Everything tagged: POW

He is listed under 'Unallocated Royal Scots' at http://www.hongkongwardiary.com/searchgarrison/britishinfantry.html

On 26 August 1939 Fred Woodhead set sail from Southampton to Hong Kong on the Viceroy of India together with a number of other "Crown Agents" who were members of the Hong Kong Police.  After the fall of Hong Kong in December 1941 he was imprisoned in Sham Shui Po POW Camp.  He was on the Lisbon Maru on 1 October 1942 when it was torpedoed and sunk by US submarine Grouper.  Fred survived and was then transferred to Osaka Camp #1, where he remained for the duration of the war.  He returned to the UK after his release and married his finacee, Miss Jeannie Smith, 3 weeks later.  Jeannie, a nurs

Mr Whitley is mentioned on Tony Banham's list of members of the HKVDC:

• Whitley, Tomas Sydney Signalman 1321 (XD5)

Mr Smith is mentioned on Tony Banham's list of members of the HKVDC:

• Smith, Douglas Thomas Corporal V1982 (XD5)

John Hubert Bottomley (Jack) was born in Baildon, West Yorkshire in 1899, the oldest of four children of Fred Bottomley and Elizabeth Tyson.   As a young man Jack served in World War I and was gassed as well as receiving serious shrapnel wounds in Flanders. He was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.

After the Great War he studied engineering at Bradford Technical College (now Bradford University).  He passed the Oxbridge exams but the family could not afford to send him to Oxford or Cambridge.