JAP POW;S Civilians

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by Terence Murphy, May 6, 2017.

  1. Terence Murphy

    Terence Murphy New Member

    Hello everybody.
    Can I introduce myself.
    My name is Terence Joseph Murphy and I would like some help in tracing two manuscripts my father Joseph Dennis Murphy completed on his release from internment in Singapore,detailing his time spent as a P O W.
    If I could elaborate My father was born in 1921 so He was roughly 21 at the time,He sailed on this trip Empress of Asia with his pal Cliff Rusk both from the Liverpool area Seaforth He was born in Verdi Street which was adjacent to the Greyhound stadium.
    Both their names are listed on the crew manifest for the trip
    So there is The Proud Empress sailing along around Keppel in a convoy, two weeks previous Pearl Harbour was attacked but at the time The Japs hadnt actually declared war on us.
    Half a dozen Jap bombers flew over dropped a bomb but missed,shortly after to return and hit the Empress turning her into a blazing wreck.
    I know my father made it to land after clinging to a raft and actually saved a soldiers life believe it or not he met up with him by chance at the Mersey Mission In Liverpool many many years later,when the soldier asked my Dad "Dont you know who I am you saved my life on that raft",thats all my Dad said as he never ever spoke about his time as a P O W.
    Now returning to his capture and because He was a civilian,His pay stopped the minute He was Captured unlike servicemen also there was absolutely no word as to His welfare and the Japs kept any food parcels etc. The catering crew volunteered to help at the Hospital whilst the Deck and Engineering dept managed to get well away.Because of My Dads status as a Civilian records are more difficult to trace
    After about two weeks Singapore fell and one of the first places the Japs decided to show how they treated was to massacre nurses and doctors and patients at the Hospital its hard to imagine that these little people mostly with glasses and supposed to be civilized could inflict such pain and atrocities to fellow human beings.During my Fathers time at both Gaols He was tortured whilst being caught looking through the bins for food,He was bayoneted in the leg and also had white hot bamboo shoots placed down his thumb nail.
    I just thought I had to tell the Story and its something I have difficulty understanding let alone the Likes of my Dad and his mate Cliff who, incidentally took to the bottle and was found dead in a entry.

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