ROYAL ENGINEERS & MERCHANT NAVY- BEVAN, Thomas Douglas

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by ANZAC AUSTRALIA, Feb 15, 2022.

  1. I am seeking assistance to provide War Service details for the above Service Man to his 81 year old son in Western Australia. I have a copy of a comprehensive letter written by BEVAN to his son dated July 1995 in which he details his World War 2 & Korean War Service . Some of the details are astonishing and have never been published. I can provide the following clues:-
    Royal Engineers Service - 31/12/1941-17/04/1942 & 13/03/1943-22/09/1944 ( Includes Evacuation from Singapore, rafting to West Coast of an Island with 28 fellow seamen from sinking ship with 400 women, children & Government Officials on board- very few survivors,, enduring 5 months running , hiding, fighting Japanese until meeting a Coast Watcher near the Island's West Coast, with only 9 of the original 29 surviving to this point, 2 American Submarines rescued BEVAN, the other 8 seamen, the Coast Watcher and his 6 Assistants, transporting them to a Base in Colombo. BEVAN also has a Discharge Document- R323607 and a Reference ME/11005551. He also states he was ordered to report to the Admiralty and transferred to Falmouth for training with the British Tank Landing Program " Combined Operation " under Admiral Louis MOUNTBATTEN. Subsequently appointed Lieutenant Commander & participated in " D " Day landings, before involvement in joint operations in Phillipines, attached to Americans. He states he was attached to Combined Intelligence in Manila, Phillipines in January 1946 for a number of years. There is much more in this letter, but I thought I would provide the above details as a starting discussion. I also have a photo of BEVAN ( Merchant Navy Uniform as a Master/Chief Engineer & his wife, labelled Japan 1945. BEVAN'S Australian Navy Service File is sealed to the Public until 2028. At BEVAN,S death bed in 1998, a senior Australian Defence Official told BEVAN's son that he should investigate his father's War Service which was very significant in Australia's history. His son only saw BEVAN four times in his life, and now wishes to investigate his Father's history, and fears at 81 years of age he may have left his investigations too late. He would sincerely apprec DSC03734.JPG iate any assistance to uncover the truth about his Father. Regards, JEFF PEIRCE.
    www.anzacheroes.com.au
     
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  2. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    Jeff,

    Welcome aboard. Others may come along and help. Always apply for his Service Record, even if the turnaround is reported as a year plus now. See: Request records of deceased service personnel

    Upload the records here once you've obtained them and then the forum can get to work on them. Please do not pay for any site on the internet who promise you his service records they will not have them, and you would have wasted your money.

    Is it possible to zoom in on the medals in the photo, even if B&W some here might be able to discern what they are for.

    The cuffs appear to be Royal navy, not Merchant Navy. I am relying on online searches. So first the Merchant Navy 'Chief Engineer 4 Row' has an entwined diamond via: Chief Engineer 4 Row Entwined Diamond MN Purple 3/8 Cuff – Miller Rayner Or via Ebay:
    [​IMG]

    I am aware of the Australian Coastwatchers - Wikipedia but thought they area of deployment was nowhere near Singapore and Wiki alas does not mention when or where they were deployed (oddly the NZ equivalent's area is given). See: Coastwatcher’s last mission | Department of Veterans' Affairs

    Looked further and they Coastwatchers were activated in 1939! See mention in a book: https://www.google.co.uk/books/edit...tchers+deployed&pg=PA1215&printsec=frontcover

    Have you any details of his place of birth, date of birth, rank in the Royal Engineers and which unit he was with? My assumption is that he was British, not Australian.

    It appears he transferred to Royal Australian Navy in 1944, is that correct?

    If his Australian service record is sealed till 2028, is that confirmed in their archives or just part of the information you have? Could the date 2028 suggest his year of birth? If the record is sealed then other measures could have been taken to reduce his public record listing, notably as a RAN officer.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2022
  3. Thanks for your reply. Royal Navy is probably right, as he mentions being ordered to the Admiralty on a number of occasions. Because his Australian Navy service File is closed until 2028, I presume his Korea Service was with the RAN. I am really stumped as he switches from Australian to British Service , mostly working with Americans and ended up in Counter Intelligence until 1959. I am slowly proving each of the claims in the letter to his son, however the British Service Records system is beyond me. Trust someone can help.
     
  4. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    I am not an expert of obtaining British Army records, but having looked you need to complete the two forms (as best you can, so a Date of Birth or Service No. is required) and send a cheque. Others will - hopefully - chime in.
     
  5. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Hi

    Closest I can find in British Army Casualties 1939-1945 on FMP is a Driver T R Bevan who went missing in Malaya in 1942.

    His service number suggests he was in the RASC prior to joining the REs. That would also explain why I found nothing when searching the REs database on FMP.


    upload_2022-2-15_10-44-13.png

    Hope this helps

    Gus
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2022
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  6. Hugh MacLean

    Hugh MacLean Senior Member

    Hi and welcome,
    The photo shows him in the Merchant Navy.

    With regard to his Merchant Navy service I can tell you the following; He has two Merchant Navy pouches probably best to obtain both. He appears to have two discharge numbers
    R 323607 and R 672532 - One of them will have been cancelled in favour of the other. Both pouches are held at TNA Kew in pieces:
    BT 372/798/6 and BT 372/2047/140

    He has a MN WW2 medal file which I have attached

    tdb.PNG
    He was awarded the 1939-45 Star, The Atlantic Star, The Africa Star and the War Medal.

    *You really need his full MN service record which I will give you a link to when I have some time.

    Added
    * His MN service record called a form CRS 10 is held at Kew in piece BT 382/123 or if he served after 1965 then look here: BT 382/2088 - The CRS 10 will give details of all his ships including dates and ports of engagement and discharge but you cannot get this file online you will need to visit TNA Kew or employ a researcher to copy for you.
    Regards
    Hugh
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2022
  7. Sincere thanks Hugh,
    I will attempt to attach IMG 109 & 110, which are the only clues I have to BEVAN's Service, other than what he states in his letter dated 1995, written to his son, shortly before he died in 1996. BEVAN's RAN File is sealed until 2028 ( He stated being a Full Term Korean War veteran, transferring troops and supplies ).
    I am also keen to prove his Royal Artillery Service, which appears to match his presence at the Evacuation of Singapore and subsequent battles with the Japanese for 5 months, before being rescued with 8 other seaman by American submarines. There are also lots of additional service details that I need to prove, before I am convinced of the full extent of BEVAN,s operations from 1941-1959. His son is keen to meet costs associated with all Research, so you may be able to help further in this regard, or put us in contact with someone to undertake this work.

    Kind Regards,

    JEFF. img109.jpg img109.jpg img110.jpg
     
  8. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    Two updates from Anzac Australia via PM:

    1) His Australian Navy Service Files are sealed until 2028 (75 years after the cessation of the Korean War in 1953 ).

    2) Bevan was in the Royal ARTILLERY, not Engineers as previously advised
     
  9. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Hi

    Found a hit on RA Attestations on FMP using the SN 11005551.



    upload_2022-2-16_9-42-55.png

    Still nothing found on Ancestry's RA Tracer Card database.

    Hope this helps

    Gus
     
  10. Thanks so much, Gus.
    Can you confirm the full meaning of the red instruction to the right under 6/8 Enlist.
    Your help sincerely appreciated.

    Regards,

    JEFF.
     
  11. Hugh MacLean

    Hugh MacLean Senior Member

    Jeff,
    I am struggling a little with the fact that he appears to have served in the army from Dec 1941 - Sept 1944 and yet appears in 1945 in Japan as a four ringer Merchant Navy officer?
    Is this the same man? Thomas Douglas Bevan - Our Contribution
    Regards
    Hugh
     
    timuk likes this.
  12. YES. His Australian Records are also comprehensive, having served twice pre-war in the Militia, then twice in the Army and also in the RAAF. In his letter he states he re-joins the HMAS Canberra in second half of 1941.
    His letter is comprehensive and I am trying to prove his statements, and so far his descriptions have proven correct.

    Regards,

    JEFF.
     
  13. Waddell

    Waddell Well-Known Member

    Something a little odd here looking through the document from the War Office records. It doesn't sound feasible that a man who enlisted without previous experiences as a gunner on 31/12/41 would be sent immediately to Singapore with the Royal Artillery when he was awarded the Africa Star.

    Similarly, regarding the image of him in Navy uniform there seem to be a lot of medals on his chest for a photograph taken in 1945.

    I recommend searching his name on Trove. There are a few newspaper reports concerning him.

    Australian had six wives - The Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954) - 16 Mar 1950

    You will certainly need his service records. Tread carefully.

    Scott
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2022
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  14. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    From Liverpool Echo 03/07/46.

    upload_2022-2-16_11-23-43.png


    Gus
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2022
    Hugh MacLean and timuk like this.
  15. Thanks Scott,

    Have thoroughly researched Trove and had suspicions, once details were known. However, each item in his letter regarding his Service Record to date, has checked out.
    What really resonates with his son was that when he arrived in Darwin 30 minutes after his Father's death, after being urgently summoned from Western Australia, the Defence dignitary present from Canberra said to the son - " You must look up your Fathers Service Record as it is significant in Australia's History ". This statement may have been in relation to his Korean Service, we are not sure.
    In relation to his British Service beyond the Army, he states he trained with the British Ship Tank Landing Program after being sent to Falmouth and appointed Lieutenant Commander, later involved in the " D' day landing attached to the Americans. I need to see his Navy/Merchant Navy records to see if his claims are believable.

    Regards,

    JEFF.
     
  16. Waddell

    Waddell Well-Known Member

    Jeff,

    The problem I see from that article being that if he was jailed for three years in March 1950 then he couldn't have served in Korea.

    Scott
     
  17. Yes, it appears that way.
    However, his Australian Navy file is closed until 2028, which correlates to the 75 year anniversary of the cessation of the Korean War in 1953.
    Believe me, I have been very suspicious since first reading his letter. To date, I have not been able to disprove any of his claims. I am very cautious about many of his claims and I do not want to provide misleading information to his son, who is a very successful businessman in Western Australia.
    Regards,

    JEFF.
     
  18. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    This more than a puzzle.

    Jeff refers in Post 1 to:
    As we know the campaign in Malaya was quick, the siege of Singapore took place 8-15/2/1942, ending with the surrender. So he leaves HMAS Canberra somewhere at sometime and appears in Singapore, where in two documents in Post 7, dated 5/1/1959, they refer to his 'Service with the Colours' with the Royal Artillery 31/12/1941-17/4/1942 and 13/3/1943-22/9/1944. Australia having declared war on Japan on 7/12/1941.

    Jeff writes in Post 12:
    Wiki for the period refers to:
    From: HMAS Canberra (D33) - Wikipedia

    To the convoy with HMAS Canberra:
    From: Pensacola Convoy - Wikipedia

    All told in my opinion a strange time for him to leave the RAN and join the Royal Artillery in Singapore?
     
  19. Waddell

    Waddell Well-Known Member

    Jeff,

    Might be worth approaching DVA or the War Memorial and discussing with them.

    Scott
     
  20. Thanks David,
    Yes, A whole lot of this does not make sense. I feel obligated to find the truth for his son, who has previously approached DVA & Australian War Memorial to access files. I feel that if I could gather the full extent of his external service, this detail could be provided to the AWM with a request to have the son access Australian files ASAP as 2028 may be step too far for a current 81 year old man.
    Thanks for your interest and assistance.

    Regards,

    JEFF.
     

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