To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

890905

Gunner

William Paterson

Known as Billy

1921/10/07 - Born Maduff, Banffshire

Son of William and Metta Paterson

Billy with his grandmother Kirsten and his  sisters Chrissie and Metta

On leaving school Billy’s Occupation was a Fisherman

Billy with his dad Bill

(Billy’s dad served as minesweeper engineer on HMT Willow at Scapa Flow)

Royal Artillery

7 Coast Regiment

Service

Billy is second row from back in the middle of the row

The 7 Coast Regiment embarked in the Largs Bay in the Clyde, this included Billy.

The Largs Bay was a Aberdeen and Commonwealth ship recently converted to troop ship.

1941/08/31 - Sailing from Bristol Channel ports (Swansea and Newport),  Liverpool  and also the Clyde. The convoy formed off Oversay in the order below:-

1941/09/04 - The Convoy was split into slow and fast to Freetown, South Africa. The Largs Bay was in the fast convoy named WS 11F.

1941/09/13 - WS 11 F arrived Freetown

1941/09/18 - United again the convoy sailed from Freetown at sea splitting again into fast and slow to Capetown. Largs Bay in WS 11F.

1942/10/03 - The reorganised convoy, including the Largs Bay, sailed for Durban.

1941/10/17 - At position 10N 52.30E the convoy split yet again with the Largs Bay joining WS 11X to Bombay.

1941/10/22 - Arrived Bombay.

1941/10/27 - Departed Bombay for Colombo in formation as below:-

1941/10/31 - Arrived Colombia and sailed for Singapore.

1941/11/06 - Arrived Singapore

1941/12/08 - Japanese invade Malaya, Britain declared war on Japan.

The 7 Coast manned guns at:-

• Beting Kusha Battery - 2x6inch guns
• Johore Battery- 3x15inch guns, two of which were used against the Japanese as they could be turned to target them on Johore and Singapore.

The 7th Coast Battery was within the 9th Coast Regiment, manning the 15inch guns of Jahore Battery, and the 22nd Battery manning the 9.2inch guns on Pulau Tekong, being the nearest to the mainland.

After the causeway was blown the 7 Coast’s 31 Battery RA and 7th Battery HKSRA were situated on the West side of Singapore City.

1942/02/15 - Singapore surrenders to Japan.

1943/09/06 - WO 417/65, Casualty List No. 1231. Previously reported Missing on Casualty List No. 767, 15/02/1942 now reported ‘Prisoner of War’.

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

PoW No. M-261

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

1942/10/23 :-

 1130 hrs., kit inspection by commanding Officer

All kit (excluding foodstuffs) to be carried by the man will; by taken and placed in front of the man on parade. Water bottles will be full.

1400 hrs., kit inspection by Japanese at Road Junction

1942/10/24 :-

1200 hrs., Parade for march to Singapore Station

1730 hrs., Train leaves Singapore Station

Transported Overland to Thailand with ‘Y’ Letter Party, Train 1

18th train to Thailand with 650 PoWs

Consisted of:- Adam Park 80, Changi Village 200, Sime Road 370

Bill was in ‘C’ Platoon under Lt. P.M. Colls

Commander Major P.S.F. Jackson, 7 Coast Regiment, R.A.

New PoW No. IV 4008

Group 4 12 (H) Work Battalion under Jackson

At Tonchan South then Tha Sao

1944, January to May with Malaria,

1944, May to Tha Muang

1944 - Transported back to River Valley Road, Singapore

New PoW No. IV 43775

Commander Brigadier Varley

Rakuyo Maru

1944/09/04 - Oversea in Japan Party 3 to Japan via East Hainan Island. The Japan Party consisted of 2,250 prisoners, 1,500 were British the remainder Australian, the number who actually sailed with the convoy was 2,217. The Rakuyo Maru held 1317 PoWs and the Kachidoki Maru a further 900 (all British). The two ships joined convoy HI-72 and sailed from Singapore.

The Rakuyo Maru was built by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Company in Nagasaki. It was 477 feet overall length with a displacement of 9,500 tons. The ship was equipped with 12 lifeboats, most of these being on the boat deck in the amidships passenger area, the remainder were on the raised stern or poop deck. The ship was painted battle grey and flew the merchant marine flag, which was a red ball in the centre of a white field. It had no red cross markings.

1942/09/12 - The convoy was attacked by US submarines:- USS Growler, USS Pampanito and USS Sealion near the East Hainan Islands. Both the PoW hell ships were  hit. The Rakuyo Maru was the first to be hit by a torpedo from the US submarine Sealion, the Kachidoki Maru was hit by USS Pampanito.

USS Sealion

Three steam torpedoes were fired at the Rakuyo Maru at 5.25pm, the target was 1,100yards  away, all three hit. The torpedoes struck ten seconds apart, two hitting below the waterline the other exploded into the engine room.

The explosions did not kill any prisoners but the water that covered the deck to a depth of over 6 feet flattened anyone in its way, also making its way into the holds where the prisoners were. The prisoners soon organised the evacuation of the holds and looked for anything that would float, the Japanese taking ten of the twelve lifeboats, abandoned ship. The Japanese that didn’t escape found the prisoners not too sensitive to their pleas of help.

136 PoWs from the Rakuyo Maru were saved by the Japanese and arrived at Hainan Island together with about 360 survivors of the Kachidoka Maru which had also sank. They were transported to Japan in the Kibitsu Maru accompanied by the Asaka Maru and Sincho Maru.

Billy died in the sinking of the Rakuyo Maru

Died

Age 22

12th September 1944

Died when the Rakuyo Maru was sunk by the USS Sealion

1945/02/15 - WO392/25, ''Surname'' entered on original source as Patterson, Deceased. ‘Missing on board ship’.

1945/03/22 - WO417/89.2, Casualty List No. 1712. Previously reported Prisoner of War in Japanese Hands on Casualty List No. 1231, 12/09/1944 – Malaya, now reported ‘Missing’.

194512/17 - WO417/100, Casualty List No. 1938. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1712 as reported Missing whilst Prisoner of War 12/09/1944. Now reported ‘Presumed Killed in Action whilst Prisoner of War’.

Loved Ones

Son of William and Metta Paterson, of Macduff, Banffshire

Memorial

Column 27.

Singapore Memorial

Information

Nicol Kindness - Nephew

Andrew Snow - Thailand Burm Railway Centre

William Sail Convoys

Japanese Transport

Thailand - Burma Railway

Roll of Honour - Hell Ships

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

KEW Files:- WO 392/25, WO 361/1742, WO 361/2057, WO 361/734, WO 361/2005, WO 361/1987, WO 361/2169, WO 361/733, WO 361/2063, WO 361/2068, WO 361/2187, WO 361/734,

*

''Our Thanks are for being a Chapter in Life.''

Keeping The Candle Burning

In Memory of FEPOW Family Loved Ones  
Designed and Maintained by Ron Taylor.

Honorary member of COFEPOW

Site Management - Ron.Taylor@roll-of-honour.org.uk

Copyright © FEPOW Family