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Killed in Action

Cambridgeshire Regiment

1st Battalion

History

Compiled by Ron Taylor

In Memory of David Langton

Japanese Attack

8th December 1941 - 15th February 1942

On the 13th December the convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay.

On the 13th December the convoy left Cape Town and sailed along the coast of East Africa past Madagascar and into the Indian Ocean heading for Bombay.

After 17,011 miles at sea Bombay was reached on 27th December and were transported by train to Ahmednagar for further training. After a few weeks of training they were transported back to Bombay and again boarded the USS West Point.

Embarking on the West Point on the 17th January it formed part of Convoy BM 11 which sailed from Bombay on 19th January, sailing with a British escort. The escort included HMS Exeter and HMS Glasgow with British and Australian destroyers, destination was now the Far East.

Passing Colombo, (Ceylon), crossing the equator for the third time, the convoy passed through the Sundra Straits between Java and Sumatra and then the Banka Straits. The convoy was then bombed by Japanese Planes, there was no damage.

The convoy reached the safety of Keppel Harbour, Singapore on 29th January.  Ships were ablaze in the harbour, clouds of smoke drifted across the sky and the smell of fumes was overpowering, this was not the best of greetings. The Japanese had taken most of Malaya in the last three weeks and were only thirty miles away from Singapore.

The day after the 1st Battalion arrived the causeway over the Strait of Jahore which linked Singapore to Malaya was destroyed. This did not delay the Japanese who landed at the North West of Singapore Island on the 8th February.

On the 9th February the Battalion were ordered to the Seletar Airfield and the Japanese shelled their transports on the way. On arriving the defences were found to be very poor and work was needed to strengthen them. The site they were now defending overlooked the Straits to the mouth of the Seletar River and beyond to the mouth of the Punggol River.

On the 10th February the battalion were ordered to move to Thompson Village in Royal Army Service Corps trucks. The journey was under Japanese air attacks and in heavy traffic, no casualties occurred the journey. Arriving mid afternoon the battalion had to start digging trenches close to Thompson Village. This was stopped when the battalion were ordered to the reservoirs to attack the Japanese flank which was attacking Bukit Timah Village. The action was to help ‘Tomforce’ which was made up of the 4th Norfolks, 4th Suffolks and the Divisional Royal Army Ordnance Corps who were now two rifle companies.

On the morning of the 12th February the 1st Cambridgeshires moved to positions on Adam Road, which linked Sime Road and Lornie Roads to the main Bukit Timah Road.

Bukit Timah Map

The Battalion fought at Sime Road Camp in  Singapore defending Adam Park for three days ‘The Fen Tigers’ held up the Japanese 41st Fukuyama, Regiment, which was part of the Japanese 5th Division. The fighting was intense but on the 15th February the 1st Battalion CO, Lt-Col. Carpenter, finding the Japanese bypassing his position, requested permission to withdraw from Brigade HQ. as he had lost 81 of the battalion ‘Killed in Action’ he was told to hold the position and lay down their arms as Singapore had surrendered.

The Japanese later confessed to putting one of their crack regiments in the attack on Adam Park because of the fierce opposition.

Death Roll

Defence of Singapore

8th December 1941 - 15th February 1942

Please click on the next to each date below to extend information

Date Name Service/No 1942/02/05-1942/02/15 Baber, Anthony Hugh 140668 1942/02/10-1942/02/15 Sayer, George Arthur 5933052 1942/02/11 Tofts, Sidney Alfred 5933276 1942/02/11 Taylor, Orton Sidney 72543 1942/02/13 Gibbons, Frederick George Harry 6020878 1942/02/13 Norton, Reginald 5933336 1942/02/13 New, Frederick William 6019410 1942/02/13 Keep, Albert George Francis 6020927 1942/02/13 Jacobs, Leslie Robert 5933766 1942/02/13 Inwards, Harold 5831213 1942/02/13 Hunt, Albert Edward 6020910 1942/02/13 Horton, Harry 5830768 1942/02/13 Paul, Alfred Russell 5827869 1942/02/13 Hale, Harry 5836037 1942/02/13 Linfoot, Jonathan John 5833826 1942/02/13 Fiddaman, Reginald Thomas 5833690 1942/02/13 Clark, William Henry 197126 1942/02/13 Cant, Alfred 5823144 1942/02/13 Butler, Maurice Henry 5832941 1942/02/13 Bradford, Charles Victor 5836514 1942/02/13 Austin, Vernon Clifford 5832447 1942/02/13 Harrold, Clarence Henry 6019111 1942/02/13 Smith, Ronald Francis Samson 6020082 1942/02/13 Thompson, Alec George 5827755 1942/02/13 Sturt, Herbert Henry 5824240 1942/02/13 Redfern, Bernard 6018580 1942/02/13 Watts, Arthur Leslie 5836425 1942/02/13 Smith, Sidney George 5830692 1942/02/13 Stock, Ernest Edward 5933186 1942/02/13 Ruse, Bernard Henry 5933708 1942/02/13 Williams, Richard Henry 5933407 1942/02/13 Riddall, Charles Douglas 6019418 1942/02/14 Hockey, Frank Spencer 79055 1942/02/14 Timbrell, Edward George 6028777 1942/02/14 Collins, Charles James 5831740 1942/02/14 Coomes, Reginald 6018876 1942/02/14 Chapman, Peter 5836251 1942/02/14 Pride, William Arthur 6028911 1942/02/14 Garner, Charles 6020874 1942/02/14 Gates, Douglas Graham 5933156 1942/02/14 Ashman, Stanley Godfrey 5832444 1942/02/14 Lewis, George 6028641 1942/02/14 Scott, Sidney 5833644 1942/02/14 Wade, William 5932683 1942/02/14 Nicholls, Thomas George 5933561 1942/02/14 Rivers, Bertram Albert 5830790 1942/02/14 Newbury, William James 6019342 1942/02/14 Rose, Philip 6019444 1942/02/14 Nickel, Jack Edward 5933611 1942/02/14 Baker, Eric Gordon 5933206 1942/02/14 Brown, Albert Wilfred Edward 5933565 1942/02/14 Palmer, Jack 5825689 1942/02/14 Pattle, Henry Tee 5948798 1942/02/14 Cockerton, John Harry 5932914 1942/02/14 McGonagle, Herbert Charles 6019124 1942/02/15 Bigmore, John 145394 1942/02/15 Cann, Reginald 5933320 1942/02/15 Butcher, Frederick Ernest Charles 5933377 1942/02/15 Twinn, Charles Henry 71373 1942/02/15 Wilson, George 5833677 1942/02/15 Avery, Frederick William 6018844 1942/02/15 Holyhead, William 5830805 1942/02/15 Potkins, Phillip Frederick 5836134 1942/02/15 Pearson, Eric Robert 5831654 1942/02/15 Neville, Edmond Charles 5829992 1942/02/15 Moseley, Gordon Peace 5932689 1942/02/15 Worsley, George William 5832341 1942/02/15 Gill, Charles Henry 5824245 1942/02/15 Still, Horace Charles 5831124 1942/02/15 Clarke, John Alfred 5832527 1942/02/15 Hensby, Arthur John 5829893 1942/02/15 Hawkins, Edward Leonard 6020896 1942/02/15 Stubberfield, Ronald Frederick 6021034 1942/02/15 Desborough, Douglas Arthur 5933216 1942/02/15 Defew, Reginald Edmund 5832558 1942/02/15 Cole, Ernest Harry 5933318 1942/02/15 Andrews, Cyril 5933303

Acknowledgements

This information was collated using:-

‘Cambridgshires in the Far East’ from Britain at War.

The ‘Roll of Honour’ FEPOW Family

Information supplied by the late David Langton

‘Battalion at War’ by Michael Moore

‘With the Cambrdgeshires at Singapore’ by William Taylor

‘Tigers in the Park’ by Jon Cooper

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