85th Anti Tank Regiment RA

Discussion in 'Royal Artillery' started by Ravrick, Apr 25, 2012.

  1. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Here you are: Sauvage, John Graham
    Shows he spent all his time in captivity in Changi apart from a short spell at the River Valley Camp (also in Singapore).

    Tim
     
  2. Ben Poole

    Ben Poole New Member

    Thanks so much Tim! I hadn’t got to that database yet, so good to now this stuff it out there.
     
  3. Walter

    Walter Junior Member

    85th AntiTank activities in Singapore.... see attachment
    A record of action from 13 Jan 1942 - 15 Feb 42, written later in Changi 15th March 42, by Maj TW Moore, 270 Battery, 85th AntiTank
    I'm posting this prompted by a new found friend, Andrew from Vancouver, who I gather has been chatting with some of the folk on here about this since I sent him some info. The irony is that I came by this when I bought a photo off eBay, that I'd been pointed to by timuk a couple of years ago - the seller also had a copy of this document ! I don't know its origins or whether there's a copy at the National Archives at Kew. Any info welcome.

    Per my earlier posts, I'm researching my Dad who was in 281 Battery, about which I've found minimal info to date ...
     

    Attached Files:

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  4. bzaoral

    bzaoral Member

    Nice work Walter.

    I would like to see a plot of the locations on a high-resolution 1942 Singapore Island Map. I have found two vendors of digital maps:
    www.alamy.com $19.99 per digital map
    www.geographicus.com/ $50.00 per digital map
    Before I buy anything, I thought I would through it out to the group first as I’m guessing there is a detailed map out there.

    The 270th Battery report mentions these locations:
    Dock 13
    Birdwood Camp, Changi
    North End of Causeway
    Johore Bahru
    South Coast Road, English School
    Johore Civil Service Club - Waterworks
    Johore / Ayer Hitam Road
    Bay West of Fairey Point
    Serangoon Road
    Punggol Road
    Punggol Point
    Upper Serangoon Road
    Changi Hospital
    Bukit Timah Road
    Mount Pleasant Road – Thomson Road
    Police Station – ½ mile along Thomson Road
    Mandalay Road
    Hill 105

    Are there similar reports for 45th Battery, 251st and 281st Batteries?
     
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  5. Walter

    Walter Junior Member

    Bruno - good to connect on here, sorry I've been lazy responding to emails - I've had little time for research this past year, but Andrew prodded me !

    I've not found any Battery reports for 281, my Dad's one. Can you share a copy of the 270 one so I know what to look out for ? Where did you find it ?
    Also, you mention Bukit Timah on the list - I believe (not sure) that Jon Cooper mentions antitank action there in the final days before the fall in his book.

    Let me know which map you go for, and if it's any good.
    I'm hoping to visit Singapore next year and I've been thinking it'd be good to compar old/new maps.
    (Was supposed to be this autumn but ... well you know the story, 2020 became 2021 !)
     

    Attached Files:

  6. bzaoral

    bzaoral Member

    Walter, it's the one you posted. 270 Bty 85ATk Jan-Mar42.jpeg
     
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  7. andrewe

    andrewe Member

    Charley - this is 270 Battery of 85th Anti-Tank Regiment. The same picture is in the photo section of “Life on the Death Railway – The Memoirs of a British POW” by Stuart Young. The caption under the photo says: “HQ 85th Anti-Tank Regiment RA. The photograph was taken in Clacton-on-Sea in October 1941 not long before deployment. Stuart captioned the original ‘Lambs to Slaughter’. Gunner Stuart Young is second from right, back row.”

    The 85th was formed in Clacton-on-Sea in Sept 1941 from four batteries: 45, 251, 270 and 281 Batteries, coming from different previous regiments. Stuart Young was in 270 Battery. Bill Reed, who wrote "Lost Souls of the River Kwai", was in 251, along with my grandfather Joseph Harper. William Tuttlebee (father of Walter Tuttlebee on this thread) was in 281.
     
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  8. andrewe

    andrewe Member

    Hey Bruno
    This photo from 8 Nov 1941 is of 251 Battery of 85th Anti-Tank regiment. My grandfather Joseph Harper, who is in the photo, retained a copy after the war. I see further down the thread that you have discussed gaining information on the photo from SOFO. The photo is also reproduced in Bill Reed's book "Lost Souls of the River Kwai". Reed was also in 251.

    From a handwritten note written by my grandfather, I have a list of the identities of 108 of the 140 men in this photograph, along with their positions in the picture, service numbers etc. Happy to share with anyone who is interested. Collating with the Nominal Roll allows some knowledge of their fates.

    Cheers

    Andrew
     
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  9. andrewe

    andrewe Member

    Hey Oxlade
    I am pretty confident that Gnr. W H J Blankoe 848495 (as he is listed in Army Records) is in the back row, 8th from the left, of the 251 photo. Does that look right? I have a list of most of the men from this picture and that is his listed location.

    Cheers
    Andrew
     
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  10. bzaoral

    bzaoral Member

    Andrew[/QUOTE]
    1941-11-08 251st Batt - 85th AT Rgmt RA - 6 row back - 8th from L - Gnr W H J Blencowe 848495.jpg
    Sorry, not the greatest resolution...6th row, 8th from left - Gnr Blencowe
     
  11. andrewe

    andrewe Member

    Update: Charley I made a mistake: Stuart Young was in Regimental HQ, rather than one of the four batteries. Just the sixty men in Regt HQ (as opposed to approx 140 in each Battery).
     
  12. makala looker

    makala looker New Member

    hi everyone been reading through and all of this is amazing, i am trying to find out more about my great great uncle that died in 1943 and is buried in Kanchanaburi, Patrick Clarence Gould service number 1558331, the photos that have been shared on here are of the 85th is that the whole regiment or separate parts of the regiment?? it would be good to know if he was in one the photos
     
  13. andrewe

    andrewe Member

    The Regiment was broken into four batteries, 45, 251, 270, 281, as well as an HQ Battery. The two photos on here are of 251 and HQ Battery. I am fairly sure Gould was not in 251, so perhaps he was in one of the others.
     
  14. bzaoral

    bzaoral Member

    Just to add to Andrew's comment...
    It is understood that there were about 620 men in the 85th AT as follows:
    140 men – 45th Battery
    140 men – 251st Battery
    140 men – 270th Battery
    140 men – 281st Battery
    60 men – HQ
     
  15. Michelle0408

    Michelle0408 Member

    my great grandfather was Hebert Moore from the 85th At regiment. He was a POW in Chengi for 4 years. He died in 1972, does nayone have any information or photos of him?
     
  16. bzaoral

    bzaoral Member

    Attached is a crop from one of the pages of the 85th AT Regiment, RA Nominal Roll. If this entry is your GG, he was sent up country (OVL) 24 June 1942 (from Changi). 85th AT Regmt RA Nominal Roll page 25 of 45 - Copy.jpeg
     
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  17. Michelle0408

    Michelle0408 Member

    Hi yes that’s my grandad. What does this mean he was sent up Country?
     
  18. bzaoral

    bzaoral Member

    "OVL" on the extract above is short for Overland, which means the men were sent up country, north to Malaya, Thailand and Burma.

    The largest group of men were sent up country in cattle cars in October of 1942. These men worked on the Death Railroad (from Ban Pong in Thailand to Thanbyuzayat in Burma). The POWs were lied to by the Japanese who said the prisoners could expect better food and better conditions (than Changi) in the camps up north. The POWs were taken from Changi to Singapore railway station and loaded onto cattle cars. The train trip to Ban Pong, Thailand lasted 5 days.

    I can only find a small group of men from the 85th that were sent OVL (Overland) in June of 42. This advance group built new prison camps and then must have ended up working on the Death Railroad too.
     
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  19. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Herbert Moore
    Japanese Index Card
    upload_2020-9-17_0-7-32.png
    and the reverse which unfortunately has no information except the date of his release 30/8/45.
    upload_2020-9-17_0-9-1.png
    Liberation Questionnaire (from COFEPOW website) showing the Camps he was in.
    upload_2020-9-17_0-13-5.png

    More info on the Camps can be found here: Death Railway

    Tim
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  20. Michelle0408

    Michelle0408 Member

    could you send me the whole roll page?
     

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