I have recently become aware of a family member, cousin of my grandfather, who served in the 49 Coast Observer Det. He was captured by the Japanese (POW No 13596) He died of amoebic dysentery on 1/12/1943 while working on the Thailand Burma Railway. He is buried in Chungkai War Cemetery, Kanchanaburi Thailand. I'm trying to find out more about the activities of 49 Coast Observer Det. in the early 1940s and possibly the circumstances regarding Clark's capture. Any information would be appreciated
Slightly confused here. UK records show Clark whilst those raised in Singapore by the slightly clandestine POW Bureau of Record and Enquiry (BRE) show Clarke. However the Service no. remains consistent at 1754481. The BRE records and his Japanese Index Card show him as being in 11 Battery 3 HAA. 3 HAA arrived in Singapore in Nov 41 and I can find nothing on 49 Coast Observer Detachment so I cannot tell whether they were attached to 3 HAA (unlikely) or whether he was transferred to them either in the UK or in Singapore. Service Records will probably help to resolve. Frederick was captured at the surrender of Singapore 15/2/42. He was transferred to Saigon on the Nissyo Maru on 4/4/42 in the Party under the command of Lt Col Hugonin. I can only assume (as I can find no Roll) that he transferred from Saigon to Thailand in the Party known as the 'Saigon Battalion' with Lt Col Hugonin. Japanese Transports Database Died 1/12/43. Some records have cause as amoebic dysentery some as malaria. I will post copies of the records I have found later. Tim
RA Roll - BRE Changi Japanese Index Card Front Back Casualty Card Death Further interest: 3rd Heavy Ant-Aircraft Regiment | COFEPOW Saigon Party Tim
Oddly enough I came across another member of 49 COD just yesterday also listed as attached to 11 Battery, 3 HAA Regt. CODs wouldn't be of much use in the situation that Singapore found itself, so it does make sense to attach trained artillerymen to somewhere that they might do some good. Monk, Arthur Thomas
The detail on one of the records shows him as: UK, World War II Allied Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 Name: F C Clark Rank: L/Bdr Military Date: 1939-1943 Regiment: 3 Hy A.a. Regt R.a. Service Number: 1754481 Death Date: 1 Dec 1943 Description: 2235: Prisoners of War, Far East: Thailand-Burma Railway Camps; Death Rolls; Cemetery Details 3 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA - The Royal Artillery 1939-45 Presumably Battery 11 from the Japanese card - 11/3
Tim, many thanks from my sister and I for this information on Frederick. Interesting also to note my daughter in law is from Singapore. We will have a look for more information on the events in Singapore in Feb 42. Much appreciate your efforts!!
I can find no mention of 49 Coast Observer Detachment in any of my references. The only Coast Observation Detachments listed for the Far East are 53 & 54 of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery. They were formed in Ceylon in June 1944. Coast Observation Units were in use throughout the war although little is written about them. Their role was to watch the caost line for enemy activity and they did this using Radar sets. These were mostly the same types as used by Anti-Aircraft artillery and so an attachment to a HAA Regiment makes perfect sense. There is a discussion on 103 Detachment in Normandy in 1944 on this site which might give more information on this type of unit. 103 Coast Observer R.A (Ouistreham, Normandy)
Would these CODs have been originally attached to the Coast Regts (probably 7th or 9th) ? In #3 I put a link to the story of a gunner in 11th Battery 3rd HAA 3rd Heavy Ant-Aircraft Regiment | COFEPOW This is an extract and I wonder if this is the connection with 49th COD. "What to do with GL ? We were there and had to do something, so were directed here and there, setting up the equippment to no purpose. We had some men with us who had not arrived with our small group, and , attached to the battery, having been on static radar with the army." Tim
Coastal Artilley is not really my thing but I would guess not. I think the batteries worked independently under command of the Fire Commands (Changi and Faber, I think, with Penang FC and 11 Coast Regiment pretty quickly gone for a burton). Feeling a bit guilty about the number of CA manuals that I have let pass by over the years, so let's hope that a passing CA expert reads this thread at some point.
Likewise. I know little about Coast Regiments and had in fact never heard of CODs until this thread. However it would seem that, in the UK, CODs were attached to the Coast Batteries/Regiments. Coastal Artillery Royal Artillery Order of Battle July 1941 - WW2 Tim
