- Contributed by听
- thebobdouglas
- People in story:听
- IVOR DOUGLAS
- Location of story:听
- SINGAPORE & BURMA/SIAM RAILWAY
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A8529140
- Contributed on:听
- 14 January 2006
IVOR IN UNIFORM. PHOTO DATED 06/10/38
MY DAD, IVOR DOUGLAS JOINED THE 2ND BATTALION MANCHESTER REGIMENT IN 1937. IT SEEMS THAT HE WAS ABLE TO DISGUISE HIS AGE AS HE WAS ONLY 15 AT THE TIME!
I KNOW LITTLE OF HIS EARLY ARMY DAYS BUT IN 1939? HE WAS POSTED TO THE SINGAPORE GARRISON.
IVOR WAS TAKEN PRISONER AT THE FALL OF SINGAPORE ON FEBRUARY 14TH 1942 AND WAS HELD, WITH MANY OTHERS, IN CHANGI GAOL BEFORE BEING SENT TO WORK ON THE BURMA/SIAM RAILWAY - "THE RAILWAY OF DEATH"
DAD WAS EVENTUALLY RELEASED IN LATE AUGUST 1945, ARRIVING BACK IN ENGLAND IN EARLY 1946.HE ONCE TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD HAVE LIKED TO REMAIN IN THE ARMY BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, POOR HEALTH FOLLOWING THE YEARS IN THE CAMPS PREVENTED THIS AND HE WAS DEMOBILIZED IN 1946.
SADLY, DAD DIED IN 1984 AT THE AGE OF 63 - HIS EARLY DEATH BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE CONDITIONS HE EXPERIENCED. SURPRISINGLY, HE WAS NEVER BITTER AND ACCEPTED IT ALL AS PART OF LIFE.
IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFORMATION ABOUT IVOR, I WOULD BE PLEASED TO HEAR FROM THEM AT
bobdouglas@btopenworld.com .
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