Rayner-George-William

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

1546275

Staff Sergeant

George William Rayner

1914/09/14 - Born Colchester

Son of George and Constance Rayner

Occupation Car Mechanic

1938 - Married Hilda Crossman in Colchester

Next of Kin Wife, Hilda Rayner, Canwick Grove, Colchester

Royal Artillery

HQ 48 Light Anti Aircraft Regiment

Service

1939/12/12 - Enlisted

Royal Artillery Tracer Card

1943/01/02 - WO 417/59, Casualty List No 1099. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/07/16 - WO 417/63, Casualty List No.1188. Previously shown on Casualty List No.1099 as Missing, 01/02/1943. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.

Japanese PoW

1942/03/08 - Captured Garoet, Java

PoW No. 5358

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

PoW Camps:-

1942/03/26 - Koan School

Commander Lt-Col Saunders

1042/05/16 - Boi Glodok Prison

Commander Group Captain Noble

1943/01/08 - Tandjong Priok

1945/08/01 - Transported oversea to Singapore with Java Party 25

New PoW No. 1977

1945/11/02 - Liberated Singapore

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 filled in by George after being liberated

1945/11/07 - WO417/99, Casualty List No. 1904. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1188 as reported Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Netherlands East Indies.