Japanese POW camp help please

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by Loujn, May 7, 2020.

  1. Loujn

    Loujn Junior Member

    Hi, I am researching the men named on our local WW2 memorial. One is a man named Reginald Cooke, he died on 26th May 1943 whilst a POW.

    According to newspaper reports he was at Java Camp. CWGC records state that he was originally buried at "Cape Marakee, Haroekoe"..."European Cemetery, Kario (Tg Marakee)"

    It also states that his body was reburied as part of the concentration exercise on 2nd February 1947. He is now buried at Ambon War Cemetery.

    I wonder if anyone can tell me anymore about where he was originally buried? or where I can find any more details please?

    To add to this, he was an Aircraftman 1st Class with the Volunteer Reserve RAF, he enlisted in Sept 1940, went to Singapore in May 1941 and was said to have escaped in February 1942. At Some point he was recaptured and made a POW, the International Red Cross officially confirmed his POW in April 1943.

    If anyone can suggest any further reading for me or any information on the camps in this area I would be most grateful - I have researched 85 WW1 fallen, but this is my first WW2 man and I am not very knowledgeable as yet!

    Thank you,
    Louise
     
  2. ozzy16

    ozzy16 Well-Known Member

    Hi Louise,

    Reginald, Graydon, Cooke.
    Born 1913.
    Died 26 May 1943. (Becillary Dysentery)
    Service no 1177719.
    The image below show's (top right corner) the name of a cemetery.??

    Hope this helps.

    Graham. cooke.jpg
     
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  3. JITTER PARTY

    JITTER PARTY Well-Known Member

    Haruku Island - Wikipedia

    He was captured at the fall of Java 08/03/42, and had presumably been evacuated, or escaped, from Malaya to Java.
     
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  4. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Here is his Japanese Index Card confirming his capture in Java 8/3/42. I'm not sure you have interpreted 'escape from Singapore' correctly. True to say he escaped capture in Singapore but this is most likely due to being transferred to Java prior to the Fall of Singapore. The RAF had moved a considerable number of RAF personnel to Singapore in anticipation of a large build up which never materialised. In the main these were ground crews, clerical staff etc., unarmed and untrained in a defensive role. As the situation worsened in Singapore many were evacuated to Sumatra and Java and a good few continued on to Australia/Ceylon.
    upload_2020-5-7_23-47-23.png
    upload_2020-5-7_23-47-49.png

    He would have been transferred from Java to Haruku leaving Java 22/4/43 and died shortly after arrival Haruku.
    Further information here: Haruku

    Tim
     
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  5. papiermache

    papiermache Well-Known Member

    Louise,

    The list in post 2 originated in the Japanese Prisoner of War Information Bureau ( PWIB ) which continued operating in Tokyo for several years after 1945 under United States guidance. It was originally made available at The National Archives ( TNA ) in April 2011 in file series WO 361. Because of the way Find My Past operates the original TNA file reference often becomes detached from the record but you can recover it if you press enough buttons in their online digital records. ( You may be able to access FMP for free through your local library reader's ticket in the current circumstances. I don't know because I haven't tried. When TNA is open FMP records can be accessed at Kew for free.)

    The card in post 4 was released at TNA in about 2008 in file WO 345/11. You can see the Japanese PWIB list references on the card " JH77 " and "JA 199" match the references on the form at post 2.

    There will be other files in WO 361 concerning RAF personnel prepared by the British POW Singapore based organisation known as the "Bureau of Record and Enquiry". These primarily use the service number of the POW, not the Japanese group 3 number of 1398, usually written as III/1398.

    Other RAF records may be at TNA under the AIR series. There may be records in Holland at the Dutch National Archives since Java was in the Netherlands East Indies. A bit of a trawl covering several archives but given your experience you will get the information. Good hunting.

    John
     
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  6. Loujn

    Loujn Junior Member

    Hi Graham, thank you very much for this information, I never expected to find out his cause of death, so thats an added bonus. I am however, shocked and saddened to read so many deaths all from the same terrible cause, it does bring it all to reality seeing all those names on one single page! thank you once again for your time, Louise
     
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  7. Loujn

    Loujn Junior Member

    Thank you for this information, the link to wikipedia is great also.
     
  8. Loujn

    Loujn Junior Member

    Tim, your explanation of the timeline is most appreciated, like I said in my original post I have much to learn on this topic so your comments are very helpful.

    The information which I had worked from regarding his capture and his "escape" was from the local newspaper report it stated "a few days before the fall of Singapore he escaped to Java where he was later taken prisoner". Obviously newspaper reports aren't trustworthy, so I am glad that you've clarified this for me.

    n his civilian life he worked in a clerical job, so I would guess that its likely he might have been clerical as you mentioned in your reply.

    Thank you for your help and explanation.
    Louise
     
  9. Loujn

    Loujn Junior Member

    John thank you for taking the time to explain where I can find further info. I will be adding this to my list of resources.

    I subscribe to Ancestry and FMP so I can access the FMP information, I will attempt to find the files later.

    The Japanese Index Cards - are they only available on the Fold website? I was going to save up who I need to look for then get a months subscription. I had the year subs for my WW1 research but i let it lapse.

    Thank you once again. Louise
     
  10. papiermache

    papiermache Well-Known Member

    Louise,

    WO345 is divided as the list below: add WO 345/ to the numbers given. I have seen every box which hold about 1,000 loose cards each, in order to access a few cards from each box. FMP arranged for them all to be photographed them and Kew will not take an order for the originals without special dispensation these days. FMP may allow you to go to the box by its reference but I thought it usually searched by name ( but I find this doesn't work very quickly.) However, once you get a card in front of you you can go to the cards before and after fairly easily and cover the whole box. You guess which number might lead you from one photo to another and insert a number in a box.

    With an Essex Libraries Readers card I am informed you can access the Library editions of both Ancestry and FMP but I haven't tried it.

    To see what an IJA card looks like the friends of the Dutch National Archives photographed the Dutch POW cards, transcribed the Dutch and Japanese, arranged for a translation, and made some of them ( conditional upon whether the ex-POW had died during or after the war ) available online. And, translated the transcriptions into English.

    To view examples go to the link. A search for "dysentery" brings up cards which had this as a cause of death inscribed.

    John

    Japanse interneringskaarten


    WO 345/

    1 Aaron - Angus
    2 Anholm - Bairstow
    3 Bakar - Bartsow
    4 Barugh - Benzie
    5 Bere - Bond
    6 Bone - Briggs
    7 Brigham - Buist
    8 Bulbeck - Camp
    9 Campbell - Chaplin
    10 Chapman - Clegg
    11 Cleggett - Cooke
    12 Cookman - Crewe
    13 Cribb - Davie
    14 Davies - Dickson
    15 Didd - Dunmore
    16 Dunn - Elworthy
    17 Ely - Fiford
    18 Figg - Fozzard
    19 Fradgley - Gazey
    20 Geach - Goodwill
    21 Goodwin - Griffin
    22 Griffith - Hance
    23 Hancock - Haswell
    24 Hatch - Heyworth
    25 Hiam - Holme
    26 Holmes - Hulin
    27 Hull - Jamieson
    28 Jancey - Jones R
    29 Jones S - King L
    30 King M - Lawrence
    31 Lawrenson - Litten
    32 Little - McCole
    33 McColgan - McMinn
    34 McMoreland - Martin
    35 Martindale - Miller H
    36 Miller J - Morrill
    37 Morris - Needham
    38 Neen - Oldcorn
    39 Oldershaw - Parsonage
    40 Parsons - Peyton
    41 Phair - Poynton
    42 Pragnell - Rayson
    43 Rea - Rixson
    44 Roach - Rostron
    45 Rote - Schofield
    46 Scholes - Shilling
    47 Shillingford - Smith E
    48 Smith F - Spencer
    49 Spendelow - Stones
    50 Stonham - Taylor F
    51 Taylor G - Thynne
    52 Tibbett - Twatt
    53 Tweddell - Walmsley
    54 Walpole - Weeks
    55 Wegg - Wigzell
    56 Wilburn - Wilson
    57 Wilthew - Wurra
    58 Wyatt - Zuzarte
     
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  11. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Fold 3 (7 day free trial and then £6.62 per month - no need for an annual sub) lists the Japanese Index Cards by Box No.
    Ronnie Taylor has just completed the mammoth task of listing all FEPOWs giving an index to the relevant Box. He is now going through adding more detail to the list but I think so far he is only up to the Bs. Using his list at British FEPOWs it is then very easy to find the Card in Fold 3.
    Fold 3 also contains many of the BRE files from the WO 361 series.

    Tim
     
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  12. Loujn

    Loujn Junior Member



    John - thank you very much for this - most helpful, i'll hopefully get the hang of finding the cards as I get more experience. I'll have a look at the Dutch National Archives now also. Thanks again.
     
  13. Loujn

    Loujn Junior Member

    Tim, again, thank you for this information, lots of tips from you guys, I appreciate your time and help. I've just spent most of the weekend frantically working my way through the 19 WW2 and the 85 WW1 soldiers, plus then my own WW2 and WW1 family soldiers, to download everything I could find whilst Fold3 has had a free weekend. Very successful I might add, However, I know have more information to add to many of the WW1 soldiers stories as I found the pension cards which I hadn't found before! all good stuff though. Thanks again. Louise
     
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