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2125466 (2125416)
Sergeant
Harold Perry
1909/04/27 - Born Walsall
Son of Alfred and Rose Perry
Occupation Labourer Machine Tools
Royal Engineers
42/43 Field
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
PoW No. 5560
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/11/05 - Transported to Thailand in Letter Party ‘M’
Under Lt-Col. G. E. Swinton, 2/East Surreys
New PoW No. 43864
Transported back to Singapore
1944/08/21 - Transported on the Hofuku Maru
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 Ho¨fuku 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 Ho¨fuku 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 Ho¨fuku Maru, 1,047 of the 1,289 British and Dutch POWs on board died. The remainder were picked up by the Japanese and transported to Bilibad Prison, Philippines.
1944/10/01 - PoWs loaded into holds of Hokusen Maru
1944/10/03 - Underway from Manila to Japan
This was to be one of the longest hell ship voyages of the war.
1944/10/11 - Anchored Hong Kong. Carrier planes attacked on 13th October.
1944/10/21 - Under way to Taiwan
1944/10/24 Arrived Taiwan
1944/11/08 - 294 selected PoWS debarked and sent to Toroku, Taiwan. During the entire voyage, at least 36 PoWs died on board and buried at sea.
1945 Jan/Feb - arrived Japan aboard either the Melbourne Maru (Mid January) or Enoshima Maru (Early February) from Taiwan
The journey from Singapore to Japan taking 5 months
1945/02/11 - Fukouka 17B - Omuta
Worked in Mitsui coal mine
1945/09/15 - Released for repatriation
Information
Mervyn Stone
Hell Ships by Ron Taylor
Hofuku Maru - Roll of Honour by Ron Taylor
Phillipines - Roll of Honour by Ron Taylor
Hell in Five - by Jack Symon
Japanese Homeland Camps - Roll of Honour by Ron Taylor
KEW:- WO 361/1742, WO 361/758, WO 361/1980, WO 392/25, WO 345/40, WO 361/2005, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2067, WO 361/2191
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