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5833652
Private
Fred Stallebrass
1912/08/16 - Born Peterborough
Son of Celia E. Stallebrass (b. 1878/01/15)
Brother of Harry (b. 1909) and Robert (b. 1917)
Occupation Packing off Press, Brickyard Worker
1940/06/27 - Enlisted
Next of Kin - Mrs C. Stallebrass, 31 North Street, Stangrove, Peterborough
Cambridgeshire Regiment
1st Battalion
‘A’ Company
Service
1st Cambridgeshire Regiment at Lichfield in 1941
Fred shown back row fourth from right
The Cambridgeshire Regiments had a fighting reputation and were nicknamed ‘The Fen Tigers’.
1941/10/30 - Left Britain in ‘Orcades’ with Convoy CT.5 from Liverpool to Halifax
Final Destination Unknown
1941/11/08 - Arrived Halifax
1941/11/10 - Transferred to USS West Point with the 55th Infantry Brigade. Departed Halifax in Convoy William Sail 12X.
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.
The convoy passed through the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and St Domingo.
1941/11/17 - Arrived at Trinidad in glorious sunshine so troops changed to tropical kit, but no shore-leave, left Trinidad after two days of taking on supplies.
1941/11/24 - The equator was crossed, there was a crossing the line ceremony.
After a month the convoy arrived at Cape Town, South Africa. By this time the Americans were in the war as the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbour and attacked Malaya and the rumours were that they were heading for the Far East and not the Middle East as first thought.
1941/12/08 - Japan attacked Pearl Harbour and Malaya
1941/12/13 - The convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay.
1941/12/27 - After 17,011 miles at sea Bombay was reached.
1942/01/18 - The convoy sailed with a British escort, the H.M.S. Exeter and H.M.S. Glasgow with British and Australian destroyers. Destination was the Far East. Passing Colombo, (Ceylon), crossing the equator for the third time, the convoy passed through the Sundra Straits between Java and Sumatra and then the Banka Straits. The convoy was then bombed by Japanese Planes, there was no damage.
1942/01/29 - The convoy reached the safety of Keppel Harbour, Singapore. Ships were ablaze in the harbour, clouds of smoke drifted across the sky and the smell of fumes was overpowering, this was not the best of greetings. The Japanese had taken most of Malaya in the last three weeks and were only thirty miles away from Singapore.
The day after the 1st Battalion arrived the causeway over the Strait of Jahore which linked Singapore to Malaya was destroyed. This did not delay the Japanese who landed at the North West of Singapore Island on the 8th February.
The Battalion fought at the Sime Road Camp in Singapore defending Adam Park . For three days ‘The Fen Tigers’ held up the Japanese 41st Fukuyama, Regiment, which was part of the Japanese 5th Division. The fighting was intense but on the 15th February the 1st Battalion CO, Lt-Col. Carpenter, finding the Japanese bypassing his position, requested permission to withdraw from Brigade HQ. he was told to hold the position and lay down their arms as Singapore had surrendered.
Fred’s photo shows war weariness with gunshot wounds to his neck and shoulder.
1942/02/15 - Singapore Surrendered
1942/05/02 - WO 417/42, Casualty List No. 813. Reported ‘Missing’.
1944/08/03 - WO417/79, Casualty List No. 1515. Previously posted on casualty list 813 as missing 1?/??/194? Now reported ‘Prisoner of War in Japanese hands (Thailand)’.
Japanese PoW
1942/02/15 - Captured Singapore
Changi
PoW No. 517
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/11/02 - Transported overland to Thailand with Letter Party ‘P’, train 9
27th Train to Thailand
Work Group 2
Commander Lt-Col. H.A. Fitt, 18th Battalion, Recce Corps.
New PoW No. II 5399
1942/11/26 - Ban Pong, Hospital, Thailand
Admitted twice with Tonsillitis.
Commander Major Hill
Fred may have stayed there or more likely up country to Tha Khanun.
Transported back to Singapore when the railway was completed
Fred’s lack of hospital admissions is typical for a man who was sent to Japan.
New PoW No. II 44714
Transported oversea to Osaka, Japan
1944/07/31 - Hiroshima 3B - Tomano
Commander Captain Hall, Royal Artillery
New PoW No. III 3710
Most of the British Artillery men, ex Malaya, arrived after working on the Thailand-Burma Railway. The men were transported to Osaka to work at Amagasaki with the PoWs from Hong Kong.
They worked at the Hibi refinery, Mitsui Mining Company where they did shipyard repairs and stevedore work.
1945/06/01 - Camp established as Hiroshima Branch 3B
On Roll at Liberation - Health ‘Fair’
1945/09/02 - Camp was liberated
Liberation Questionnaire
Repatriation
HMS Glory
Hospital Ship
Boarding No. 1222
1945/10/09 - Embarked
1945/10/10 - Departed Manila
Arrived Esquimalt Naval Base, Nr. Vancouver Island B.C 26
Shipped to the UK and home
1945/12/03 - WO417/100, Casualty List No. 1926. Previously shown on Casualty List No. 1515 as reported 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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Post War
1949 - Married Phyllis M. Gibson
At Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
They were blessed with seven children.
Son John was born 1958. (John’s son Stephen supplied Fred’s details)
Died
Fred died 1973
Information
John Stallebrass - Son
Stephen Stallebrass - Grandson
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Jon Cooper - Adam Park Project
Martin Boswell
Convoy William Sail 12X
Cambridgeshires in the Far East
Japanese Transports
Thailand-Burma Railway
Hiroshima 3B
Liberation Questionnaire - COFEPOW
KEW Files:- WO 392/26, WO 345/49, WO 361/2005, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2064, WO 361/2167, WO 361/2178, WO 361/1963,
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