Silk-Benjamin-Elijah

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

3969647

Driver

Benjamin Elijah Silk

1914/02/09 - Pontypridd, Glamorgan

Son of Francis and Agnes Silk

Brother to Ivor, Violet, Doris, Ethel and Trevor

1940 - Married Gladys Knox

Next of Kin - Wife, 21 Brook Street, Treforest, Glamorgan

Royal Corps of Signals

18th Division Signals

Service

1941/10/30 - Left Liverpool for Halifax in Convoy CT.5.

1941/11/08 - At Halifax transferred to American liners

1941/11/10 - Left Halifax with Convoy William Sail 12X, destination unknown, believed to be Middle East.

Above Photo of Convoy William Sail 12X supplied by the late Maurice Rooney

Vought SB 2U Vindicator Scout Bomber - USS Ranger which was flying an Anti Submarine patrol over the convoy.

Front Line Top to Bottom:-

USS West Point - USS Mount Vernon - USS Wakefield - USS Quincy (Heavy Cruiser)

Back Row Top To Bottom:-

USAT Leonard Wood - USS Vincennes (Heavy Cruiser) - USS Joseph T Dickman

(USS Orizaba Ap-24 also sailed with Convoy though not pictured in photo)

1941/12/08 - Japan entered war by bombing Pearl Harbour and invading Malaya

18th Division diverted from Middle East and sent to Singapore

1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered to Japanese

1942/06/20 - WO417/45, Casualty List No. 855. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/05/03 - WO 417/60, Casualty List No. 1124. Previously reported Missing, 15/02/1942, Casualty List No. 855. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

PoW No. IV 1028

Japanese Index Card Side One

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

1942/06/18 - Transported overland to Thailand with the June Mainland Party, train 1

1st Train to Thailand

Commander Major R.S. Sykes, Royal Army Service Corps

New PoW No. IV 14511

Attached to Work Group 1

Camp in Thailand Nong Pladuk

1944/01/19 - Benjamin died at Nong Pladuk No 1 Camp

Buried at Wat Khok Mo Cemetery grave B-48

After the war he was reinterned at Chungkai War Cemetery

Died

Age 30

1944/01/09

Cause of death Beri Beri and Dysentery

Loved Ones

Son of Frank and Agnes Silk

Husband of Gladys Silk, of Treforest, Glamorgan

Memorial

7. L. 10.

Chungkai War Cemetery

Thailand

WORTHY OF REMEMBRANCE

1945/10/25 - WO417/98, Casualty List No. 1893. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1124 as Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.Now reported ‘Died’.