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42469
Major
Miles Bernard Koe
1902/06/21 - Born Lewisham, Kent
1902/07/14 - Baptised Lewisham, St Saviour
Son of Digby Latimer Francis and Edith Agnes Eleanor Koe
Brother to Dorothy Margaret Mary and Mary Ellen
All the Koe family would take part in plays as below
Next of Kin Wife, Mrs C.W. Koe, Highfield Lodge, Malvern
Royal Electrical And Mechanical Engineers
14 Sector, Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Service
Enlisted 20th August 1929
1941 - Stationed Singapore, and part of the Singapore Fortress Troops.
1941/12/08 - Japan entered the war by attacking Pearl Harbour, Hong Kong and Malaya.
Japanese troops landed at Singora and Patani, Thailand plus 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.
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.
‘Singapore Surrender’ by Leo Rawlings
1942/03/12 - WO417/002, Casualty List No. 767. Reported ‘Missing’
1942/12/14 - WO417/004, Casualty List No. 1006. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 767 as reported Missing, 15/02/1942. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.
1943/09/17 - WO417/005, Casualty List No. 1241. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 767, as posted Missing, 15/02/1942.. Correction to entry on Casualty List No. 1006. Unit should read: Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. ‘Prisoner of War’.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Changi, Singapore
Commander Lt.General Percival
PoW No. 618
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/05/04 - Thompson Road Camp, Singapore
Comp Leader Brig. H.R. Williams
1942/06/29 - Changi, Singapore
Camp Leader Colonel E.B. Holmes
1945/09/05 - On Changi Roll
1945/11/02 - Liberated Changi, 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, filled in by Miles after being liberated.
1945/10/25 - WO417/9, Casualty List No. 1896. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1006 (Corrected by Casualty List No. 1241) 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
Miles passed away 5th October 1971, Westminster, London
Information
Adrian Koe - Son
Singapore Fortress Troops
Fall of Malaya and Singapore
KEW Files:- WO 367/1, WO 361/1946, WO 361/2181, WO 361/2061, WO 361/2229, WO 362/25, WO 345/30,
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