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5109852
Sapper
Ronald James Williams
Known as Ron
1919/05/14 - Born Birmingham
Son of Ronald and Muriel Gladys Williams
Brother to Sidney George
Royal Engineers
35 Fortress Company
Service
1935/11/14 - Enlisted
Stationed Singapore
1941/12/08 - Japan enters the war by Bombing Pearl Harbour and attacking Hong Kong and Malaya. Japanese troops land the Malayan border with Thailand at Kota Bharu (Malaya), Singora and Patani (Thailand).
As the Japanese had taken the airfield at Kota Bharu, the Allied troops had very little air cover and by the 31st of January 1942, Allied Troops were pushed back to Singapore. The causeway joining Singapore to Malaya was blown to stop the Japanese advance.
On the 9th February the Japanese attacked the North West coast of Singapore. General Percival had set his main defence on the North East coast line, and the Japanese quickly gained the advantage.
By the 15th February the Japanese were in danger of taking control of the water supply at the reservoirs, which would endanger the Singapore City water supply. General Percival had no alternative but to surrender.
1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered to the Japanese
1942/03/23 - WO 417/40, Casualty List No. 778. Reported ‘Missing’.
1942/02/15 - Ron was last seen Pearl Bank, leaving in a row boat for Sumatra with:-
2nd Lieutenant Bode
Lance Corporal Swainston
Sapper Cheadle
Sapper Arnold
Sapper Harris
All were Royal Engineers, who landed in Sumatra, then marched 100 km, taking two days to reach Padang.
Japanese PoW
1942/03/17 - Captured Padang, Sumatra
PoW No. I 1148
Japanese Index Card - Side One
Japanese Index Card - Side Two
1942/09/06 - Transported to Tarutung, Sumatra
1944/02/08 - Transported to Medan, Sumatra
1944/June - Returned to Singapore with Medan Party to help build defences in Singapore
Commander Major Campbell
Changi
New PoW No. 11427
Working on X2 Funk Holes
By 1944 the Japanese authorities once again looked to improve the defences of Singapore in anticipation of the Allied invasion.
Plans were also drawn up for the construction of a series of fortifications in the hinterland of the island. The Japanese plan was in line with the defence of the home islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, where the enemy forces would be given relatively easy access to the beaches but would have to fight tooth and nail for the heart of the island through a string of pillboxes, gun emplacements and fieldworks.
The POWs in Changi were assigned to work parties starting in the spring of 1945 and, in the coming months, groups designated as the ‘X Parties’ made their way to various camps around the island to work on the Funk Holes.
The Funk Holes had a more sinister use, the disposal of the PoWs if Allied forces landed on Singapore soil.
1945/11/02 - Liberated
General Seishiro Itagaki, Japanese Commander of Singapore, would not accept the Japanese 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 Ronald after being liberated
1945/10/29 - WO417/98, Casualty List No. 1896. Previously reported on Casualty List No. 1338 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
King’s Welcome Home Letter
Ron’s Far East PoW Badge
Ron became an active member in the Far East PoW Association.
1972 - Ron married Mary G. O'Brien of Tipperary, in Spen Valley, Yorkshire.
Mary was a school teacher in Leeds when she met Ron.
They lived just outside of Leeds.
Ron passed away aged 92, on the 6th January, 2011. Mary passed away on the 7th March, 2018
Information
Chris Morry
Fall of Malaya and Singapore
Funk Holes of Singapore
KEW Files:- WO 361/1948, WO 361/2192, WO 361/2191, WO 345/56,
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