Murdoch-Hector-Wallace

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

Royal Artillery-tn

1107843

Gunner (Driver)

Hector Wallace Murdoch

jcross

1908/10/12 - Born Lambeth, London

Son of Colin Charles and Mary Ethel (nee Duffel) Murdoch

Brother to Colin Kenneth, William Thomas, Sybil Muriel, Albert Edward, Percy Charles, Margaret Julia and Eva Mary.

Occupation Butcher.

1936 - Married Rosina M. Hearn at Uxbridge, Middlesex.

1940 - They were blessed with son John

1941/01/16 - Enlisted

Next of Kin - Wife, Rosina Murdoch, Barnwell Road, London, SW2

Royal Artillery

80 Anti-Tank Regiment

HQ 11th Indian Division

Service

1941/08/28 - Mobilisation Centre to join 80th Anti-Tank Regiment. Departed Nottingham for Gourock, Scotland.

1941/08/29 14:00 - Boarded HMT Scythia (Ex. RMS Scythia, Cunard Line)

1941/08/30 23:00 - Convoy sailed for Singapore. (although no one onboard knew the destination at this time) This was named Convoy WS 11.

1941/09/13 - Arrived Freetown, Sierra Leone.

1941/09/18 - Sailed from Freetown.

1941/10/03 - Arrived Durban, South Africa.

1941/10/07 - Changed ships to SS Johan de Witt and sailed from Durban.

1941/10/22 - Arrived Bombay, India

1941/10/27 - Sailed from Bombay.

1941/10/31 - Called into Colombo, Sri Lanka.

1941/11/06 - Arrived Singapore.

Upon disembarking the men were marched to the railway station where they entrained. 32 men were left at the docks to deal with weapons, stores and other equipment, for delivery over the next few days.

Instead of remaining together as a 4 battery regiment, the 80th Anti-Tank Regiment were informed that each gun crew would be operating independently under different commands.

Battery 2 and 215 were to come under the command of 11th Indian Division.

Battery 272 was to come under the command of 9th Indian Division.

Battery 273 was to come under the command of Malaya Command.

All battery’s were in action in Malaya.

There are no records to confirm which battery that Alfred operated with, but he did state 11th Indian Division on his Liberation Questionnaire.

Battery 272 were in action at Taiping, Kuala Krai, Gong Kedah Aerodrome, and Port Swettersham and reported mainly to the 5th Baluch Regiment.

Battery 2 and 215 were further north around Alor Star Aerodrome and Sungai Patarni.

1941/12/08 - The Japanese land at Sungai Patarni and Khota Baru.

For the next 3 months the allied forces fought a retreating action throughout Malaya, with particular strong battles at places they thought would become a holding line such as the Slim River. However, this was not just a battle of troops as the Japanese were jungle trained, had plenty of tanks, but most important had a massive airforce. The British and Australian airforce consisted of very old and slow aircraft such as Brewster Buffalo which were no match for the bombers and Zero fighters. Even the arrival of 50 Hurricanes that arrived in January only lasted a week.

1942/01/29 - All allied troops have retreated to Singapore.

1942/02/15 - Singapore surrenders to the Japanese

1942/04/07 - WO 417/41, Casualty List No. 791. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/06/15 - WO 417/62, Casualty List No. 1161. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 791 as Missing, 15/02/1942. Previously shown with Surname as Murdock. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

PoW No. I 4413

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

Stayed at Changi, Singapore

New PoW No. 7945

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 Hector after being liberated

1945/11/21 - WO417/99, Casualty List No. 1916. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1161 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.

1945/12/11 - WO417/100, Casualty List No. 1933. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1916 as reported Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya. Correction to entry on Casualty List No. 1916. Surname should read Murdoch.