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6020936
Private
George Charles Lancefield
1916/05/25 - Born Thornton Heath, Surrey
Son of William Johnson and Violet Ruth Fancefield
Occupation Solicitors Clerk
George was Assistant Scout Master with 1st Crystal palace at the outbreak of WW2
Cambridgeshire Regiment
1st Battalion
Service
1st Battalion
Cambridgeshire Regiment
1941/10/30 - Left Britain in ‘Orcades’ with Convoy CT.5 from Liverpool to Halifax
Final Destination Unknown
1941/11/08 - Arrived Halifax
1941/11/10 - Transferred to USS West Point 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.
The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo.
1941/11/17 - Arrived at Trinidad in glorious sunshine so troops changed to tropical kit, but no shore-leave, left Trinidad after two days of taking on supplies.
1941/11/24 - The equator was crossed, there was a crossing the line ceremony.
After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, South Africa. By this time the Americans were in the war as the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbour and attacked Malaya and the rumours were that they were heading for the Far East and not the Middle East as first thought.
1941/12/08 - Japan attacked Pearl Harbour and Malaya
1941/12/13 - The convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay.
1941/12/27 - After 17,011 miles at sea Bombay was reached.
1942/01/18 - The convoy sailed with a British escort, the H.M.S. Exeter and H.M.S. Glasgow with British and Australian destroyers. Destination was the far East. Passing Colombo, (Ceylon), crossing the equator for the third time, the convoy passed through the Sundra Straits between Java and Samatra and then the Banka Straits. The convoy was then bombed by Japanese Planes, there was no damage.
1942/01/29 - The convoy reached the safety of Keppel Harbour, Singapore. 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.
1942/02/15 - Singapore Surrendered
1942/05/07 - WO 417/43, Casualty List No. 817. Missing.
1943/09/17 - WO 417/66, Casualty List No.1241. Previously shown on Casualty List No.817 as Missing, 15/02/1942. Now a Prisoner of War.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
PoW No. M-5360
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/11/02 - Transported overland from Singapore to Thailand in ’P’ Letter Party. The 25th Train from Singapore to Thailand with 650 PoWs.
261 - 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment in this party
Commander Lt-Col H.A. Fitt, 18 Recce Corps, 18th Division.
New PoW No. II 4663
Work Force 2 Camps (distance in Km from Nong Pladuk):-
Wang Lan (68.59km)
Wang Takhian (81.30km)
Ban Khao (87.93km)
Nong Pradi (101.60km)
Wang Pho (Arrow Hill) (111.50km)
Tha Khanun (223.40km).
Probably under command of A. A. Johnson 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment.
1943/10/ - Chungkai Camp
1943/12/14 - Chungkai Hospital Septic Scabies and Ulcers.
1944/02/24 - Discharged from hospital.
Transported back to Singapore
New PoW No. II 42779
1944/07/04 - Transported from Singapore in the Hofuku Maru part of Japan Party 2
The Hofuku Maru was sailing from Singapore to Miri, Borneo as part of convoy SHIMI-05. The convoy consisted of 10 ships, 5 of which carried, in total, 5,000 POWs, all in appalling conditions.
At Borneo, the Hofuku Maru left the convoy with engine problems, and sailed on to the Philippines, arriving on 19th July. She remained in Manila until mid-September while the engines were repaired. The POWs remained on board, suffering terribly from disease, hunger, and thirst.
On September 20, 1944, the Hofuku Maru and 10 other ships formed Convoy MATA-27, and sailed from Manila to Japan. The following morning, the convoy was attacked 80 miles north of Corregidor by more than 100 American carrier planes. All eleven ships in the convoy were sunk. Of those on the Hofuku Maru, 1,047 of the 1289 British and Dutch POWs on board died.
Died
Age 28
1944/09/21
Died when the Hofuku Maru was sunk by American planes on leaving Manila
1945/09/21 - WO417/97_1, Casualty List No. 1864. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1241 as Prisoner of War - Malaya. Missing.
1946/01/26 - WO417/101, Casualty List No.1970. Previously shown on Casualty List No.1864 as Missing whilst Prisoner of War. Presumed Killed in Action whilst Prisoner of War.
Loved Ones
Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Lancefield, of Thornton Heath, Surrey
Memorial
Column 59.
Singapore Memorial
Called To A Higher Serivice
2nd Croydon Boy Scout Group
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Information
George Campbell
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Japanese Transport
Hofuku Maru
Hell in Five - Jack Symon was on the Hofuka Maru, read his book here
Commonwealth War Grave Commission
KEW Files:- WO 361/758, WO 361/1742, WO 361/2057, WO 345/30, WO 361/2005, WO 392/25, WO 361/2061, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2069, WO 361/2177,
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