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Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
9th Battalion
18th Division
History
Compiled by Ronnie and Kevin
Into Captivity Singapore
15th February 1942 - 15th August 1945
After the surrender, orders were received to assemble at Company HQ, ammunition was destroyed and guns were put out of action. The surrendered troop’s future was now in the Japanese hands, and now to the PoWs it looked grim.
Assembling on a tennis court, the RNF were still under the regiments command as no Japanese had turned up. They spent the night, as best as they could discussing what was lying in store as PoWs, and eventually sleeping there. In the morning realising that it was their last chance before the Japanese turned up, kit bags were filled, brimming with food, clothes and blankets.
Eventually the Japanese appeared in thin green khaki shirts and trousers with rubber boots split like a mitten, their big toe separated from the rest of the toes, and putties wrapped around the legs from the ankle to high knee, and they had a little peaked close fitting caps on their shaven heads. Their rank was shown on a little cloth type of bar on their breast with one, two or three stars for other ranks, and horizontal bars for officers.
The first Japanese words were heard:-
- ‘Tenko’, standing in rows while being counted.
- ‘Yotski’, stand to attention.
- ‘Yasme,’ stand at ease.
- ‘Bango’, given after Yasme to count from the right.
Counts often were wrong and counting had to start again, no Tenko’s were ever carried out in under an hour. Counting eventually completed, orders were given to line up for a 15 mile march to Changi.
‘Long March to Changi’
by Leo Rawlings
Being now midday the sun was directly overhead and the temperature was in the nineties, many regretted filling their kit bags. Burnt out vehicles were past and the aftermath of the fighting, with the dead still lying where they fell. The natives lined the way, now waving the ‘Rising Sun’ flags, jeering abuse and using sticks to send the PoWs on their way, the natives now being in the ‘Co-Prosperity Sphere of Asia’, under Japanese rule. Many Indians with guns also lined the streets as the Japanese were quick to establish the ‘Indian National Army’ and those who joined were now under Japanese Army Control.
On reaching Changi another Tenko was held and as the PoWs arriving were strung out, it took about an hour before the count was successful, and then the troops were allocated their single storey building.
Talking into the night with other regiments, Japanese atrocities were a major concern amongst the men as many witnessed them in Malaya, where prisoners were killed including those at the Alexandra Hospital, Singapore, where patients were bayoneted in their beds. This led to a very restless nights sleep.
In the morning the troops were still under their own regiments command and the regiment cooks prepared a good meal of tinned bacon, bread, butter and tea. After roll call working parties were formed for camp duties, firewood collection for the kitchen and general tidying up of the camp. Very few Japanese were seen on the first days at Changi.
Within days the food had run out and then the Japanese guards moved into the camp, and rice was now served at all meals. Understanding orders from the Japanese became a big problem and many beatings were given out by the guards. Orders included a PoW must salute or bow to guards, if not the guards supplied a quick Japanese translation, which was in the form of a beating.
As none of the PoWs had mosquito nets, malaria hit the camp. The symptoms are high fever, headaches, shivers, and a mild form of coma and depression. No quinine was available, if the body was strong enough and the dose mild, it was overcome in a period of time, but if the body was weak, it caused many deaths. Dysentery was rampant in the camps in two forms, ‘Bacillary Dysentery’ was a mild form but the killer was ‘Cerebal Dysentery’. So apart from the Japanese guards there were two other enemies in the camps to beware of, mosquitoes and flies. After a couple of months Roberts Hospital was now overflowing with the sick with beri beri and changi-balls beginning to show their ugly head. Beri Beri causing swollen legs and stomach and Changi Balls enlarging the genitals to be red raw and the size of footballs, both caused from lack of vitamins.
Having used the PoWs to clear up Singapore, the Japanese now decided to use the PoWs in work further afield and mid 1942 the PoWs were transported in what were later called ‘Hell Ships’ and overland trains to their destinations:-
- 1942/04/04 - Nissyo Maru from Singapore, transported 1125 British PoWs to Saigon, French Indo-China to prepare airfields.
- 1942/05/14 - Toyohashi Maru from Singapore with ‘A’ Force, 2000 Australians to Moulmein, Burma, to prepare airfields and later worked on the Burma end of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
- 1942/05/14 - Celebes Maru from Singapore, with ‘A’ Force, 1000 Australians to Mergui, Burma, to prepare airfields and later worked on the Burma end of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
- 1942/05/16 - Kyokusei Maru from Padang, Sumatra, 1200 Dutch to Burma, to prepare airfields and later worked on the Burma end of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
- 1942/05/16 - England Maru from Belawan Deli, Sumatra, 500 Sumatra Battalion to Burma, to prepare airfields and later worked on the Burma end of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
- 1942/06/18 - June Mainland Party, train 1 from Singapore, 600 British. Overland train from Singapore to Ban Pong, Thailand. To prepare service yards for working parties to follow, working on the Thailand end of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
- 1942/06/20 - June Mainland Party, train 2 from Singapore 600 British. Overland train from Singapore to Ban Pong, Thailand. To prepare service yards for working parties to follow, working on the Thailand end of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
- 1942/06/22 - June Mainland Party, train 3 from Singapore 600 British. Overland train from Singapore to Ban Pong, Thailand. To prepare service yards for working parties to follow, working on the Thailand end of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
- 1942/06/24 - June Mainland Party, train 4 from Singapore 600 British. Overland train from Singapore to Ban Pong, Thailand. To prepare service yards for working parties to follow, working on the Thailand end of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
- 1942/06/26 - June Mainland Party, train 5 from Singapore 600 British. Overland train from Singapore to Ban Pong, Thailand. To prepare service yards for working parties to follow, working on the Thailand end of the Thailand-Burma Railway.
The transports carried on throughout their captivity, with many Hell Ships being sunk by the Allies, as they carried no indication that they were carrying PoWs.
During his time in Changi, Army Chaplain Eric Cordingly of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, worked hard giving the PoWs hope for their future.
He designed a cross to have in St. Georges Church, the church being a converted mosque.
The drawings he made were given to Sergeant Harry Stogden of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Harry made the cross out of a 4.5 howitzer shell case. When made, it was inscribed by Tim Hemming and took prime position above the altar. Later the cross was taken up country to the Thailand-Burma Railway by Rev. Eric Cordingly.
Harry Stogden died after liberation on the way home. The history of the Changi Cross was carried out by the Cordingly family and Harry’s son Bernard Stogden. The book ‘The Changi Cross’ by Louise Cordingly tells the whole story.
I use the cross throughout my sites in remembrance.
A Symbol of Hope
Bernard holding the Changi Cross
Harry Stogden and the Changi Cross (fepow-community.org.uk)
God bless you Bernard, you were a very good friend and now in peace with your father.
Death Roll
Singapore PoWs
15th February 1942 - 15th August 1945
Please click on the  next to each date below for more information
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Died
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Name
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Service/No
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1942/03/15
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Falcus, Joseph Alfred
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2818461
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1942/04/13
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Johnson, Lewis
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4278447
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1942/04/19
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White, William
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4278508
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1942/06/15
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Humpish, John
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4264905
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1942/08/09
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Ormston, James
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4273564
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1943/03/06
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Dowie, Albert
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4271693
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1944/03/06
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Mason, Norman
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4274515
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1944/12/06
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Crowther, Thomas
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4276896
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