大象传媒

This story is transcribed by me , Graham Shepherd , from notes provided by Edwin Kearsley and will be added to the site with his permission . He understands the sites terms and conditions .

My home city was Salford , Lancashire and in July 1940 received my calling - up papers for the army . I had to report to Ossett , Yorkshire on August 1st 1940 to join the Royal Corps of Signals . I was part of a 43 man training group and for 4 weeks we did army basic training - such as marching , physical training , rifle drill etc . Each day we had to spit and polish one pair of army boots , which had to have a shine on them and one pair dubbed for normal wear . We also had to take a WW1 leather Bandoleer to pieces and polish the leather till it shined , and polish the brass buttons , cap badges and shoulder badges before the next mornings parade . At the end of the 4 week the Bandoleers and other kit was handed in to be handed out to the next intake .

Whilst at Ossett , I was given the option to choose which section of the Signals I would like to train in , such as wireless operator , cook , signalman driver . The end story is that we were all to be trained as line drivers . Our billet at Ossett was a carpenters building yard the hut of which held around 150 men - all sleeping on mattresses filled with straw - washing facilities were outside another building with cold water taps and the toilets around the back . For meals we had to march over a mile to a woollen mill which was the main base
After the 4 weeks basic training we were taken to Dewsbury , Yorkshire to train as lineman driver consisting of 8 weeks as a lineman and 4 weeks at Huddersfield to learn to drive everything from a car up to 5 ton trucks . Training to be a lineman was interesting and I was taught to do all types of line work , repair faults ( also on phones ) and putting up overhead lines and laying cables from a cable layer . The billets were an old mill - the Westfield Mill , a 3 story building . Meals were poor , but the billets good . We all had to be back by 10-00pm .

After finishing training the section was posted to the Headquarters of the 2nd Air Formation Signals . After about 3 weeks the section split up , being posted to different sections in Southern England . I was posted to Fyfield near Ongar , Essex to join the 29th Construction Section which was being brought up to strength of 60 . The billets was an old vicarage from which all the electrical wiring had been removed so oil lighting was our only light , no beds - slept on the floor - the only fires were in the kitchen and the section office . washing facilities were at the back of the vicarage , but the food was very good ..

Parties went out daily to work on the communication lines . The village was a small quiet place of about 200 people , a church , 3 pubs , 3 shops and a restaurant . I used to walk the 3 miles to Ongar and also to Epping - 12 miles whenever possible because there was a canteen and a cinema .

I was then sent onto a course at Houghton Regis for 4 weeks which I passed and was made a Grade 2 tradesman from Grade 3 . My pay increased from 3 shillings & 9 pence to 4 shillings a day . I went on a weeks leave and on returning to Fyfield learnt that we were to go on embarkation leave , but it was cancelled .

In early July I was issued with tropical gear and it was rumoured that we were going to Singapore . On the last Saturday of July the section was transported to Broxbourne railway station to join a troop train for an unknown port , which turned out to be Liverpool . The section embarked on the Stirling Castle . Most of the 1200 on board were RAF and they were allocated the cabins . Our section of 60 men were allocated to crew quarters , below the crew quarters and situated forward .

This had its advantages , because we were never disturbed by officers . We sailed from Liverpool on August 4th 1941 and headed to Greenock on the Clyde to join other parts of the convoy . A convoy of 19 ships including troopships and convoy ships , plus an escort of destroyers . The convoy sailed via the North Atlantic along the Greenland coast and then down the American coast and across to Freetown where the convoy anchored for three days to take on water - no one was allowed ashore .

During this part of the journey there was a collision between the Warwick Castle and the Windsor Castle due to a Dutch ship not zig - zagging to avoid submarine attacks . The Warwick Castle with its bows damaged rejoined the convoy but the Windsor Castle had to return to Canada for repair . The emergency alarm sounded for all troops to go to boat stations wearing boots , great coats and steel helmets , and since our section had not been allocated a lifeboat only buoyant wooden rafts were available , we realised that if we had to jump overboard , with the clothes we were wearing we would have drowned straight away , so we stayed down below . No one came to check .

From Freetown we went to Cape Town ( most of the convoy carried on to Durban ) arriving on 3rd September . We were allowed ashore for 4 days , and sailed for Singapore on 8th September . We were the only ship going to Singapore and was escorted by the destroyed HMS Exeter . The rest of the convoy went to the Middle East . We arrived in Bombay on 23rd September for water and were allowed ashore and paid 5 rupees ( 15/- ) . The centre of Bombay was very attractive , but there were lots of slums with children and older people begging . .

We arrived in Singapore and docked in Kepple harbour after an uneventful journey after the collision . We were transported to a newly built camp of wooden huts called " Fowler Camp " , where we learnt that the section was part of Malaya Command Signals . Pay was 8 Malayan Dollars a week ( a dollar was worth 2 shillings and 4 pence ) , but food and other things were very cheap . The troops were not made very welcome in Singapore , the Raffles Hotel , restruants and some of the other places were out of bounds to the troops , officers only being allowed . The ordinary ranks were only allowed in the Botanical Gardens at certain times .

On 21st September 1941 , the section was divided into two parts and myself with 29 other men were sent up to Kluang in Johore , Malaya . The other half remaining in Singapore . At Kluang we were billeted under canvas with the Australians ( 19th & 29th Battalions ) on the perimeter of Kluang Aerodrome . Food was very good with plenty of meat , butter , bread and cheese . The sections job was to repair and keep in operation the overhead lines between Kluang and Mersing . There were only two Blenheim bombers stationed on the airfield .

After a few weeks we moved to a village called Kallang , 16 miles from Kluang to carry on the work . Once again we were billeted with the Australians under canvas and situated in a rubber plantation . Off duty we went to Kluang , where there was a cinema , which made a nice change , but it showed mainly Chinese films and propaganda films . Always sat in the gallery due to the Chinese having the bad habit of spitting and used to spit on the people below .

All troops were recalled from Kluang to Kallang on the night of December 7th as Japan had declared war . The section moved at night, with no lights on the vehicles as we made our way to Kuala Lumpar , passing many crashes and trucks off the road due to having no lights . We arrived at Kuala Lumpar , picking up the other half of the section from Singapore on the way . After 2 days we were ordered to proceed to Sungi Patani , which had been bombed . On the way we passed RAF personnel from the aerodrome making their way back towards Singapore . We arrived at the aerodrome which was deserted except for two RAF officers . Food was on the table half eaten , bedding was airing on the balconies and all was in a chaotic state . The planes had been destroyed by the bombs , but the fuel and repair equipment was left intact . The RAF officers wanted the repairs to the communication lines to be overhead as before and refused cable lines .

We were then ordered to Alor Star aerodrome ( North Malaya ) where the aerodrome had already been left deserted - the barracks , mess room etc. were all in the same condition as at Sungi Patani . We were then instructed to start moving back down Malaya - we had not had any meals for 3 days and existed on bananas . The section was only equipped with rifles and 5 rounds of ammunition each and no field dressings . We managed to scrounge a box of ammunition , and also gave a lift to an East Surrey Infantry man who had lost all of his equipment . He was in a very sorry state . Further down the road we were stopped by a car with a Staff Officer going up to the front , who tried to order us to return to the front , but our officer told them as a signal construction section we had to report back to Sungi Patani . Arriving at Sungi Patani , we were told that the next day we were to travel down to Ipoh . The soldier we picked up was questioned by officers and sent back to the front .

Arrived in Ipoh to find that we were not required , but there was to be a meeting held that night at the Chinese High School of high ranking officers , so we were put on guard duty around the school . We were under constant attack and a major fuel dump was set alight and destroyed . A scorched earth policy was taking place , bridges were dynamited for blowing up but unfortunately some were destroyed before all of our own troops and ambulances carrying wounded had retreated . These were all killed when the Japanese reached them .

Our section returned to Bukit Timah in Singapore where our new abode was a Chinese High School . The causeway between Singapore and Johore had been mined for destruction and the Japanese were bombing Singapore every day , using 27 bombers , who released all their bombs at the same time . Our anti- aircraft guns were ineffective .

Christmas was celebrated in a fashion , but during early January we were busy laying new telephone cables from Fort Canning and bringing back telephone equipment from Johore .

The Japanese landed on the Island at the end of January and since the causeway was not properly destroyed it was still usable ,and they also used boats to cross the straits . At one area facing Singapore it was swamp land and the only defence was barbed wire and many half trained troops . The Japanese troops broke through at all these points and our section was placed in a defensive position at Bukit Timah with just 25 rounds of ammunition . The whole of Singapore was a mass of flames and black smoke and was being bombed and shelled relentlessly .

We surrendered on February 15th 1942 due to lack of ammunition , medical supplies and water .

12 members of our section of 60 went missing during the last few days , believed they had escaped to Java - the party included our three sergeants !

We were ordered by the Japanese - through our officers - to march to Changi Barracks 12 miles away , under the command of our own officers . While there we had to go out to the docks etc. to help clear up the debris . We were still under our own command and discipline . The Royal Artillery paraded on the square every morning as if they were on the barrack square at home .Most of the others , including the Royal Signals only paraded for roll call of sections .

Food was bad from the first day , rice and sometimes a rice rissole or ground rice pastry . No vegetables and water was very scarce . On quite a few days , we were issued with limed rice . This had been in storage for a year or so and when cooked it had the smell of bad eggs and could be smelt about 100 yds. away . It was horrible to eat and no matter what was tried we could not get rid of the lime which had made the rice yellow . Sanitation consisted of bore holes about 20ft. deep and trenches . Due to water shortages we washed in the sea .

My participation in the war was over and no one knew what the future would bring .

See Part 2 - My Life as a Japanese POW .

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