- Contributed by听
- A7431347
- People in story:听
- Thomas Leonard Beattie
- Location of story:听
- The Far East
- Article ID:听
- A4581443
- Contributed on:听
- 28 July 2005
Thomas Beattie born in 1896 was a boy entry to the army and educated by them at Fort Rowner Gosport, and became a boy soldier at fifteen. At the outbreak of the second world war he had become Lt Quartermaster of the 6th Heavy Artillery Regiment.
During the early forties the battalion was taken to Liverpool en route they thought to the Middle East, (via Cape Town, everything went the long way round in those troubled days) but were diverted to Singapore. Although they landed there at the time of the Japanese invasion they managed to escape routing through Sumatra and Java, but were taken prisoner in Java in 1942.
They were shipped to Japan to Fukuoka Camp No 1, they called it Pine Tree Camp!! Liberated by the Americans in September 1945 they were shipped to Canada then to New York and back to England on the Queen Mary, arriving at Southampton in November 1945 where his son. Peter, met him.
Peter and the rest of the family had been living in Molesworth Road, Gosport and had suffered air raids, spending most nights in the family shelter and then experienced the trauma of the V1s (Doodlebugs). At the start of the invasion of France Peter saw the massive air armada which flew in support, a sight he will never forget, describing it as awesome. Mother meanwhile through all this was teaching in local schools. She did not get a medal but Father did, The Meritorious Medal, given only to Warrant officers.
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