Sketch by Jack Chalker

Into Captivity

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Stan was taken into captivity 17th March 1942 at Padang, Sumatra and the living nightmare began.

Vaisey-Ashford-Stanley-01

Japanese Index Card - Side One

Vaisey-Ashford-Stanley-02

Japanese Index Card - Side Two

Stan became part of the British Sumatra Battalion on the 9th May which was formed with 20 officers and 480 other ranks. The service personnel were mostly escapees and considered to be trouble makers.

Leaving Padang, Sumatra by train the British Sumatra Battalion were taken to Fort de Kok. The next day a convoy of lorries took them to Uni Kampong Camp, where Dutch civilians were interned.

England Maru-3

On the 15th May they were packed into the hell ship England Maru bound for Mergui, Burma, to build new runways, the death rate at Mergui was twelve.

The 10th of August saw another move on the hell ship Tatu Maru to Ann Hestletine Home at Tavoy, where the death rate fell to five.

The next move to Thanbyuzayat in November was the start of a hard toil on the Thailand to Burma railway, the death rate was high.

“We got taken up and we went  into the jungle, and stopped  in it for 3.5 years”

Death Railway Map - By Peter Cross

Death Railway Map by Philip Cross

The British Sumatra Battalion deaths in Burma:-

Burma

 

 

 

Thanbyuzayat

14

 

18 Kilometer Camp

1

 

30 Kilometer Camp

6

 

55 Kilometer Camp

20

 

60 Kilometer Camp

16

 

84 Kilometer Camp

1

 

105 Kilometer Camp

1

 

114 Kilometer Camp

39

Stan’s Recollection:-

“Then would go up the line to other camps to work, they ate “blue rice” (” what they use for cow feed”). The rice was full of  “livestock” (like weevils / bugs).

Camps “up the line” approx. 35km apart (Stan went to them all)

      Tamberziet

      Thetkor

      Mungin

      Wompo – cliff  face railway ran around the cliff  face past a waterfall

      Banchai

The further up you got the worse it was as the food/medical supplies didn’t get up the line easily.”

(PoWs spelt the names of camps as their accent dictated, therefore there are many different spellings for the same camps. A common spelling has now been established to help with camp names. In Stan’s recollections, his spellings are used)

TBRC Information

Information from Thailand Burma Railway  Museum: I have attached our PoW Record showing him  captured in Sumatra 17/03/1942 and sent to the  Burma End of the Railway 25/05/1942 with what  was known as the "British Sumatra Battalion"  under Captain Desmond Apthorp 6th Bn. The  Royal Norfolk Regiment.

After the railway was completed October 43 and then capable of  moving men and equipment late 1943 he was moved down the Railway to Kanchanaburi Thailand where he was stationed at Chungkai, Thailand (60km from Nong Pladuk) until September 1944. He was then sent back up the railway to work cutting wood that was used to run the Steam Locomotives used by the Linson, Thailand (205km from Nong Pladuk).

In December 1944 he was sent back to Chungkai Hospital sick with Diarrhoea and Malaria then to Tha Muang, Taku Butai and finally Pratchai.

New PoW No. 16180

1945/08/15 - Liberated

 

 

 

 

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Any material  to add to the Fepow Story please send to:

Ron.Taylor@fepow-community.org.uk

and their story will live on.

 

[My Grandad] [Where It All Began] [Radio School] [Off the Isle of Man] [Singapore] [We Left Smartly] [Into Captivity] [Long Road Home]

 

Ron.Taylor@far-eastern-heroes.org.uk

 

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