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6019233
Private
Douglas Haig Lippard
1918//04/01 - Born Southend-on-Sea
Son of Thomas and Isobel Lippard
Occupation Butcher
1940/12/26 - Married Doreen Rosemary Elizabeth Watts
Suffolk Regiment
4th Battalion
Service
Douglas is front row second from right
The 4th Suffolk Regiment were formed with territorials from the Suffolk area. After some basic training they were put on guard duty in Lowestoft, patrolling the dry docks where Allied submarines were serviced. A few days were then spent at Loddon before returning to the Waverly hotel, in St Olaves, returning to guard duty at Haddiscoe railway station. Further training took place at Langley Park, Loddon, where marching, and camp life were the order of the day. A farm at Cawston in Norfolk was the next venue, with the luxury of sleeping in a farmers barn but the training was increased. The next stage was from late July to the end of September doing guard duty near the harbour mouth at Great Yarmouth. The guard duty consisted of 24 hour stints, two hours on, four hours off, one day a week was a rest day.
A move to Hatley St George, Bedfordshire occurred in September 1940 living in disused cottages on the Hatley Hall Estate. Training was increased with long route marches. Just before the new year the battalion was moved to Stobbs Camp, Harwick in Scotland, and housed in Nissan huts, the weather was bitter. The training lasted till April.
The battalion was then bussed to Pilsmouth Bleach Mills, Bury in Lancashire where training continued. In August the battalion was moved again to wooden huts near Hereford , where training and farm work was carried out.
King George VI inspected the battalion in Hereford at the cathedral whilst the Suffolk Regimental band from Bury St Edmunds played.
Once more we were on the move - it was dark when we left Hereford. We knew we were going abroad, but not where. The battalion was then entrained to Liverpool, where the boarded the S.S. Andes, it was believed their destination was the Middle East.
The S.S. Andes passage was to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, across a very rough sea.
The battalion then changed ship to the American liner ‘Wakefield’ and became part of the Convoy William Sail 12X. The convoy sailed to Trinidad and then on to Cape Town in South Africa, berthing on the 9th December for a three stay, shore leave was granted. The Japanese had invaded Malaya the day before the convoy reached Cape Town.
Up till now the destination of the convoy was the Middle East but with Japan entering the war, it became obvious that the 18th division would be sent to the Far East. At this point the convoy was split with one part going to Mombassa and then on to Malaya and the Wakefield going to India, arriving at Bombay on the 5th January 1942, then on by train to Ahmenager, which was inland from Bombay where more training took place for the Far eastern climate.
1942/02/01 - Douglas centre in India
The 54th Infantry, which included the 4th Suffolks stayed at Ahmenager for three weeks, then back to Bombay where the Wakefield had waited, sailing once again this time to Singapore arriving just as the causeway was blown between Malaya and Singapore.
Singapore by this time was under siege and the battalion found themselves in old tents in a rubber plantation. Orders to defend the Golf Course which was bombed directly it went dark.
Orders to retreat to the outskirts of Singapore were given just as they arrived at their destination on the 15th February 1942, Percival surrendered, just 18 days after the Wakefield had docked at Singapore.
The day after orders were given to march to Changi which was about 15 miles on the South West side of the island. The battalion was at first in Roberts barracks, but this was then used as a hospital so the battalion had to find what shelter they could.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered
1942/04/21 - WO 417/42, Casualty List No. 803. Missing
1943/08/17 - WO 417/65, Casualty List No. 1214. Previously posted Missing, 15/02/1942, Casualty List No. 803. Now a Prisoner of War.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
PoW No. 4/5298
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1943/04/25 - Transported oversea from Malakka, Singapore in Kyokko Maru to Japan with ‘G’ Force. With 1,500 PoWs to Japan (300 British, 200 Australians, 1,000 Dutch)
Commander Major R Glasgow, AIF
Part of the Dutch party came from Batavia in Java Party 7.
Dysentery broke out in transport and as there were no physicians on board, it caused deaths and very unpleasant conditions on board.
The route was:-
1943/04/29 - Arrived French Indo-China
1943/05/03 - Departed French Indo-China
1943/05/09 - Arrived Taiwan
1943/05/19 - Departed Taiwan
1943/05/21 - Arrived Moji, Japan
By train to Tokyo 9B - Omi
1943/05/23 - Arrive Tokyo 9B
New PoW No. 2614
 
The Hymn Book was obtained while a PoW
Work: - Quarry and Cement factory
1943/08/01 - Camp renamed Tokyo 7D
1944/04/14 - American PoWs arrive at camp
1945/08/01 - Camp renamed Tokyo 13B - Omi
1945/09/06 - Liberated Tokyo 13B
1945/10/25 - WO417/98, Casualty List No. 1893. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1214 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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Post War
Died
1995/03/04
Tribute to Dougie Lippard
by
R.W. (Dick) Wilkins
Dougie Lippard’s death left a big gap in the lives of many people and I cannot imagine anyone who disliked him. He was always cheerful and down to earth, with a ready wit to help you along. I first met Douigie during the war when all of us rookies having finished our training at Warley Barracks in the Essex Regiment. We finally ended up being transferred to the 4th Suffolk Regiment, after further training we found ourselves on a train going towards Scotland. We arrived at a station and jumped out to what we thought was a snow covered platform and disappeared into snow up to our middles.
We then had to march up hill and down dale taking two steps forward and slipping one back, till we reached our destination which was a dilapidated old corrugated ‘Nissen’ hut camp called ‘Stobbs’ with only two coke stoves to each hut.
One day some of us decided to walk down to the nearest town called ‘Hawick’ and Dougie, who by this time was an Army Driver, happened to come along in his fifteen hundredweight truck. This particular one had an open back with sides some two feet high, with a taut canvas sheet tightly roped over the top. Dougie asked us if we wanted a lift, so we climbed in through the opening at the back and this was the only way we could see out as we crouched beneath the tight canvas sheet.
After a bit we noticed we were travelling down a steep hill with a gradient of about one in six, the road at this point had been cut from a hillside so the steep wooded slope fell away on one side while on the other it carried on upwards. Suddenly the view we could see through the back started swinging from side to side and we realised that Doug’ was doing his utmost to stop us sliding off the side of the icy road and down the hillside. The view through the rear opening kept swinging farther and farther until eventually we finally started to go round in a complete circle. The truck finally decided to do without Doug’ all together and turned completely around twice before he gained control. He finally pulled up facing the correct way and came round to see if we were all right. We asked him if he would be looping the loop next time to which he replied “ Let me know when you are ready and I’ll give it a try’.
I lost contact with Doug when we went abroad, but after both being incarcerated for three and a half years by the Japanese and working on the Kwai bridge and railway, we again made contact having both made it back to England safely.
He will always be remembered and missed by all who knew him.
See you later Dougie
Dick
Information
Pip Kelleway
Japanese Transport
Tokyo 13B
Southend-on-Sea FEPOWs
KEW:- WO 361/1504, WO 361/1745, WO 361/1970, WO 345/1, WO 361/2061, WO 361/2177, WO 361/2025, WO 367/3, WO 361/2070, WO 361/2070, WO367-3,
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