Remembering LAC Wilfred Holbrook and LAC Norman Parker, 2739 Squadron RAF Regiment

i would be very grateful for any information regarding my uncle norman.i would like to know exactly how he died that nignt as there is so many different accounts on how he was killed. we have just found his grave in jakarta after all this time. yours greatfully norma.

 

Hello Cronin and Purchase

Have you applied for his service records.
Cost £30 and possibly up to a year wait.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence/about/publication-scheme#service-records---requests-for-service-records-of-deceased-service-personnel-and-home-guard

PARKER, NORMAN

Rank:
Leading Aircraftman
Service No:
1777072
Date of Death:
11/06/1946
Age:
23
Regiment/Service:
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

2739 Sqdn, R.A.F. Regt.
Grave Reference
2. E. 1.
Cemetery
JAKARTA WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Hugh and Mary E. Parker, of Newcastle-on-Tyne.
CWGC - Casualty Details

HOLBROOK, WILFRED

Rank:
Leading Aircraftman
Service No:
1579140
Date of Death:
11/06/1946
Age:
25
Regiment/Service:
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

2739 Sqdn, R.A.F. Regt.
Grave Reference
2. D. 12.
Cemetery
JAKARTA WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Mrs. Ethel Holbrook, of Long Eaton, Derbyshire.
CWGC - Casualty Details


post #4 on this thread has the headstone photographs.

regards
Clive

 

I too am just browsing - actually looking for information on my Dad - Eric James Thompson who was in the Royal Signal Corp, I think. He would never talk about his war experiences - he died in 1975 at age 52 and the only love of his life, my Mom died a couple of years ago.

 

Hi cronin and purchase and welcome

I've pretty much posted all I know about this incident on this thread - see posts #1 and #2. The only other source of information that you might want to try is the "war diary" (the "operations record book") for No. 2739 Squadron, RAF Regiment. It's in the National Archives - reference no. AIR29/81. The catalogue entry is here: | The National Archives. The appendices to the operations record book are here - | The National Archives

You might also want to have a look at this thread on RAF men at Medan airfield in 1946, some of whom are RAF Regiment as far as I can tell - http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/people-ww2/49999-raf-medan-unidentified-men-can-anyone-help.html. Who knows, your uncle might be one of them for all I know.

I tried without success to contact the person who bought the war time photograph of Norman Parker's grave. Drop me a personal message and I'll send you details of the seller. Maybe if a relative gets in touch, he'll have more success in spurring the buyer into replying.

Do you have any photographs of Norman Parker and, if so, do you think you could post one here? Might be a nice way to round off the thread and remember him and LAC Holbrook.

Cheers

Ian

 

Just a quick update.

A bit of internet digging suggests that AIR 28/529 - | The National Archives - which relates to Medan in the period when this incident took place, may be another place where a record of the incident might be found. According to a commercial family history website, AIR 28/529 contains over 200 names of RAF personnel. It may also then contain information generally about events at Medan.

Ian

 

3 photos as an attatchment hopefully, 118[/ATTACH]



View attachment 96924 First photo LAC N Parker. Second photo his original grave. Third photo the military funeral of Wilfred and Norman at Manggaan, Sumatra

 

Thanks very much for posting these photos, cronin. Your uncle looks so young. So many were, I suppose. My grandfather was a little unusual in that he was 30 when he was called up.

I wonder if any of the men in the third photo are also in the Medan photos on the other thread?


Cheers

Ian

 

With enormous thanks to Dr Nigel Warwick, Corps Historian of the RAF Regiment, who visited the National Archives to obtain these records, here are the relevant entries from the Operations Record Book of 2739 Squadron, including an appendix with a report and a map, as well as the entry from the ORB for RAF Medan.






I'll transcribe these as soon as I can for the sake of search engines and the like.

For information, the RAF Regiment guards attacked were on duty guarding an HFDF station, which I understand is a High Frequency Direction Finding station (known as a "Huff Duff" apparently). It's purpose was to listen for radio broadcasts and work out where they were coming from (rather than listening to what was actually being broadcast).

Cheers

Ian

 

Thanks for posting Ian - and please pass on my thanks to Dr Warwick. I'm going to print off the map and reports and post them to my grandad. He showed me some photos of the airfield including the bunker they lived in so i wonder if he can pick it out on the map. If i can i'll try and add some of the pics here.
Thanks again
Joel

 

Here are transcripts of the records posted in post #28

AIR 29/81 No. 2739 Squadron RAF Regiment Operations Record Book

11 June 1946

On Tuesday, 11th June at approximately 01.30 hours, H.D.-D.F. Post attacked by forty Indonesians. A short bloody battle ensued which resulted in our casualties being two dead (LACs HOLBROOK and PARKER) and two seriously wounded (LACs SMITH and GRAHAM), three suffering from shock (LACs HIGGS, CAST and LAWRENCE).

The Indonesians attacked in two groups and LAC HOLBROOK took on one group single handed until he was cut down with swords. Funeral of the two deceased airmen was held at 15.00 hours the same day and was conducted by S/Ldr. the Rev. MAYO, Padre. Full military honours were accorded the men. The bearers and firing party were supplied by the Squadron and escort by RAF personnel. Full report on the incident is attached – Appendix “B”.


AIR 29/81 Appendix “B”
REPORT ON ATTACK ON H.D.-D.F. GUARDS
MONDAY, 10th JUNE 1946

The first attack on this site occurred at approximately 21.00 hours, this was on the usual scale of a few rounds of rifle fire. It was answered by rifle fire and ceased very quickly.

The second attack occurred at approximately 01.30 hours and from reports it was carried out by some 40 Indonesians. There was no warning of the attack and the first knowledge was an explosion as of a hand grenade from the direction of Square Wood, almost immediately two further parties attacked the Guard from either side in their tented area with swords and knives. A considerable fight ensued in which 4 Indonesians were killed and the remainder dispersed. Squadron casualties were 2 killed and 2 seriously wounded.

The Guard at this site consisted of 65 airmen and LAC HOLBROOK in charge, and in an extremely exposed position. After this attack started they were able to report the situation to Defence HQ’s Corporal BENNET immediately took charge in the absence of the Station Orderly Sergeant and carried out the following procedure:

1. Roused the Squadron in the Basha.
2. Called for an Ambulance.
3. Phoned Station Orderly Officer.

Station Orderly Officer telephoned to myself and in the company of F/O Crompton and F/O Mercer I moved to Defence HQ. The remainder of the Squadron was divided into two parts, one under myself and the other under F/O Crompton and we moved off to the H.D.- D.F. Site. On arrival a screen was thrown round it and the four casualties evacuated to hospital. The remaining three were taken to S.S. to be treated for shock.

The Guard consisted of:

1579140 LAC HOLBROOK, W. GUNNER (V) i/c
1777072 LAC PARKER, N. GUNNER (V)
1739518 LAC SMITH, R. GUNNER (V)
1795855 LAC GRAHAM, A. GUNNER (V)
1628546 LAC LAWRENCE, L. GUNNER (V)
1738318 LAC CAST, A.L. GUNNER (V)
1735450 LAC HIGGS, H.R. GUNNER (V)

The first two were killed, Smith is very seriously wounded, Graham seriously wounded and the remainder suffering from shock.
From the reports of the last three there is no doubt that LAC Holbrook led his men extremely well and advanced on the main attack with complete disregard for his own safety until he was cut down. Also the whole attack was made against the Guard and not the H.F.-D.F. installations.

It is also pointed out that we are not allowed to use mines or booby traps in this area. One rifle was lost as a result of the attack.

[Signed – Williams S/Ldr​

11 June 1946]​

AIR 28/529 RAF MEDAN OPERATIONS RECORDS BOOK
SUMMARY OF EVENTS

2739 SQDN, RAF REGIMENT
11th June 1946

At approx. 01.30 hours the H.F.D.F. Station was attacked by 40 Indonesians which resulted in the deaths of LACs HOLBROOK and PARKER with 2 LACs SMITH and GRAHAM seriously wounded. The attack was carried out by 2 groups. LAC HOLBROOK took on 1 group, single handed until he was cut down by swords. Full Military honours were accorded to the two airmen.

Following the attack the H.F.D.F. Station was pulled in and arrangements were made with the 28th Ind. Div. for a mortar detachment to guard the approaches to the airfield from the south until further notice.

 

It was my HD/DR installation the Regiment was guarding. I was getting ready to go out to the site for my watch that night but was told it had been cancelled.The next day I was shocked to be told of the slaughter that night. This has brought back memories and I have wept.

 

Read,
It would be great to hear some first hand stories of your tour in Sumatra.

Steve

 

Chick very interesting post and nice research and follow ups, kinda thread I like! all the best Jason.

 

After 9 months in Burma, as a mobile wireless operator, and the Japanese surrender I was transferred to Medan, Sumatra, via Singapore.
They had enough operators for communications so I filled a spot in the D/F section. We were under constant attack by insurgents and after the slaughter on the far side of the airfield my hut was placed closer to the main administration area. In addition a field gun section of 6 artillery guns was station next to me. It was then decided I would better be employed elsewhere and was sent to Sabang off the tip of Sumatra as wireless operator for a radio beacon for flights between Colombo and Malaya. I finished up my tour in Singapore.

 

Hi "read", and a very warm welcome to the forum.

I'm so sorry reading about and remembering this has caused you to be upset but thank you for your posts. Remembering these things can be hard. My own grandfather never really spoke about his own experiences after he came home. Re-adjusting to civilian life was a struggle for him (and many others).

Causing upset was never my intention - which was to pay proper respect as best I could to the men who died, having seen the photo of LAC Holbrook's grave for sale on eBay and deciding to "rescue" it. It was then luck that relatives of LAC Parker, who were looking for information about their uncle, stumbled upon the thread and we were able to help them.

And now here you are! One of the positive things about the internet is the fact that one person can put a bit of information up on it, and then others searching for it can stumble upon it and provide more pieces of the jigsaw until you end up with more of the picture. Things that might have been forgotten are preserved, and people who might never have known that each other existed or that they had anything in common are brought together, even if only virtually.

Doesn't happen often but I share wtid45's sentiments - this is my favourite kind of thread too.

So thank you again.

Cheers

Ian

 

While digging around on the other thread about RAF Medan, I discovered another account of the attack in this book - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coventrys-Unsung-Heroes-Veterans-Photographs/dp/0750942649/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421677064&sr=1-1&keywords=9780750953252 - which I've now managed to acquire.

The story is related by Frank Rushton (details on the other thread) and I include excerpts of the relevant paragraphs below. Thanks to Caroline Freeman-Cuerden, the author, for agreeing to this. Not sure if Frank was at Medan at the time of the attack (there is reference to him going Pedang to be demobbed) but if he wasn't there he must have gotten the information from his comrades who were.

“When we’d finished up at Ramree we were sent to Cox’s Bazaar in India and this is where we were when we heard they’d dropped the atom bomb. They said it was a big bomb but we didn’t know quite what it was.

When the war ended out there everything went mad. The authorities suddenly found they had a situation. We’d got Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indo-China, the Dutch East Indies, all these areas that were loaded with Japanese prisoners….

My squadron, 2837 Squadron and 2739 Squadron were sent over to Sumatra. Our job was to get all the Japanese and hold it until the Dutch arrived. The locals wanted their independence and we were warned that they’d started causing mayhem, they didn’t want the Dutch back. We had strict instructions to keep out of that. We tried very hard to get the Indonesians to understand that we weren’t there to stop them having their independence, that it was nothing to do with us. We were only there to do a policing job until everything settled down. It’s terrible, but in the end we had more casualties in Sumatra than we did in Burma.

…

It was a very tense time in Sumatra. I actually felt fear for the first time there. Everybody was on edge. The biggest fear was of being attacked. We were so far away from any help, just by this little airstrip. We were in an enclosed barbed-wire area.

Monday 24th June 1946
No mail. Didn’t write again and am feeling really down for things are getting very dicey here now. No shooting tonight but had hardly any sleep. Lost appetite, could do with some leave badly.

Tuesday 25th June 1946
Mail. Olive/mum/Babs/Don. Made an effort to write and not very satisfied with it but must try and tell how things stand. Hope she understands. Shooting again tonight, God, when will we be out of here?

There were about 100 of us and a few huts. We had tents and what they called bashas made of palm leaves. Fifteen of us would sleep in one, off the floor on wooden beds. At night the locals would hang around the outside of the wire and throw things just to keep you awake, just to keep you frightened. If they had attacked us in numbers we would have been in trouble. We had a bloke who was so bad with nerves that he used to sleep with a cocked gun and loads of tin cans all round his tent so if anyone went in he swore blind he would open fire. He gradually got worse over the months. They took him down to the hospital in the end. I think quietly we all suffered from nerves.

One night about forty Indonesians attacked our camp. Six of our lads were involved, three killed. The raid upset us all. I served with the men in my flight from the day I went to Blackpool until the day I came out. One of them went in the same day as me. He was one of the lads who they went for that night. While they were attacking him in his bed he managed to turn the bed over, roll underneath the flaps of the tent and then ran like hell to get help. He ran the whole length of the airfield in bare feet, with just a pair of pants on. He was from Birmingham. We stayed together right through to the day he left, and I still phone him now. He’s a smashing bloke.

One of the lads who died had only got three weeks until he went home. The frightening thing was it could have been me. It had been a matter of him or me going to Pedang. I went in the end because my number was much bigger than his for demob so they kept him back at the camp and sent me. If it had been the other way round it could have been me killed.”

 

Hello , I'm new to this site as trying to find out some information on my grandfather who served with 2739 Squadron. Somewhere I have a letter that was sent to him by one of friends telling him about this horrible incident.

 

My grandfather was good friends with Holbrook and Parker when he served with them in 2739 Squadron.

 

Hi Shadow Storm,
Would love to hear more of your fathers story.

Regards

Steve

 

I will try and scan the letter and get it online.