Not sure how to even start researching this, any help really appreciated. Yesterday I was chatting with a work colleague about WW2. He started talking about the Burma Death Railway. I flippantly said that my granddad (now deceased) was actually a POW in Burma and helped build the railway. My colleague was shocked as many people died making the railway (I did know this already but just never considered quite how important it was until now). It was something my Grandad never discussed with my Dad, also he mentioned a few details to me when I was young and gave me all his medals (something I now feel SO guilty about now as at the time I was that young I had no idea what they meant, I even took them into school once to ‘show off’ and the school phoned my mum about it, it’s awful I know but honestly I about 9 or 10 years old). The medals are somewhere (hopefully) in my parents house, I asked them last night and they admitted they have no idea where they are. So now I’m in research mode and want as much info as possible on this subject. I’ve ordered a book written by a survivor so I can get an idea what they went through. But I want my Grandads details the most. Has anyone on here ever researched anything like this or would you know where to start?! The websites I’ve found so far are not very user friendly and I’ll have to spend 1 night really going through them. All the details (quite literally) that I have are as follows: His name was Alexander Edward McClure (also known as Alec McClure aka MAC). He was a tank mechanic. He was taken to Burma (or somewhere around there) by boat, when he landed the Japanese were waiting on the shore and he was captured instantly. He was in a POW camp and was put to work on the railway. He wore a ‘badge’ with a canon on that had wheels. He had been trained for desert warfare but during his time in Burma was working in the ‘jungle’. I asked him once if he’d killed anyone (you say silly things when you’re a child) he sheepishly responded and said he’d "killed a couple of japs”. Also he said there were ant hills in the jungle taller than he was. He lived in Ickleford, Hertfordshire. Which is near Hitchin. I remember he gave me at least 3 medals he had won, one of which was the ‘Burma Star’. He once showed me a photo of himself and a number of other men stood next to a finished railway bridge they had built. I am sure all the men had bald heads and long scruffy beards. That’s about it really. It has just never hit me how remarkable it was that he went through that and survived. Namely I would say because he never discussed it with my Dad so we know very little about it. Now…………..where do I go from here!? Its something I feel strongly about and would like it documented as thoroughly as possible so I can tell my children (whenever that may be, I have none at present!) about him. Thanks.
Hi it sounds as though he was in the Royal Artillery from the description of his badge, there are many books on the Far East prisoners of war, and also a lot of art by such people as Ronald Searle who did the St Trinians Cartoons and books. Here are a some links that may help www.cofepow.org.uk/ www.fepow-community.org.uk www.fepow.org.uk/
Hi Peter, On the COFEPOW (Children of Far East Prisoners of War) website there is the possiblity of searching for POW details. Your Grandad was a Gunner as you say and according to these records his service number was 919932 and he was captured on 15/02/1942. This date is typical for that situation and revolves around the fall of many SE Asian territories to the Japanese, most notebly Singapore. My advice would be to use the details above to send off for his service records at the MOD offices in Glasgow. Also at the National Archives, Kew, London, there may be two documents held about your Grandad's time as a POW. One is called a Japanese Index Card, this was simply a registration of his existence as a POW and may contain details of his time as a prisoner. The other is a liberation questionnaire, these were sometimes filled out by POW's after they had been liberated in 1945. If someone does not beat me to it, I will post all the relevant information about searching for his documents at the Archives and post the address for the Records office. Best wishes. Steve.
Hello Pete, welcome to the forum and best wishes for your ongoing research, believe me, it can be very rewarding.
Pete, Sound advice from Steve with regards for obtaining your Grandfathers Service Record, which, unless your Grandfather was Professional Soldier before the war started, may be fairly thin on details, but the only way of finding out is to obtain them. Two websites for the records you can look at. service records army Army Personnel Centre - British Army Website Regards Tom
Thank you so much everyone for the speedy responses. I will follow your advice to the letter and let you know how I get on. Great advice, many many thanks. Pete
Thank-you for the welcome. Two things I don't understand... Was he a mechanic? Or a gunner? I honestly am not clued up on this so assume he was a gunner that also has skills as a tank mechanic? He said he killed a couple of Japanese people, how would this be possible if he was captured as soon as he arrived? Could this be untrue. Many thanks again guys.
The best thing would be to look at his Army records and scan and post here for advice on anything you do not understand. It will tell you what he employment grades were and by identifying his unit you will be able to ask about their war diaries if they still exist
Now I have his service number is there a quick way of finding out other details online? Or does it all require posting forms and visiting place? I just have a thirst for more knowledge after seeing his service number.
Pete, I know the feeling you have, family history can be addictive, so try and ration it a bit!! I can't help with your grandfathers Service, but I think he must have known this guy very well, and it seems to fit with the events you describe happened to your grandfather... Note his Service Number.... Name: COX, NORMAN DOUGLAS. Rank: Gunner. Regiment/Service: Royal Artillery. Unit Text: 135 (The Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regt. Age: 23. Date of Death: 11/07/1943. Service No: 919933 Additional information: Son of Arthur Stanley Cox and Ruth Sarah Cox, of Graveley, Hertfordshire. Grave/Memorial Reference: Coll. grave 10. F. 2-10. L. 4. Cemetery: KANCHANABURI WAR CEMETERY
Ok ok, I will slow down a bit. What makes you like my Grandad knew this fellow? His details do all sound very similar to my Grandads, where did you get this from? Thanks.
Aye Pete, I edited out the personal name & area above, this is a public site and it's perhaps not a good idea to add such details, particularly with someone you may wish to deal with at some point. (You can edit your own posts if you get the urge.) Are you anywhere near the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire? The National Memorial Arboretum - Welcome to the National Memorial Arboretum website A visit to the COFEPOW hut, Changi Lychgate, and sections of the railway they have there is a good way to make some awareness of the Japanese PoW experience fall on you like a ton of bricks. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-cemeteries-war-memorial-research/13215-national-memorial-arboretum-armed-forces-memorial.html The Burma Railway Memorial: The Lychgate from Changi POW cemetery: & the original plans for it as displayed in the COFEPOW building: Good Luck, ~A
Pete, Sound advice from Steve with regards for obtaining your Grandfathers Service Record, which, unless your Grandfather was Professional Soldier before the war started, may be fairly thin on details, but the only way of finding out is to obtain them. Two websites for the records you can look at. Army Personnel Centre - British Army Website Regards Tom Seconded - All research starts with Service Records. Until you get them you could be wasting time researching all the wrong things. Ie My Mrs was told by the family her grandfather served at Dunkirk with one unit. Turns out he never went to France in 1940 and served in 3 different regiments once we got his service records. Cheers Andy
Apologies for the personal reference. I need to think sometimes before speaking / typing. Thanks for editing it. Many thanks again to all for the info. Will let you know how I get on.
Hello again, just wanted to confirm a few things... My Grandads Unit and Division is listed as 1/55VF. What does this mean exactly? Tried searching on google in the hope of some more information and nothing came up? Thanks to Kevin on this forum I now know he was part of The Hertfordshire Yeomanry, I assume it was the Hitchin Division. Is there anywhere I could search for photos of people from this division in Burma? I really want to find that photo of him next to the Bridge he'd built. Any ideas? Many thanks again for all this help.
The chap I posted (Gunner Cox) had the very next Service Number, thanks to combing the CWGC database via Geoffs Search Engine. I therefore assumed that either at Recruiting Office or in training they would have noticed the similar numbers. Sometimes they became best friends. The details seemed to tie in with what you had posted. As regards the photo, perhaps a trawl on Google for the Burma Railway, Kanchanaburi, good old Bridge over River Kwai etc might turn it up.... Also worth a contact to COFEPOW while you wait for up to a year for his Service Record. In the meantime, use the Search facility here for any threads on the Burma Railway, Japanese PoW and Hell Ships..... I'm sure more expert Pals will have more helpful suggestions, too...
