I am trying to find some information on my great uncle and his battalion. He was Herbert Eastwood. Reg number 5773898 of the Royal Norfolk Regiment with the 6th battalion. Although his name was Herbert, my family and his friends knew him as Ike. He died in the hands of the Japanese as a POW aged 25 on the 31/05/1943 in Thailand at the Burma railway. Has anyone any information or pictures of the 6th battalion either before - during - after their capture and is there anyone who remembers Herbert/Ike Eastwood Many thanks in advance
There is a book called The Pride of Norfolk An Illustrated History of the Territorials by Neil R Storey. This has a potted campaign history of the battalion but, understandably, there is very little photographic coverage of 6th Bn during the war. There is a roll for 6th Bn in the National Archives ref: WO 361/2122 but Pte Eastwood is not listed. There are corresponding rolls for 4th and 5th Bns at WO 361/2120 and WO 361/2121 respectively, so it may be worth checking these just in case his battalion was misrecorded. Sorry that's not much help.
Hi Damishere, Here is a link to the Cofepow database showing Herbert's details and capture in 1942, almost certainly at the surrender of Singapore. http://www.cofepowdb.org.uk/cdb2/Controller.jsp?action=showfepow&id=12694 His presence on the database should mean that a Japanese index card exists for him at the National Archives at Kew, London. These cards record some useful details about the POW camps he would have been present at and possibly details about his sad death. The files series is WO345/16, the cards are listed alphabetically, there are members on the forum who can photograph this card for you at a reasonable fee.
