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His younger years
My dad was born on Tuesday the 25th March 1919 at 3 Norton Place (now renamed as Northleigh Terrace), North Street, Wilton, Wiltshire. His father Ezra Pyke, who was then a sergeant in the Royal Air Force, was serving with 90 Squadron at Buckminster and his mother Amelia Kathleen, formerly Pomroy, was living with her parents at the time. It wasn't long since the end of the First World War and they had not yet found a place of their own. I believe he started school at the National School, also known as the Primary School in Wilton. When he was seven they moved to The Lodge, 63 Connaught Road, Fleet where he grew up with his sisters Kitty and Brenda and his brother Tony. He finished his schooling in Fleet and after he left school he worked for C & E Roe Ltd, the photographer in Reading Road, Fleet until he joined the RAF.
His early RAF years
On Wednesday the 12th February 1936 now almost 17 he joined the Boy service in the RAF and trained to be a Wireless Operator at West Drayton. On completion of his training on 27th May 1937 he was promoted to Aircraftsman 1st class (AC1) and was posted to RAF Tangmere.
Still at Tangmere he was promoted to AC2 on the 11th December 1937. Then on 3rd January 1938 he was internally posted to No 217 (GR) Sqdn, Tangmere. From the information in his service records and photos I have he was flying in Anson Mk1s at this time.
Everything now changes and on the 17th April 1939 he ceases to draw crew pay and is posted to Gosport on RD/F duties. This is the new kid on the block and is the Air Ministry's term for what would later be called Radar. From there he was posted to Leuchars on the 27th November 1939 and had now arrived in Scotland for the first time in his life.
He stays there till the 13th March 1940 when he is then posted to 8 FTS (Flying Training School) at Montrose. While at Montrose he was actually working at RAF St Cyrus which was a CHL (Chain Home Low) radar site. On the 1st April 1940 he is promoted to Leading Aircraftsman (LAC) and then on 20th July 1940 promoted to Corporal. Things must be going well for him working with the radar unit to get promoted so quickly.
The St Cyrus CHL radar site was in a field on Scotston Farm near to top of the cliffs at Kirkside about 200 - 300 yds from the "Toorie Hoose" where my mother was living. See the pages of the "Fishers" for more details about the "Toorie". If you imagine you are taking the photo from the bridge, just to the right of the house at the top of the cliff approx 300 yards away, through the field and across the railway then halfway through the next field was the radar site where he was working.
While there he was billeted at 8 Roadside Terrace, St Cyrus. During this time he met my mother while she was at a whist drive in the village hall with her mother. They started dating and eventually got married when he discovered he was being posted to Singapore. She told me that she was at the hairdresser's when he came in and said "We're getting married tomorrow, I've been posted to Singapore". They went straight to see the minister and it was all arranged. The following day the they were married in the village church, St Cyrus on Saturday the 16th November 1940. Then after about three weeks embarkation leave he set off for 250 MRU and the Far East.
The Troopship voyage - Convoy WS.5B/5BX
Exactly where he went first I have no idea as his service records just say "250 MRU" but no date or station. The next entry is "250 MRU F.East" dated 6th January 1941. He would have gone by train to Gourock on the Clyde to embark on the "Empress of Japan", of all the troopships, it had to be that one. They left port on Tuesday the 7th January but according to reports I have read they must have stayed at anchor in the Clyde due to heavy fog and did not sail till the 11th. They joined up with the rest of the Clyde convoy then, in the Irish Sea, with the ships from Liverpool, making a total of 21 including the escorts.
Their route took then well out into the Atlantic to avoid German aircraft which were operating from French airfields. They arrived at Freetown in Sierra Leone on the 25th January to take on fuel, water and fresh supplies. They stayed four days but no shore leave was allowed there and I believe condition on board were not too great. Everyone was glad when they sailed out again on the 29th January and headed for open waters and Capetown. They crossed the equator at approx 16.00hrs on the 31st January with no doubt the usual ceremony involved. As the ships sailed south the weather started getting colder again as the approached the south of Africa.
To digress a little, during the trip some of the chaps got a band together and my dad was their drummer. That's him second from the right with brushes in his hand. I didn't discover he was a drummer until my mother gave me his photo album long after I had taken up drumming myself. Only one of the many unknown similarities between us that I was to find out as time went on but more of that towards the end of this page.
On the 8th February the convoy split into two sections, one carried on to Durban and my dad's section went into Capetown arriving there early on the 9th Feb again to take on fuel, water and fresh supplies. During their four days in Capetown they were allowed shore leave this time which I expect they appreciated having been cooped up in the cramped conditions for so long. A chance to walk around to get fresh air, fresh food and have some enjoyment and space to stretch their legs.
This part of the convoy sailed out of Capetown on the 12th February and joined up again with the Durban ships on the 15th. I bet nobody on board ever thought that in a year from then Singapore would surrender to the Japs. They sailed North East off the West coast of Africa until on the 21st Feb when the Empress Of Japan, Empress of Australia, Windsor Castle and Ormonde with the cruiser Emerald as escort left the main convoy which was headed for the Suez. My dad's convoy, now WS.5BX, went into Mombasa on about the 22nd Feb but I haven't been able to confirm this.
From there they sailed to Bombay except for Ormonde which was headed for Australia. They arrived at Bombay on the 3rd March, all the other ships remaining there to disembark the troops and their equipment. On the 5th March Empress of Japan left Bombay headed for Singapore where she arrived on Tuesday the 11th March 1941 and disembarked all the troops.
Singapore
Included in the equipment were the first sets of radar equipment to be sent to Singapore. These were for 250 MRU and 243 TRU and the equipment for the first two COLs arrived in April. MRU stands for Mobile Radio Unit (hut based) - HF Band, TRU is Transportable Radar Unit (tent based) - note that the RAF were calling it radio at this stage and I believe the full terminology was radio direction finding, RD/F. 250 MRU was soon erected on the south-east side of Singapore Island at Tanah Merah Besar, near Changi. 243 TRU was ultimately erected at Mersing on the east coast of Malaya about 100 miles from Singapore. Also there was a RIMU (Radio Installation and Maintenance Unit) established I believe on the MU at Seletar.
According to my dad's records on arrival in Singapore on the 11th Feb he was internally posted to 250 RS. I have been told that RS stands for Radio Station and is the same as MRU or AMES. Also in his records is an entry that says he went to 307 AMES but no date and I can't find anything else to confirm this move. AMES stands for Air Ministry Experimental Station (same as RS, MRU or TRU - confused?) and another way of disguising the work and deployment of radar by the Air Ministry. 307 AMES (TRU) set up at Kahang in Malaysia about 70 miles from Singapore. Once the Japanese had captured both airfields at Alor Star and Khota Bharu, 307 AMES was rushed down to Serangoon near the northern side of Singapore to take the place of an ACO station whose towers were incomplete. Late in January 1942 307 TRU went on the air using an improvised aerial on top of the 50 ft stubs of the half-erected towers of the ACO station.
I have now discovered, by talking to Jim Hall who was working with my father, that my father was on 250 AMES at least when Jim arrived in Singapore. Also that he stayed on 250 AMES all the way through untill the end. According to Jim on the 12th Feb they were told over the phone that the Japs were closing in but to carry on operating. A wee while later an army despatch rider arrived and told them to get out so the equipment was destroyed and they withdrew to Tanah Merah Kechil along with the crew of the CD/CHL from Changi. Later that day the army withdrew from there and all the radar personnel there withdrew to the Filter Room at Katong.
The Fall of Singapore
As is now well known, due to many cock-ups, lack of equipment, bad leadership from the top (including our prime minister, government, and various ministries) our forces had been pushed back down Malaya and eventually onto Singapore Island. By the end of Thursday 12th Feb all the radar units except 243 AMES had either been removed, serviced and sent to Java or had been progressively destroyed to prevent the secret equipment from falling into enemy hands intact.
On the afternoon of Thursday the 12th February as the army was withdrawing from the East of the Island a despatch rider arrived at 250 AMES and told then to get out. So they destroyed the equipment and withdrew along with the all the other radar personnel to the cold storage units at Tenah Merah Kechil. As the army withdrew from there too the radar units moved to the filter room at Katong.
On Friday the 13th February (black Friday!!) as the army withdrew completely from the South-East of the Island all the radar personel withdrew to the Radio RT Unit at the Cathay building with the intention of re-erecting 243 AMES on Fort Canning. By the afternoon of Friday the 13th the AOC ordered all remaining radar equipment to be destroyed and all radar tradesmen to embark in small ships. The first group of 283 personnel, including 17 from the hospital, made their way in groups to Keppel docks and embarked, under continual bombing, onto one of two ships. These were the HMS Kuala and the SS Tien Kwang both of which had been commandeered by the navy during the war. I am led to believe that approx 250 radar personnel and their equipment went onto the SS Tien Kwang and also that a number of personnel from an RAF Radio Location Unit with their gear were on the HMS Kuala. I also believe that each of the radar groups had not only its own nominal roll but also copies of those of the other groups, unfortunately all copies were to be lost and that only about 34 of the original 266 pesonnel made it to Colombo.
The Kuala and the Tien Kwang sailed from Singapore on Friday the 13th February 1942. The HMS Kuala under the command of Lieutenant Caithness had approximately 500 to 600 evacuees on board, mainly nurses but also Public Works Department personnel and various other civilians. The SS Tien Kwang was commanded by Lieutenant W Briggs, RNR and had mainly RAF radar and army personnel with a few civilians on board. They weighed anchor at approx 18.15hrs on route to Bratavia (now Jakarta), Java via the straits of Rhio, Barbala and Banka. At 05.45hrs on the 14th the Kuala anchored off Pompong Island which is approx 70 miles south of Singapore. The Kuala was in front approx 300 yards from the shore with Tien Kwang about the same distance astern and slightly closer to the island. Boats were sent ashore to collect branches in an attempt to camouflage the ships.
At approx 11.00hrs Japanese aircraft were seen bombing the Kung Wo which was about 3 miles behind the Tien Kwang. It was still afloat after being bombed and abandoned the previous night but this time it was sunk. The planes then spotted the Kuala and Tien Kwang, circled round and attacked the Kuala scoring a direct hit on the upper bridge, the stockhold and the engine room causing extensive damage and many casualties. The ship burst into flames immediately and orders were given to abandon ship. Lieutenant Caithness was badly injured as the bomb blast had struck the back of his neck and almost paralysed him. He was also badly wounded on the right side but on recovering from shock he managed to struggle free from the wreckage and began helping the other injured to evacuate the ship. The boats were still ashore and returned immediately to take off the injured to get them safely ashore. There were many people swimming or clutching onto anything that floated. There were also dead and dismembered bodies everywhere.
When it was realised that the bombers were going to bomb the Tien Kwang the order to abandon ship was given. Most poeple dived into the water and started swimming for the island just before the first bombs were dropped near the ship. Many of those in the water were killed or drowned due to the continued bombing by the Japanese bombers. Those left on board threw anything that would float into the water to help the injured and non-swimmers. As with the Kuala many were hanging onto whatever they could get a hold of that floated.
While all this was going on the Japanese planes returned and deliberately bombed and strafed the people in the water and on the beach, killing many more and causing more injuries. Meanwhile many in the water clinging onto the makeshift rafts and debris were being carried away by the strong currents and some ended up drifting for days. Some of them would eventually reach other islands scattered over a wide area or be picked up by some local fishing boats but many gave up and perished before help could reach them.
Although the Kuala sank within a few minutes of being bombed, the Tien Kwang was not hit but the ships plates were loosened by the explosions of several near misses and she was taking on water. All the food and water was collected from it and then the ship was eventually scuttled to avoid drawing further attention from the Japanese bombers. The hundreds of survivers from the two ships were all eventually picked up by other ships but unfortunately many were to be killed when these ships themselves were sunk by the bombers. A few reached safety but most of the survivers ended up going through three and a half years of hell or dying as Japanese prisoners of war.
Out Of the 266 radar personnel who left Singapore on the 13th February 1942 just 34 reached safety in Cylon to carry on the war. Of the others 10 were known to have been killed or drowned when the ships were sunk. Another 52 reached the various islands (mainly Pompong) and one reached Burma, but all these 53 were captured. The other 169 were reported as missing, the great majority of these must have been killed or drowned when the ships were bombed.
I have now discovered, from a 250 AMES nominal roll that I have received, that my father was on the SS Tien Kwang. From what I can find out he was drowned although I am told by my aunt that he was a strong swimmer. But then who knows whether he was injured or even killed by either of the bombings or strafing. I guess I will never find out the truth. It is too long ago and too few survived. Perhaps one day I might just manage to make contact with someone who was with him at the end - I can only hope.
My Dad and I - the similarities
Over the years as I have found out things about my father all sorts of similarities have been uncovered. I have tried to list as many as I can remember.
- We both joined the RAF as Boy Entrants in almost the same trade. He joined at the age of 16 as a Wireless Operator and I joined at 15 as Ground Wireless. At that age I had been playing around building wireless sets, totally unaware that my father was in that trade.
- While in boy service I started playing the drums in the brass band then quickly changed to the pipe band. Since then I played in several pipe bands and also in a rock group here in Moray. It was not till my mother gave me my dad's photo album that I found out he also had played drums.
- I also found out from the same photo album that he had been into motor bikes. I bought my first one in 1959 long before I saw the photos.
- Many years ago I became interested in photography only to find out from his service records that he had been a photographers assistant before joining the RAF. Just before that my mother gave me their marriage certificate which had his occupation as photographer. That did puzzle me till I found out he had been one of the first into radar, was 'photographer' to hide his true occupation???
- In 1966, also as a Corporal, I was posted to Singapore and my first unit there was FECS at Changi, near where 250 MRU set up, probably the first place where he worked out there too. Later I got a posting through the Seletar pipe band to 390 MU Seletar. That is where I believe the Radio Installation and Maintenance Unit was based so he must have been there several times.
- Also while in Singapore my daughter was born in Changi hospital very close to where 250 MRU was operating. My father killed out there and my daughter born there, perhaps I did bring part of him back home, who knows.
Our trip to Pompong Island, Saturday 14th February 2009
On the 4th February 2009 Maggie and I are going back out to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur for three weeks. While out there we are going on a trip to Pompong Island so that we can be there on Saturday the 14th February, the same as in 1942. Going with us is David Hope who has been living in Singapore for the last 14 years and is researching the evacuation of Singapore, particularly the three ships sunk off Pompong Island mentioned above. He has a website on the subject, click here to have a look.
Organising the trip for me out there is a man, Tan Hua Chiow, who I am looking forward to meeting once we get there. He runs a marina in Singapore but also manages and builds marinas in the area. I was introduced to him after emailing many seafaring places in and around Singapore asking for help organising the trip. One person who lives too far away put me in touch with Major Tan and everything is falling into place with his expert help.
Links that may help if you too are looking for information of RAF personnel evacuated from Singapore
I have been searching the web for a few months now trying to piece together my father's last days, weeks and months out there. Some of the web sites I have used and found helpful are listed below. I will have forgotten some but will add them as I remember.
Books
I have been reading several books on the War in the Far East and here are some off them,
- "Singapore Burning" Heroism and Surrender in World War II, by Colin Smith, ISBN-10: 0141010363, ISBN-13: 978-0141010366
- "Escape Impossible" by Stanley W Saddington, ISBN-10: 1897666918, ISBN-13: 978-1897666913 (out of print but available from the library and might be re-printed)
- "The Battle For Singapore" The True Story of the Greatest Catastrophe of World War II , by Peter Thompson, ISBN-10: 0749950854, ISBN-13: 9780749950859
- "Hurricanes Versus Zeros" - Air Battles Over Singapore, Sumatra & Java by Terence Kelly, ISBN-10: 1844156222, ISBN-13: 978-1844156221
- "Spotlight on Singapore" - The heroic story of the men who fought and died, by Denis Russell-Roberts , Published in 1966 by Tandem Books Ltd
I will update these lists as I remember the others and as I find more.
Thanks
My utmost thanks go to Stanley Saddington, Jim Hall, Dr Thomas Carter and Peter Dunstan for giving me their time on the phone to answer my many questions and telling me about their experiences and the information they can remember from back then. If I am half as good as they are in my late eighties I'll be doing well. Also to David Hope for his support and help plus all those who have posted their stories and experiences on the internet. To the dedicated few who run and manage the various forums I have used and to the people who posted the informative replies to my questions and to Kees Helder who sent me a copy the photo of the Tien Kwang from his web site. But most important of all is Tan Hua Chiow (or Major Tan as everyone knows him) who has spent so much time and effort to arrange the trip to Pompong Island for someone he had never even met.
Finally, thanks to you for reading this page - I hope you have found it interesting. If you can add to or correct any information please feel free to contact me. Details are at the bottom of the page,
Thank You.
Our trip to Pompong Island
Well we made it - I was swimming in the sea probably within a few hundred meters from where my dad drowned at just after 11.00 hrs on Saturday 14th February 2009 exactly 67 years after his death. What an emotional time and something I had never thought could happen.
Major Tan did us all proud. There were nine of us in total on the trip which was just the right amount and everyone was really enthusiastic about it. Fortunately once we got back home I was able to tell my mother all about Pompong Island just before she was taken into hospital. Unfortunately she died on the 2nd May, but I am sure the story of our trip to Pompong Island meant a lot to her and brought her as much comfort as it did for me. I will post another page with more details later once we have got over the sad loss of my mother.
I have just finished building a new page about the trip out to Pompong Island. Click here to have a look at it. I will be adding to it as I remember more details or get more photos from the others who were with me on the trip - so please come back.
Additional Information
In October 2009 Maggie and I took a run down to Sunderland to meet Jim Hall (on the left of the photo) who used to work with my dad on 250 MRU in Singapore. Jim was evacuated along with the rest of the remaining radar personel and on the Tien Kwang too. Jim survived the bombing and after being on the island for about ten days they were taken to Sumatra. After crossing the country they ended up at Padang after the last ships left for Ceylon. He was taken prisoner at Padang along with the men who were stranded there when the Japaneese arrived. Along with the rest he was put to work on the "Railway" and was one of the lucky ones who survived the war.
We had a long chat about their time in Singapore, the evacuation and his time as a prisoner. I now know from talking to Jim that my father and a couple other regular RAF were manning the machine guns on the ship trying to shoot down the Jap aircraft. Unfortunately Jim was not near my dad at the end so was unable to tell me how he died. But it was interesting to talk with him and hear it all from someone who had been there and been through it all, so much better than just reading it in a book. Thanks Jim for sharing these experiences with me, I really appreciate it.
Update on Fleet & Wilton
After visiting Jim Hall we then went down to stay in Fleet for a few days. While there we visited my aunt Branda and uncle Tony. We also went to Wilton and Salisbury to research a bit more about my dad's early life. We also paid a visit the grave of my grandmother and grandfather.
The bungalow in Fleet that my dad grew up in has now been demolished and a much bigger two story house built there in its place. The primary school he went to in Fleet, Albert Street School, has also been knocked down and replaced by several houses and two rows of garages. The house in Wilton that he was born in is still there, also his first school, the National School in Wilton, is still there and is now a community centre, Maggie and I were at a jumble sale held there in October 2009.
I remember going to visit my grandparents down in Fleet Just before I started school, the long train journey from the North of Scotland and I was wearing my kilt to go there. Yes that's me and obviously it was my mother's idea, by the way the photo was taken at C & E Roe Ltd, the photographer my dad worked for before joining the RAF. I can also remember going with my grandfather to play beside the canal and sailing a wee boat in the water there. The canal has now been cleaned up and is back in use again after being silted up for many years.
There are still a few things I would like to find out but don't expect I will find all the answers now. There are so few people in the know still alive and some are now suffering from memory loss due to their age. At least I now know a lot more about him and have been able to visit a lot of the important places and so I feel a lot happier. Thanks for reading this and if you are in the same position as I was, I hope it gives you the encouragement to carry out your own research.
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