South-East Asian Theatre
Sample Records
The contributor's father, Anthony McLoughlin, saved citizens in the Fall of Singapore. He hated Winston Churchill for the Fall. The British Army were massively outnumbered. It's not talked about by the army because they surrendered. Anthony was one of the few senior RAF members. He said it was madness, with hardly anybody to organise.
Shared by Patricia McLoughlin at Oxford Westgate Library, Oxfordshire on 10 March 2023.
Albert was in Singapore when it fell to the Japanese. He ended up in Changi Jail until the end of the war.
Shared by John Morris at Liverpool Central Library, Merseyside on 2 March 2024.
“My great-grandmother, Helen, only just died last summer. We had some of her war artefacts already and found a lot of stuff when clearing out the house. One side of my family had been in Shanghai for two generations by the outbreak of the Second World War. Donald, Helen's father (the contributor's great-great-grandfather) was a great cricketer (see the newspaper clipping). The newspaper discusses that games had to be stopped because of the firing! In China, they would go to play matches in different ports, but Japan had invaded everywhere around the settlement. Japan had invaded a year before the war, but my family didn't leave Shanghai until 1941. Although there was not mandatory evacuation (as China was not a formal colony), my family evacuated to Australia. Helen couldn't remember when they left Shanghai, but we could work it out through the certificate of crossing the Equator, which was signed by the master of the ship that they travelled on, dated 20th May 1941.
Shared by Rebecca Anne Maitland at University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh on 25 November 2023.
Horace Hawkins fought behind enemy lines in Burma. He was a very strong man and was healthy until 98 years of age. His wife was also in the army in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). The contributor has visited Burma with her father, Horace, where he had celebrated his 21st birthday. He was injured in Burma in a foxhole and there are army medical records that show that. In Burma, he had to contend with leeches and dense jungles. They ran out of rations as the Japanese stole them. He was a member of the Chindit Society and was awarded the Burma Star.
Shared by Patricia Wall at National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire on 17 February 2024.
John was 36 years old when he was called up, after Japan entered the war. John was sent to Burma where he served with the Royal Artillery. He was a "kicker-out", who pushed cargo out of planes; he was paid an extra 1 shilling and 6 pence for this work. John sent four postcards from Burma, but the men were not allowed to send Christmas cards or letters. John caught malaria in Burma and suffered from attacks throughout his life. His paybook includes a list of his vaccinations. It took a long time for John to come home because of the distance from Burma. He came home in the middle of the night and Sheila was interested to see what was in his kit bag in case he brought chocolate. John brought his wife a Royal Artillery "sweetheart brooch" when he returned.
Shared by Sheila Murray at University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh on 25 November 2023.
Ken joined the artillery regiment. He didn't want to go but ended up in Burma. In the jungle, he injured his leg and was left behind. Allies recaptured the area, but Ken and a captain were not there. They were presumed to have been taken as prisoners of war, and nothing more was heard; he was presumed dead. A telegram was sent to the family and his letter returned.
Shared by Alan Tudor Shared at Coventry Cathedral, Warwickshire on 9 September 2023.
