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195318
Captain
Jack Henry Race
Also known as John
1910/01/01 - Born Somersham, Suffolk
Son of Harry and Mary Race
Brother to William George, Charlie Fred, Arthur and Harry
1919 - His mother Mary died from Spanish Flu
1921 - Father Harry died, leaving the five children as orphans
1941/01/11 - Jack married May Ada Rose Bishop at All Saints Briston, Norfolk
Their marriage was blessed with children Joan, Jill , Joy , John , Janice , James, Jayne and Jeffery.
Next of Kin - Wife, Briston, Norfolk
Royal Norfolk Regiment
6th Battalion
18th Division
Service
Jack served from 1928 to 1939 with 1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment overseas which included time on the North West Frontier.
When World War Two begain Jack was recruited with the 5th Norfolks who were Brigaded with the 6th Royal Norfolks and the 2nd Battalion, Cambridgeshires to form the 53 Infantry Brigade which was part of the 18th Division.
The orders to double the 5th battalion in 1938 was seen to be a good move as the battalion was up to strength when war was declared in 1939. The object was then to split the battalion into two, making the 5th and 7th battalions. On the 1st October 1939 this became a reality and two battalions were formed and trained separately.
The Battalion HQ was at Dereham with Lt.-Col. G.N.Scot-Chad in command with other units at Aylsham, North Walsham and Holt. For the first few months individual training was at Holt and Weyborne and the men were given the task of building and manning the North Norfolk Coastal Defences. The battalion colours were in Sheringham Church, as Lt.-Col. Scot-Chad carried the Kings Colours and Maj.B.Savory the Regiment Colours.
In March 1940 section training begun and Lt-Col. E.C.Prattley, who had served with the 2nd Battalion in France, took over command of the battalion and Maj. H.T.Crane took over as second in command. In May company training begun only to be interrupted during the early summer months, after Dunkirk and with the threat of invasion, the battalion was given the job of manning the Coastal Defences at Weyborne. Whilst building the defences they carried on with their training and were achieving a high degree of skill as a unit.
With the threat of an invasion past the battalion was issued with transport vehicles and advanced training was then carried out. The battalion was moved to Gresham School at Holt in September and they now had an assault course in the woods. Being now brigaded with the 6th Royal Norfolks and the 2nd Cambridgeshires to be part of the 53 Brigade of the 18 Division, brigade training was applied.
A move to Kings Lynn in October had the battalion billeted in the uncomfortable warehouses in the dock area. They stayed here until January 7th 1941, having seen a few air raids on the town, they then moved by train to Scotland for advanced training. The troops were developing into a fighting unit under the Scottish route marches, and apart from helping in Glasgow after a heavy air raid it was all training.
On April 7th the brigade was moved to Northwich, near Liverpool, this move had two reasons. The city had very heavy bombing raids and needed the troops for fire watching duties plus full scale brigade attacks were to be carried out in the Birmingham and Carlisle districts. The battalion took alternate roles in attack and defence in these exercises. They were now a fighting team ready for action.
At this point in July 1941, and as CSM with the 5th Battalion, Jack was transferred to the 6th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment, as a 2nd Lieutenant.
The battalion, division and brigade were then given news that they were ready for posting abroad
On October 27th 1941 the battalion embarked from Gourock on the Duchess of Atholl for Halifax.
US Mount Vernon
At Halifax the whole of the 53 Brigade was transshipped to the Mount Vernon. After a brief visit to Trinidad to refuel, Cape Town was reached on December 9th only to find Japan had entered the war the day before, attacking Pearl Harbour and Malaya.
Shore leave was granted before sailing on the 13th December for Bombay only to be then ordered on the 23rd to sail for Mombassa and then finally Singapore. She was escorted by the H.M.S. Emerald and reached Singapore Harbour on January 13th 1942, the battalion disembarked in heavy rain and moved to Tyersall Park Camp by truck.
Preparations for moving the troops from the Tyersall Camp to Malaya, were made on the 14th January. Four experienced F.M.S.V.F. officers were attached for communication with the Malays as interpreters and interrogators.
No training was given before they were dispatched and the hope they were to receive any in Malaya was quickly demised as they were put straight into the battle for Malaya.
On January 16th Advance Battalion H.Q. were moved along with “C” and “D” companies by transports to Yong Peng, on the following day Maj. A.B.Cubitt and the rest of the battalion joined them.
Moving west from Yong Peng “C” and “D” companies took up defensive positions along the Bakri Road at the defile marked on the map. “A” and “B” companies were moved in just to the rear to support. The battalions task was to cover the lines of communication with the 45 Infantry Brigade who were under heavy attack near Muar.
The 19th January was spent patrolling the road and the Simpang-Kanan River although they made no contact with the enemy, the Australian “B” Echelon transport passed through the battalion lines and was attacked six miles north.
On the 20th a patrol suffered casualties when attacked near the river, then later a full attack took place. The Japanese attacked from the forward positions and also having infiltrated got behind “C” and “D” companies and attacked them from the rear, cutting off help from “A” or “B” companies.
“D” company held out and stayed together but “C” company having been out on patrol during the attack were separated and lost contact. During the attack “D” company lost their commander Capt. P.M.Westagate. “C” company had their commander, Capt.H.P.Pilkington wounded and 2nd/Lt. J.E.Parker was killed. Fighting carried on during the night but with the Japanese in control of the south of the defile “D” company was in a dire position. Early the next morning the 3/16 Punjabis and then “B” company tried in vain to force out the enemy, both attacks failed. With “D” company still cut off the defile was given up and a new line of defence further south was set up.
On the 22nd January the 2nd Loyals got into a position to attack the defile but with no artillery fire it was called off. In the afternoon the battalion which now consisted of less then two companies were ordered to withdraw to Yong Peng. “B” company fought bravely in in a rearguard action for the brigade and they reached Yong Peng late that evening.
Command of the battalion was taken over by Major A.B.Cubitt when Lt-Col. Lywood was evacuated to Singapore with illness.
On the 23rd the battalion was moved to Skudai, just south of Ayer Hitam. Early on the 24th the battalion moved up again to Benut on the coastal road, where it was reorganised as Battalion H.Q. and “A” and “B” companies, their support was by the 4.5 Howitzers and one section of Royal Engineers. There orders were to keep the road open for the 5th Norfolks and 2nd Cambridgeshires, this also included a mixture from the Leicestershire and East Surrey Regiments. “A” company supported at Rengit whilst the remainder moved forward to Seggarang, eight miles south of Batu Pahat. Although no enemy were reported in the area the rear of the force came under heavy machine-gun fire and suffered casualties, snipers did not help their situation neither.
Having taken control of Senggarang, they could not cover their rear and the enemy infiltrated and set up road blocks behind them, cutting them off from “A” company. The 15 Brigade was then ordered to withdraw from Batu Pahat to help at Senggarang. Late on the 26th the Cambridgeshires were ordered to fight their way south and “A” company to attack from the south, to try to clear the road, both failed. The bridge at Senggarang was then blown and the 250 transport vehicles destroyed, the troops were ordered to find their way back through the jungle.
“A” company by this time had been surrounded by the Japanese at Rengit, they held off attack after attack until it was seen to be a hopeless situation, they then took to the jungle and two officers and 85 other ranks made their escape to Singapore.
Killed in the fighting for Senggarang were:
Capt. R.R.Evans
2nd/Lts R.O.C.King, R.H.Notts, A.E.Jones, M.C.Mitchell, J.A.Salter and E.L.Weymont
For his gallantry, initiative and disregard for his own safety 2nd/Lt Nutt was mentioned in dispatches.
After the withdrawal from Senggarang about 200 men made their way through the jungle to Ponggor on the coast, where they were taken off by Royal Navy gunboats to make a rather uncomfortable trip back to Singapore, they were then housed near the Seleltar River.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrended to the Japanese
1942/03/25, WO417/2, Casualty List No.780. Reported ‘Missing’.
1943/07/23 - WO417/004, Casualty List No. 1194. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 780 as posted Missing, 15/02/1942. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Ferrer Park, Singapore
1942/September - Great World
PoW No. M-343
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/November - Overland to Thailand
Work Group One
New PoW No. IV 15380
Worked possibly Tha Makham then Kindaiyok and further North.
1943/10/25 - The Thailand and Burma rail lines joined at Konkoita, Thailand.
1944/03 - Nong Pladuk Camp II
1944, September - Tha Maung
1945/01 - Kanchanaburi Officers Camp
New PoW No. IV 1286
1945/09/04 - Liberated Thailand
Flown to Rangoon to be shipped home.
Liberation Questionnaire filled in by Jack after liberation
1945/09/26 - WO417/9, Casualty List No. 1868. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1194 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.
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Pacific Star
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War Medal
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1939-1945 Star
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Far East Medals
Post War
by Son James Race
On release from Far East Dad and Mum took on the Greyhound Public House in High Street , Heacham in 1946. This was a Bullards Brewery Pub.
Dad said he was in discussion with a fellow prisoner whilst on the Railway, talking about what they would like ‘When’ they return home? Dad said to run a village pub. The other soldier remembered this and being related to the Bullards family , contacted Dad and offered him the Greyhound.
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Lynn News and Advertiser
14th March 1947
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In 1958 Dad found himself on Lord Leicester’s Holkham Estate , where he set about establishing the Norfolk Army Cadet Force. This became a full time occupation and under Dad’s guidance the 3rd Battalion Royal Norfolk Army Cadet force became the top Battalion and benchmark for the other Battalions.
As Adjutant he was awarded the MBE in 1972 before retiring in 1975.
Many thanks and best wishes Jim .
Jack died 15th March 1993.
Information
Jim Race - Son
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Convoy William Sail 12X
Fall of Malaya and Singapore
Royal Norfolks in the Far East
Thailand Burma Railway
KEW Files:- WO 362/2178, WO 361/1954, WO 345/42, WO 361/1979, WO 361/2166, WO 361/2196, WO 392/26, WO 361/2170,
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