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3529158
Private
John Royston Walton
1919/06/25 - Born Middlesbrough, Yorkshire
Son of Robert and Elizabeth (nee Mett) Walton
Brother to Mary Josephine
Manchester Regiment
1st Battalion
Service
At the outbreak of the Second World War the 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment were assigned to a beach defence role, which entailed setting up of Machine gun posts, searchlights and ant-ship, and landing craft obstacles.
In November 1937 the battalion had become a machine gun unit and in January 1938 with a strength of 980 officers and men the 1st Battalion were transported to Palestine as Jewish Community protectorates. They were housed in Tiberius at ‘The Central’ and ‘Elizabethan’ Hotels. A B C and D companies occupied trouble spots at Mielia, Safad, Sarafand Jerusalem and along the Jordan border.
Under orders on 4th October 1938, the 1st Battalion sailed in the ‘Dilwara’ for the Far East and Singapore. At Port Suez they had a few days in the Western Desert while peace talks took place between Chamberlain and Adolph Hitler. Then back on the ship, arriving in Singapore on the 20th October 1938. As part of the 2nd Malaya Infantry Brigade.
Singapore was subjected to a surprise air attack by nine enemy planes, about 4 a.m. on the 8th December. The Japanese had landed troops at Singora and Patani, Thailand and Kota Bharu in Malaya.
The bombing of Singapore had been concentrated on the civilians of Singapore, and except for personnel of the Anti-Aircraft defences, no troops were involved.
Fighting by ground troops in the early stages was confined to Northern Malaya, the Japanese having crossed the Thailand Malaya border and taken the Kota Bharu airfield. As time went on, and now with very little air cover, the defending troops were steadily pushed back towards Johore, the southernmost tip of the mainland of Malaya, and the fortress of Singapore was under threat.
Many of the families which were stationed in Singapore at the outbreak of the war with Japan were evacuated from the island towards the end of December to the end of January. The evacuation of married families was to Australia, South Africa,
All Allied troops were now on the Island and Johore Causeway had been blown up to impede the Japanese advance. From 31st January to 7th February, Singapore was expecting the Japanese to mount an attack, Percival believing the attack would be to the North East of the Singapore Island. " B " Company, in the Naval Base, came in for some fairly heavy shelling. On the 5th February the Manchester Regiment sustained its first battle casualties of the war during an air raid over Telok Paku Beach, which was manned by " D " Company. Two N.C.O.s were killed and several N.C.O.s and men wounded.
On the 8th February the Japanese launched a large-scale landing operation on the West and North-West coast of the island, and soon gained a footing. The Manchester Regiment still remained in occupation of the East coast and awaited developments, and it was not until 10th February that orders were received to move into inland positions on the outskirts of Singapore Town to face the continued advance of the Japanese from the West and North-West. By this time the air cover was to all intents and purposes non-existent, and Jap bombers and dive-bombers continually raided the island, the only opposition they encountered being from Anti-Aircraft positions and all available Light Anti-Aircraft automatic weapons.
Much damage and many casualties were daily inflicted upon the city of Singapore, and fires were numerous. Detachments of the Battalion came into the battle on 13th February in the Geylang area. Casualties were sustained on the 14th and 15th February, on the latter day two M.G. posts of " B " Company being completely wiped out, not a member surviving. Their guns were kept firing until they were completely overrun by the enemy on all sides.
An evacuation took place on the night 13th-14th February, when a specialist party of 26 members of the Battalion and three attached R.A.O.C. personnel, together with a similar party from 2nd Battalion The East Surrey Regiment, embarked at Singapore on H.M.S. Dragonfly for an unknown destination. The Dragonfly, a small river gunboat, when a few hours out from Singapore was attacked by nine enemy planes. The first stick of bombs scored a direct hit on the mess deck, and she quickly sank with very few survivors. Of the Manchester Regiments party of 29, only four were saved.
Enemy aircraft raided Singapore Town at about 2 p.m. on 15th February, causing very heavy casualties and a great deal of damage. Oil storage tanks were ablaze in the Naval Base and also on adjacent islands, and a heavy pall of thick black smoke hung low over the whole island. As the day proceeded, events moved from bad to worse, and on the evening of the 15th February came the disastrous news of the capitulation of the forces in Malaya.
The Battalion marched from Singapore into the PoW Concentration Area at Changi on 17th February, led by the Commanding Officer with a huge picture of H.M. the King on his back, and the men singing "There'll Always be an England” to the accompaniment of an accordion. Altogether a memorable sight, and one which must have completely amazed and mystified their captors.
1942/03/24 - WO 417/40, Casualty List No. 779. Reported ‘Missing’.
1943/10/03 - WO 417/67, Casualty List No. 1260. Previously posted Missing. Now reported a ‘Prisoner of War’.
Japanese Pow
1942/02/15 Captured Singapore
PoW No. IV 5773
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1943/04/26 - Transported overland to Thailand, with ‘F’ Force,Train 9
The route in cattle trucks to Thailand:-
1943/04/27 - Kuala Lumpur, had rice and dried fish at Ipoh (1600 hrs)
1943/04/28 - Reached Pai, arrived Haadyi
1943/04/29 - Water in cattle trucks very short, heat stifling in trucks all day..
1943/05/01 - reached Ban Pong
The PoWs were ordered off the Cattle trucks on arrival and after a walk of nearly a mile to a transit camp where they were then informed they would be marching North West along the railway route in 14 mile stages. Many of the PoWs tried to sell their possessions to the Thais but not at a good price as the Thais knew the the PoWs from ‘F’ Force were already in bad shape and could not carry their baggage for long.
1943/05/03 - After two days of walking through the night, as it was too hot in the daylight sun, they reached the small town of Kanchanaburi. Many who tried to carry their possessions left them at this staging camp.
Walking at night caused many problems as the track was uneven with bamboo shots cutting into their feet, in time tropical ulcers would form.
1943/06/03 - Reached Songkurai, many of the PoWs had dropped out along the route.
Working first at Songkurai camp
1043/09/04 - Evacuated to Thanbaya Hospital, Burma
1943/10/25 - Lines from Thailand and Burma joined near Konkoita, Thailand
To Kanchanaburi Hospital.
‘F’ Force had the most deaths on the Thailand Burma Railway
‘F’ Force Summery
John was transported back to Singapore in Late 1943
New PoW No. 10989
1945/11/02 - Liberated Changi, 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.
1946/04/13 - WO417/102, Casualty List No. 2026. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1260 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
John is not reported as dying but he did not return to the UK and no Liberation Questionnaire was filled in. Usually the WO417/102 report is filled in within 1945, after being liberated, but John’s report is dated 1946/04/13. This could be he was detained in hospital or chose to stay in Singapore.
Information
Andrew Snow - Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Glenda Godfrey
Fall of Malaya and Singapore
Thailand Burma Railway
KEW Files:- WO 361/1948, WO 392/26, WO 361/2025, WO 361/2229, WO 361/2065,
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