - Married Barbara Brenda Fletcher at Wymondham, Norfolk
Next of Kin - Wife: Barbara B, Rothwell, Thorpe Hall, Norwich
Cambridgeshire Regiment
1st Battalion
18th Division
Service
Trevor joined the 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment.
The Cambridgeshire Regiments had a fighting reputation and were nicknamed ‘The Fen Tigers’, the photo above was taken at Lichfield in 1941
‘Orcades’
The 1st Battalion left Liverpool on the 30th October 1941 in the ‘Orcades’ with Convoy CT.5 and sailed for Halifax, the final destination was unknown but was thought to be the Middle East.
‘USS West Point’
On reaching Halifax on November 10th, they were transferred to USS West Point as part of the 55th Infantry Brigade and departed Halifax in Convoy William Sail 12X.
Convoy William Sail 12X continued with six American troopships, two cruisers, eight destroyers and the aircraft carrier Ranger, the Convoy William Sail 12X was under way, destination still unknown.
‘Convoy William Sail 12X’
Above Photo supplied by the late Maurice Rooney
Detailed Account by Thomas M. Allison
A reproduction of an account by Thomas M. Allison who is understood to be serving as an American Naval officer in the convoy.
Aircraft
Vought SB 2U Vindicator Scout Bomber - USS Ranger which was flying an Anti Submarine patrol over the convoy.
Ships Front Line, Top to Bottom:-
USS West Point - USS Mount Vernon - USS Wakefield - USS Quincy (Heavy Cruiser)
Ships Back Line Top to Bottom:-
USAT Leonard Wood - USS Vincennes (Heavy Cruiser) - USS Joseph T Dickman
The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo.
Arrived at Trinidad 17th November in glorious sunshine so troops changed to tropical kit, but no shore-leave, left Trinidad after two days of taking on supplies. The equator was crossed soon after leaving Trinidad on the 24th, there was a crossing the line ceremony.
After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, and soon after on the 8th December news reached the regiment that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbour and Malaya.
Britain and America were now at war with Japan and the rumours were that the convoy was now heading for the Far East and not the Middle East as first thought.
On the 13th December the convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay.
On the 13th December the convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay.
After 17,011 miles at sea Bombay was reached on 27th December and were transported by train to Ahmednagar for further training. After a few weeks of training they were transported back to Bombay and again boarded the USS West Point.
Embarking on the West Point on the 17th January it formed part of Convoy BM 11 which sailed from Bombay on 19th January, sailing with a British escort. The escort included HMS Exeter and HMS Glasgow with British and Australian destroyers, destination was now the Far East.
Passing Colombo, (Ceylon), crossing the equator for the third time, the convoy passed through the Sundra Straits between Java and Sumatra and then the Banka Straits. The convoy was then bombed by Japanese Planes, there was no damage.
The convoy reached the safety of Keppel Harbour, Singapore on 29th January. Ships were ablaze in the harbour, clouds of smoke drifted across the sky and the smell of fumes was overpowering, this was not the best of greetings. The Japanese had taken most of Malaya in the last three weeks and were only thirty miles away from Singapore.
The day after the 1st Battalion arrived the causeway over the Strait of Jahore which linked Singapore to Malaya was destroyed. This did not delay the Japanese who landed at the North West of Singapore Island on the 8th February.
On the 9th February the Battalion were ordered to the Seletar Airfield and the Japanese shelled their transports on the way. On arriving the defences were found to be very poor and work was needed to strengthen them. The site they were now defending overlooked the Straits to the mouth of the Seletar River and beyond to the mouth of the Punggol River.
On the 10th February the Battalion were ordered to move to Thompson Village in Royal Army Service Corps trucks. The journey was under Japanese air attacks and in heavy traffic, no casualties occurred the journey. Arriving mid afternoon the battalion had to start digging trenches close to Thompson Village. This was stopped when the battalion were ordered to the reservoirs to attack the Japanese flank which was attacking Bukit Timah Village. The action was to help ‘Tomforce’ which was made up of the 4th Norfolks, 4th Suffolks and the Divisional Royal Army Ordnance Corps who were now two rifle companies.
On the morning of the 12th February the 1st Cambridgeshires moved to positions on Adam Road, which linked Sime Road and Lornie Roads to the main Bukit Timah Road.
Bukit Timah Map
The Battalion fought at Sime Road Camp in Singapore defending Adam Park for three days ‘The Fen Tigers’ held up the Japanese 41st Fukuyama, Regiment, which was part of the Japanese 5th Division. The fighting was intense but on the 15th February the 1st Battalion CO, Lt-Col. Carpenter, finding the Japanese bypassing his position, requested permission to withdraw from Brigade HQ. as he had lost 81 of the battalion ‘Killed in Action’ he was told to hold the position and lay down their arms as Singapore had surrendered.
The Japanese later confessed to putting one of their crack regiments in the attack on Adam Park because of the fierce opposition.
1942/03/11 - WO417/2. Reported ‘Missing’.
1942/12/19 - WO417/004, Casualty List No. 1011. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 768 as reported Missing, 15/02/1942. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.
Japanese PoW
PoW No. M-292
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/10/10 - Transported overland to Thailand with River Valley Road Party, train 2
Work Group 2
New PoW No. II 1808
Thailand Camps:-
Tha Kilen, 97.89 Km from Nong Pladuk
Wang Pho (Wampo), 111.50 Km from Nong Pladuk
Tha Khanun, 217 Km from Nong Pladuk
Kroeng Krai, 250 km from Nong Pladuk
1943/10/25 - Rail Lines from Burma and Thailand joined near Konkoita, Thailand.
Kanchanaburi Officers Camp
New PoW No. II 842
Nakhon Nayok
1945/09/04 - Liberated Thailand
Liberation Questionnaire
1945/09/28 - WO417/9, Casualty List No. 1870. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1011 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.
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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
1950/05/22 - Married Mathilde Klep
Trevor passed away aged 66, on the 8th August 1982 .
Place of death Surrey
Information
Richard Johnson - Son
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Convoy William Sail 12X
Fall of Malaya and Singapore
Cambridgeshire Regiment 1st Btn.
Thailand Burma Railway
KEW Files:- WO 361/2167, WO 361/2196, WO 361/1979, WO 361/2177, WO 392/24, WO 361/1954, WO 345/28, WO 361/2061,
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