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3525679
Corporal
Arthur Phillips
1913/03/16 - Glossip, Derbyshire
Son of Arthur and Florence Phillips
Brother to Alice (born 1914).
Father Arthur worked as a labourer in a Paper Mill and Mother Florence was a weaver in a cotton Mill. They had married in 1901.
1932/07/21 - Enlisted
Next of kin: Mrs Burford, 4 Brook Street, Glossop, Derby
Manchester Regiment
1st Battalion
Service
1932/07/24 - Began his training at Ladysmith Barracks in Ashton
Arthur obtained the 2nd Class Army Certificate of Education
1933/03/18 - Passed out and was posted to the 1st Battalion of the Manchester Regiment in Gosport, Hampshire.
Before Arthur left Gosport he passed examinations in English and Maths.
1934/01/31 - Boarded the troopship MV Devonshire in Southampton. They were bound for the Caribbean.
Arthur was then stationed in Jamaica with half the battalion, the rest were in Bermuda.
1934/02 - In Jamaica during February Arthur passed Geography certificate.
1935/09/26 - 1st Battalion left the Caribbeans in the HMT Dorsetshire for Egypt
During the voyage Arthur passed Map Reading certificate. This fully qualified him for the 1st Class Certificate of Education, which he received, whilst still at sea, on the 16th October.
1935/10/13 - The Dorsetshire docked at Southampton. The next day after special trains were run from Manchester for family reunions to be held, meaning Arthur was able to see his sister Alice for about 6 hours.
1935/10/16 - After departing Southampton Arthur received his 1st Class Certificate of Education.
1935/36 - After arriving in Egypt it was found the tension with Italy was very high as they controlled Libya which bordered the British controlled Egypt. The 1st Battalion helped patrolling the border till early 1936. Arthur then returned to barracks in Moascar.
Arthur’s sister Alice, married George Burford in Glossop. Alice also became Arthur’s ‘next of kin’ a year later as their father died.
1937/05/24 - Arthur gained promotion to Lance Corporal and later that year was stationed in Cyprus.
1938 - Upto January the 1st Battalion were training hard, but in that month they were moved to Acre to assist in dealing with a rebellion of the Palestine Arabs which had broken out late 1937, they searched for weapons to stop the situation getting out of hand up till September 1938.
During that time Arthur passed a carpenters and joiners course and on the 3rd September his rank of Lance Corporal was confirmed.
Another move as the 1st Battalion left Palestine for Tanglin Barracks, Singapore, building defences for a suspected invasion.
1940/05/03 - Arthur was promoted to acting Corporal and he joined the pioneers who had special skills in clearing the proposed sites of battle.
1941/012/08 - The Japanese invaded Malaya landing near the border with Thailand and quickly established control, forcing the Allied forces back to Singapore.
1942/02/15 - In a hopeless situation Singapore surrendered to the Japanese.
1942/03/24 - WO 417/40, Casualty List No. 779. Reported ‘Missing’.
1943/05/06 - WO 417/60, Casualty List No. 1127. Previously posted Missing, Casualty List No. 779, 15/02/1942. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Changi Camp
PoW No. M6976
Camp Leader Lt-Col. E.B. Holmes MC
Block Leader Major Stewart
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/10/30 - Transported oversea in the Dainichi Maru to Taiwan
With 205 PoWs
1942/11/16 - Arrive Takao, Taiwan
New PoW No. III 2606
Transported to Heito - Camp 3
Camp Leader Lt. Tomaki J.I.F
Work involved clearing a river bed, to be used to grow sugar cane. The rocks from the river bed were taken in wicker baskets to be trained away. The PoWs were also used to take the sugar cane to a sugar refinery.
1945/02/07 - Hieto was bombed by the Americans and the Japanese closed the camp.
1945/03/12 - Transported to Shirakawa - Camp 4.
In May Arthur joined the Rover Scout Troop at the camp, who worked for the good of the PoWs, helping the sick.
1945/08 - Shirakawa, On roll
1945/08/15 - The Japanese surrendered after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed.
1945/09/02 - Liberated
Liberation Questionnaire
Repatriation
1945/09/06 - Evacuated to Manila in the ‘USS Santee’ for medical care.
1945/09/26 - Transported in the -General R.L. Howze- from Manila
Boarding No. 208
Destination San Francisco
1945/10/03 - WO417/97-2, Casualty List No. 1874. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1127 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.
After arriving in San Francisco Arthur crossed America and Canada by train to sail in the Queen Elizabeth for home. Arthur later told Cliff how welcoming the American and Canadians were Post War.
1945/11/05 - Arrived Southampton weighing 84 pounds.
Post War
Received specialist treatment for severe Malaria at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
1946 - Arthur returned to Army duty and was assigned to the 63rd Primary Training Centre at Dunham Park near Altrincham in Cheshire to train Manchester Regiment troops.
1946/12/06 - Promoted to acting Sergeant
1947/06/09 - WO100/504, Palestine Clasp Awarded
1947/05/24 - Arthur married Stella Marguerite Caldwell at Caxton Hall in Westminster, London. In September 1948 they adopted Stella's 8 year old son Clifford Steen (known as Cliff).
1948/04 - Arthur rejoined the 1st Battalion
1948/07/18 - He went with the 1st Battalion to Wuppertal, West Germany with his family. His family lived in Wuppertal until April 1950, then moved to Berlin.
1948/12/18 - Arthur left the battalion and returned to the UK.
Arthur had a place on the Unit Pay Clerk's Course at the Royal Army Pay Corps (RAPC) Training Centre at Devizes in Wiltshire. Becoming a Pay Clerk meant he would transfer to the RAPC. This occurred on the 2nd January 1951. Arthur rejoined the 1st Battalion as they moved to Malaya.
The 1st Battalion spent 3 years fighting the Communist insurgency in Malaya. They took part in patrols of the jungle and guarded the civilian population from the insurgents. The battalion's companies were spread over a large area, so Arthur often had a lot of travelling to do.
1950/11/28 - Officialy registered as a Sergeant
1951/07 - He took up the post of Pay Sergeant.
1952/02 - Stella and Cliff joined him in Malaya
1954/05 - The 1st Battalion left Malaya and returned to Formby in Lancashire. Arthur was posted to Woolwich in London.
1956/07/19 - Arthur left the Army
(L to R) General Service Medal 1918-62 with clasps 'Palestine', 'Malaya'; 1939-45 Star; Pacific Star; 1939-45 Defence Medal; 1939-45 War Medal; Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
Arthur's medals were donated to the Museum of the Manchester Regiment in December 2007.
As a soldier Arthur had been 'an example of the best type of non-commissioned officer'. He was 'cheerful and pleasant', 'a first-class Army Clerk', 'most painstaking and very reliable'.
Arthur and Stella separated at this time. Cliff remembers that ‘he made sure I was settled’ in the Royal Air Force before he left.
After this they then lost contact with each other.
When Arthur left the Army, he worked for an accountancy firm in London, living at Roach Avenue in Rayleigh, Essex for a time and also lived in Sussex.
By 1957 Arthur was living in London with Lorna Jones. He decided to change his name to hers so on the 4th February he became Arthur Jones.
1960/04/21 - Arthur’s first wife Stella died, it was the day of Cliff’s 20th Bithday.
1957/06/11 - Arthur married Lorna, gaining two step-daughters, Penelope and Priscilla.
In 1978 Arthur retired and the family moved to Northamptonshire. In 1982 he and Lorna moved to Shrewsbury in Shropshire, and 4 years after that they went to live at Meadow Close in nearby Wem.
In Wem Arthur became involved in the life of the town. He was Chairman and Secretary of the local Royal British Legion and the United Services Club. He was also Secretary and Vice-President of the Probus Club of Wem. He helped the annual Poppy Appeal and organised the Remembrance Sunday service every November. Arthur also enjoyed making marquetry pictures, using pieces of wooden veneer to create images.
In February 1992 Arthur and Lorna visited Singapore. This was his first time in the country since 1954. Although he offered to take photographs of war graves for the relatives of soldiers who died as POWs, he was mainly going 'to enjoy myself'.
1997/11 - Arthur and Lorna visited Thailand. Just before they left Arthur received a letter from Cliff. He had found him after 42 years.
1998/06/11 - Arthur and Lorna enjoyed their 38th wedding anniversary 'in a very quiet way'. Nine days later Arthur died.
Died
Age 85
20th June 1998
Arthur's funeral was held at St. Paul's Parish Church in Wem on the 3rd July.
Information
Cliff Phillips - Son
Never Forgotten - The Story of the Taiwan PoW Camps
Museum of the Manchester Regiment - The Men Behind the Medals.
Liberation Questionnaire - COFEPOW
Transport Home
KEW Files:- WO 392/25, WO 345/41, WO 361/1968, WO 361/2050, WO 361/1536, WO 361/2063, WO 361/2068,
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