Was Any Of Your Family In A Japanese War Camp During World War Two?

[Longcol]

22 hours ago, Jim Hardie said:

My Uncle Joe spent three years as a POW in Thailand. It ruined his health but he was able to hold down a surface job with the Coal Board.

Similar to my Uncle John who worked in NCB Transport at Coal House in Doncaster.

[Jim Hardie]

17 minutes ago, Longcol said:

Similar to my Uncle John who worked in NCB Transport at Coal House in Doncaster.

They might have known each other. My uncle was a bus driver before the war and lived on the Conanby estate in Conisbrough which was built for miners’ families.

[sadbrewer]

Not family, but my Dad's good friend Jack was in the RAF and captured at Singapore. One of the guards rolled a 50gallon drum of oil over his foot and took his toes off. When he was liberated by the Aussies he weighed less than 6 st, the Aussies lined the guards up and asked if anyone had a score to settle...he took a long handled shovel and hit one in the face, he hadn't enough strength left to do it again.

  He did say though that they weren't all bad...one in particular, a decent family man would show photos of his wife and kids and taught Jack Japanese to save him getting a hammering if he didn't understand an order. If this guard took them out of camp on a work party...and no other Japanese were present he would share a bag of sweets out amongst the lads. After the war Jack became the Co-op manager at Stairfoot in Barnsley.

[echo beach]

No relatives involved but in the 60s I worked in the NCB insurance offices at Rutland Park and St James’ House, Vicar Lane in the city centre. A colleague called Jim Mills, who incidentally looked the spitting image of David Niven, had before the war married a Spanish contessa and with her money they’d bought coffee and sugar plantations out in the Philippines. All was fine until the Japanese invaded in December ‘41 and they were both imprisoned in POW camps for three years and he said that they’d lost everything. The stories he related to me of his time in the camp were horrendous and he vowed never to buy any Japanese goods. To my knowledge he never did.

 

 

echo.

[inessex]

As I was going to Japan in 2019 I thought I would look up details of my uncle Fred Gunson. who passed away in the 1990s. The family knew he was a prisoner in Japan, which I believe was unusual. I found his war record and it appears that at the age of 19 he was captured in HongKong. He was in a camp in Osaka but details also mentioned were Lisbon Maru. On looking up Lisbon Maru this was 'Ship of Hell'. Sunk by the Americans. Both Japanese guards and prisoners trapped. Some including Fred were rescued by Chinese fishermen and taken to Japan. I have a copy of his registration card. Odd the see his next of kin as my Gran living in deepest Crookes. He would have come home to outside loo, no hot water. Yorkshire range for heating.  Thanks to the Lisbon Maru society for the info

[Longcol]

On 04/05/2024 at 19:22, echo beach said:

No relatives involved but in the 60s I worked in the NCB insurance offices at Rutland Park and St James’ House, Vicar Lane in the city centre. A colleague called Jim Mills, who incidentally looked the spitting image of David Niven, had before the war married a Spanish contessa and with her money they’d bought coffee and sugar plantations out in the Philippines. All was fine until the Japanese invaded in December ‘41 and they were both imprisoned in POW camps for three years and he said that they’d lost everything. The stories he related to me of his time in the camp were horrendous and he vowed never to buy any Japanese goods. To my knowledge he never did.

 

 

echo.

Hi

 

Sorry to go off topic but the PM system doesn't seem to be working. My late dad Albert Draper worked for NCB Pensions and Insurance at the same time - Common Law Claims investigator and BACM rep - became full time BACM  worker for South Wales in 1976 . Names I remember from the period - Len Guy, Sam Whittaker, Alan James, Stuart Jukes,

[echo beach]

On 06/05/2024 at 00:22, Longcol said:

Hi

 

Sorry to go off topic but the PM system doesn't seem to be working. My late dad Albert Draper worked for NCB Pensions and Insurance at the same time - Common Law Claims investigator and BACM rep - became full time BACM  worker for South Wales in 1976 . Names I remember from the period - Len Guy, Sam Whittaker, Alan James, Stuart Jukes,

Hi Longcol,

Small world!

I worked in the General Insurance Dept with Jim Mills, Pete Newsome and Alf Ramsden 

dealing with the insurance cover of NCB property and claims by third parties against the Coal Board.

We were separate from the investigators and to be fair, although obviously in the same building, I don’t recall any of the names you mention except perhaps Len Guy.

My wife used to visit there department and always remarked that they were a lively bunch!

There was a keen amateur photographer who took snaps of my wife and gave some to her.

I think his name was Len but not sure if it’s the same chap. I still have the photos.

Other folks I knew from there who were my age were Pete McGann, who ended up moving to the South Wales coalfield, Roger Wilde,  Elaine Siddall (they married in 1972) and a lass called Eileen Webster who was going out with Joe Cocker at the time.

Oh and another girl Gillian Hudson who was instrumental in helping my wife and I get together and who we are still in touch with nearly 60 years later.

I left there mid 1970 when I was accepted on a one year training scheme.

 

echo.