Spurgin-George-Fred

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

2072959

Sapper

George Fred Spurgin

1921/04/04 - Born Cambridge

Son of Fred Stephen and Evelyn Winifred (nee Mullin) Spurgin

Occupation Apprentice Locomotive Fireman

Next of Kin Parents, F S and E W Spurgin, Greville Road, Cambridge

Royal Engineers

287 Company

18th Division

Service

The duties of Royal Engineers were numerous in World War 2, tunnelling, trench-building, forestry, quarrying, gas warfare, inland water transport, aerial survey, topographical photography, camouflaging techniques, bomb disposal, mine clearance, demolition, airfield construction, building Bailey Bridges, and the use of tanks adapted for battlefield engineering known as AVREs (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers).

The 287 Field Company were a Company of Field Engineers (Sappers) who worked within an the 53 Infantry Brigade and were engineers to the infantry of that Brigade:- the 2nd Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment, and 5th and 6th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment. The 53 Infantry Brigade was one of three Infantry Brigades making up the 18th Division.

The 287 Field Company undertook defensive work in Norfolk before undertaking training in preparation for overseas service in Scotland. In October 1941 they were ordered to Gourock to be shipped oversea.

SS Sobieski

At Gourock on the Firth of Clyde they embarked on the Polish troop ship Sobieski with the 2nd Batt. Cambridgeshire Regiment and sailed on the 31st October to join up with the CT.5 convoy which sailed from Liverpool.

USS Mount Vernon

On arrival at Halifax, Nova Scotia, the 287 Field Company together with the rest of the 53 Infantry Brigade changed ships to the USS Mount Vernon, and they began the long voyage to Capetown.

Convoy William Sail 12X continued with six American troopships, two cruisers, eight destroyers and the aircraft carrier Ranger, the Convoy William Sail 12X was under way, destination still unknown.

Convoy William Sail 12X

Above Photo supplied by the late Maurice Rooney

Detailed Account by Thomas M. Allison

A reproduction of an account by Thomas M. Allison who is understood to be serving as an American Naval officer in the convoy.

Aircraft

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

Ships Front Line, Top to Bottom:-

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

Ships Back Line Top to Bottom:-

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

The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo.

Arrived at Trinidad 17th November in glorious sunshine so troops changed to tropical kit, but no shore-leave, left Trinidad after two days of taking on supplies. The equator was crossed soon after leaving Trinidad on the 24th, there was a crossing the line ceremony.

After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, and soon after news reached the troops that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbour and Malaya on 8th December. Britain and America were now at war with Japan and the rumours were that the convoy was now heading for the Far East and not the Middle East as first thought.

Shore leave was granted before sailing for Bombay on the 13th December, only to be diverted to Mombasa arriving on the 25th. USS Mount Vernon, escorted by the cruiser HMS Emerald then sailed from the latter place on 29th December, joining Convoy DM1 at sea for Singapore.

On January 13th the USS Mount Vernon berthed in heavy rain at Singapore Naval Base in the middle of an air raid, for which the ship was meant to be the target; but a sudden squall of heavy rain and mist providentially concealed the vessel and the aircraft unloaded its bombs somewhere else instead. In heavy rain the troops disembarked and proceeded to a makeshift camp on the Bukit Timah racecourse, which consisted largely of mud, expecting to spend some weeks reorganizing and training after a long voyage. However, owing to the critical situation on the mainland, these illusions were rudely shattered after the company had a Straits Settlement Volunteer Force Officers attached for guidance and liaison. A couple of days were given to adjust, train and re-equip themselves. As their own transport had gone to India, transport for the company had to be found before being transported to North Jahore and as none of them were trained for jungle warfare, the terrain seemed very strange.

Malayan Action

The Section led by Lieutenant Bradley was to prepare demolitions along the Yong Peng to Muar Road, they made use of an abandoned house as a billet. The land surrounding the road was marshland so charges were laid along the road, creating problems to enemy vehicles trying to bypass the marshland. There was a steady stream of army forces retreating from the North towards Singapore, making it obvious the Japanese were pushing them back and getting closer.

Orders from the Brigade were given to withdraw to the Muar Bridge and to be ready to blow it as the Australians had already prepared it for demolition. On visiting the bridge ahead of his section, Lieutenant Bradley was informed by the Australians at the bridge that they were ordered not blow the bridge or let others blow it as many troops were still on the North side of it. While driving back from Muar, a Japanese patrol attacked and killed three dispatch riders ahead of Lieutenant Bradley’s Ford V8 truck, so a quick dash was made through Japanese fire, no one in the truck was injured although the truck was hit. At a roadblock on the approach to Yong Peng a Royal Norfolk Regiment officer stopped the Ford truck and Lieutenant Bradley was taken to give a report directly to General Percival and General Heath who were at Yong Peng. On returning to the 287 Field Coy. they were withdrawn to Seneggarang and billeted together as a Company.

On the 26th January No.1 Section of the 287 Field Company blew the bridge at Senggarang but were cut off by the Japanese. After hand to hand fighting they were ordered ‘every man for himself’. Corporal Tall was among the wounded after being confronted by a Japanese road block on the Benut Road, he was hit in the leg by grenade splinters and a bayonet thrust to his hip. Now found to be by himself he managed a six day agonising crawl to the coast where he found a sampan which he drifted in before being rescued by Chinese fishermen, eventually he reached Padang.

In Johore the 287 Field Company lost twenty-one Other Ranks killed in action or died of wounds, eight were captured and held in Kuala Lumpur's Pudu Jail.

Singapore Action

As the survivors returned, they were re-grouped, blowing up the jetty and waterfront installations, including a crane at Seletar Aerodrome which had been evacuated by the RAF, it was a scorched earth policy as the fuel line was also blown.

The 287 Field Coy. then took on orders as infantry, to hold the MacRitchie Reservoir at all cost. Having no tanks and no combat planes it was only time before the Japanese would take command of the Island’s water. Sitting in their trenches near the reservoir on the 15th February the Company were notified by Captain Pickersgill, that Singapore had surrendered.

Singapore had Surrendered on the 15th February 1942

During the fighting on Singapore Island, the 287 Field Company lost a further five killed.

1942/04/07 - WO 417/41, Casualty List No. 791. Reported ‘Missing’.

1943/06/15 - WO 417/62, Casualty List No. 1161. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 791 as Missing, 15/02/1942. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.

Japanese PoW

1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore

Changi Camp

PoW No. IV 11291

In December 1942 the Royal Engineers built the Changi Lychgate. George is named as helping in its construction. It was originally sited at the entrance to the Changi Camp Burial Site until after the war when it was moved, eventually being shipped to the UK at Bassingbourn.

Japanese Index Card - Side one

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

Ronald Searle Sketch

George was a good friend of Ronald Searle, they both lived in Cambridge. While they were being held in Changi Ronald Searle sketched George.

1943/03/23 - Transported overland to Thailand ‘D’ Force, train 9

Work Group 4

Commander Lt-Col. G.G. Carpenter, 1st Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment

with Lt-Col. McEachern, AIF

New PoW No. IV 44704

1943/10/25 - Rail Tracks from Thailand and Burma joined near Konkoita, Thailand

Transported back to River Valley Camp, Singapore

1944/09/06 - Transported oversea with ‘Japan Party 3’ to Japan.

This Party consisted of the Kachidoki Maru and the Rakuyo Maru, both were sunk. Kachidoki Maru survivors were picked up by the Japanese and taken to Japan.

1944/09/20 - British survivors from the Kachidoki Maru arrived at Sendai camp. Established as Tokyo 22B

New PoW No. 3224

The men were used by Nippon Express as stevedores at the train yards and at the docks, loading and unloading all forms of materials, including military equipment and ammunition. Some work at small foundry. Port of Sakata on west coast of Honshu.

1945/08/14 - Jurisdictional control transferred to Sendai 9B

1945/09/14 - Liberated

1945/10/24 - WO417/98, Casualty List No. 1892. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1161 as Prisoner of War now Not Prisoner of War. Previous Theatre of War, Malaya.

Repatriation