Page-Ronald-Steven

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

7348933

Private

Ronald Steven Page

Known as Ron

1921/04/18 - Born Lancashire

Occupation Shop Assistant

Next of Kin, Mr J Hancer, 28 Oxford Road, Ipswich, Suffolk

Royal Army Medical Corps

197 Field Ambulance

18th Division

Service

1939/04/26 - Enlisted

An infantry Field Ambulance at that time comprised of a Medical Officer, his batman, 13 officers and 225 other ranks (Sergeants, Corporals and Privates). The unit also had 42 vehicles including 8 six wheeled motor ambulances, which were driven and maintained by members of the Royal Army Service Corps, who were attached to the unit. There were three Field Ambulances per Division and 1 per Corps. The 197 Field Ambulance was destined to become part of the 18th Division, 55th Infantry Brigade along with the 1/5 Sherwood Foresters, 1st Cambridgeshires and 5th Beds and Herts Regiment.

The Field Ambulance personnel were used, in the ships from Britain to Singapore, as medics to the Regiments aboard each ship in the convoy they were in. They did not travel as one unit, this was called ‘Trooping’. Therefore it is impossible to identify every ship the Field Ambulance units sailed in as they were spread over the full CT.5 convoy from Britain to Halifax and then the Convoy William Sail 12X from Halifax to Singapore . When they arrived at Singapore the personnel were once again re-united into their Companies.

The 196, 197 and 198 Field Ambulance embarked on three ships, the SS Andes, SS Oronsay and Duchess of Athol, leaving Britain on the 30th October 1941 with Convoy CT.5.

Leaving Liverpool Docks, they headed for the Atlantic, halfway across the Atlantic, the English Patrol Vessels were exchanged with USA equivalent vessels and the English ships returned home, leaving the convoy CT.5 with the American escort vessels.

The convoy docked at Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada on the 8th November 1941, where they boarded American Liners three of them were huge, the USS West Point, USS Mount Vernon and USS Wakefield

Setting sail in Convoy William Sail 12X on the 10th November, destination unknown, the voyage with six American troopships, two cruisers, eight destroyers and the aircraft carrier Ranger.

Above Photo supplied by the late Maurice Rooney

Vought SB 2U Vindicator Scout Bomber - USS Ranger which was flying an Anti Submarine patrol over the convoy.

Front Line Top to Bottom

USS West Point - USS Mount Vernon - USS Wakefield - USS Quincy (Heavy Cruiser)

Back Row Top To Bottom

USS Leonard Wood - USS Vincennes (Heavy Cruiser) - USS Joseph T Dickman

(USS Orizaba Ap-24 also sailed with Convoy though not pictured in photo)

The convoy went down the coast of America until it finally dropped anchor off the coast of the West Indies, then off to sea again to Capetown, South Africa. They were given leave to go ashore and were literally given the freedom of the City.

During the stay in Cape Town, news reached them that Pearl Harbour had been attacked by the Japanese on the 8th December 1941. Orders reached the men that their next port of call was to be Bombay, India.

They reached Bombay on the 27th December and disembarked and boarded a train for Ahmednagar after a two-day stay in Bombay. The train journey was also to take two days and was very boring, the land was barren, no nice scenery to break the soul-destroying monotony of that dreadful journey. At the end of the journey they were surprised to find people were actually sitting on top of the carriages during the journey.

After a couple of weeks at Ahmednagar training, they were on the move again, knowing that they were going into action, destination was Singapore.

The Empress of Asia

In Bombay they boarded ‘The Empress Of Asia’ and sailed to Ceylon (Shrilanka) for one day and received shore leave.

As the ship neared Singapore on the 5th February 1942, planes were heard overhead and they had the Rising Sun markings on their sides. They began to bomb the convoy and the hatches were battened down while bombs battered the sides to the ship with massive vibrations shacking the ship. A sergeant major yelled at the top of his voice and opened the hatches so that there was an easy access to the deck above. There was no air support so the Japanese blashed all around the ships and the Empress of Asia was hit twice. The call to ‘Abandon Ship’ was given out over the loud-speakers. The stairs to the deck were destroyed by the Japanese bombs and fires raged. There were five nurses with the patients and in charge was Captain Barber who showed great control and did an excellent job with the evacuation through portholes.

Survivors were picked up and still under fire managed to get the survivors to Singapore Hospital.

Alexandra Hospital

The converted hospital was in need supplies, and some men were sent to Alexandra Hospital to pick up supplies. On arrival, shooting was heard so the men kept hidden. Japanese soldiers entered the hospital and slaughtered patients and medical staff. It was an unbelievable sight which left the men of the 197 Field Ambulance left gasping as the horror unfolded. The horrific incident was reported to their Commanding Officer.

Singapore Surrender by Leo Rawlings

Singapore officially surrendered to the Japanese on the 15th of February 1942.

1942/03/19 - WO 417/40, Casualty List No. 775. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/07/13 - WO 417/63, Casualty List No.1185. Previously shown on Casualty List No.775 as Missing, 15/02/1942.Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.

1945/09/02 - WO392/25, Changi Roll

1945/11/09 - WO417/99, Casualty List No. 1906. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1185 as reported Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.

Japanese PoW

1942, February - Changi, Singapore

Camp Leader Lt/Col. Holmes

PoW No. I-4879

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

1944, May - Kranji, Singapore

Camp Leader - Lt/Col. Collins

1945, April - River Valley, Singapore

Camp Leader Major Routley

1944/11/01 Roll - New PoW No. 8297

Singapore Funk Holes X/4C

The Singapore Funk Holes were Japanese Defences in Singapore, which the PoWs were forced to build.

1945/09/05 - Changi Roll

1945/11/02 - Liberation

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 as filled in by Ron after being liberated