Looking for my Great Uncle Albert

[Tokyokee]

Hello, I hope you can help. I am currently looking through my family history and came across an Albert Jones. I asked my grandma about him and she says he was my Grandads uncle and was Military Police in WW2. He was on a ship which was torpedoed twice and sank. He was then taken prisoner by the Japanese and held for a number of years. Upon release he was put in a Naval Hospital for disturbed minds where he later died.

Where would I begin to look for this information? How can I find out which boat he was on and which camp he went to?

I understand there were only 2 ships sunk by the Japanese in WW2, the H.M.S Prince of Wales and the H.M.S Repulse.

I would appreciate any information, thanks in advance!!!

[christanel]

Welcome to British-Genealogy

WW11 service records are still held by the Ministry of Defence This sticky explains who can apply for them and gives links to the relevant sites.

Others will know more about POW records.

Christina

[Lesley Robertson]

There's a couple of sites that might help with info about the Japanese camps:
FEPOW
COFEPOW

[Tokyokee]

Thanks very much guys!! I'll get searching.

[shippo]

Hi,

Do you have a year of birth for Albert and his parents or wife's name?

The reason im asking about the above is that i found this and with Jones been a common name im not sure if its your uncle or not.

Albert Joseph Jones
Warrant Officer
Trade:R.S.M.
Service No 4966735
Date of Death 06/08/1943
Aged 38
Regiment/Service:Corps of Military Police Grave
Reference: Grave 15. Cemetery:HATFIELD PARK WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Joseph and Elizabeth Jones; husband of Muriel Mabel Jones.

https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/ca...LBERT%20JOSEPH

[shippo]

Hi,

Do you have a year of birth for Albert and his parents or wife's name?

The reason im asking about the above is that i found this and with Jones been a common name im not sure if its your uncle or not.

Albert Joseph Jones
Warrant Officer
Trade:R.S.M.
Service No 4966735
Date of Death 06/08/1943
Aged 38
Regiment/Service:Corps of Military Police Grave
Reference: Grave 15. Cemetery:HATFIELD PARK WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Joseph and Elizabeth Jones; husband of Muriel Mabel Jones.

https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/ca...LBERT%20JOSEPH

Regiment/Service:Corps of Military Police
Grave Reference Grave 15 Cemetery:HATFIELD PARK WAR CEMETERY

[Tokyokee]

Hi thanks for that info but I recently found out my uncle Albert was born in 1912 and survived being a POW and went to a Naval Hospital where he later died. He was 62 when he died, in Great Yarmouth, St Nicholas Hospital. But what I don't know which camp he was in or his service number. Do you think the hospital would know much more?

[Tokyokee]

Hi, I found my great uncle Albert and his service number! He was held in Hong Kong POW camp.

Thanks for the help

[TomBen]

Hello, I hope you can help. I am currently looking through my family history and came across an Albert Jones. I asked my grandma about him and she says he was my Grandads uncle and was Military Police in WW2. He was on a ship which was torpedoed twice and sank. He was then taken prisoner by the Japanese and held for a number of years. Upon release he was put in a Naval Hospital for disturbed minds where he later died.

Where would I begin to look for this information? How can I find out which boat he was on and which camp he went to?

I understand there were only 2 ships sunk by the Japanese in WW2, the H.M.S Prince of Wales and the H.M.S Repulse.

I would appreciate any information, thanks in advance!!!

Hi Tokyokee,

Welcome to Brit-Gen!

For the records of survivors of the Second World War I'm afraid the only place they will be is the Ministry of Defence. All records from approximately 1922 onwards are held as restricted and not available for public release until around 80 years after the date of creation.

We're expecting the first service records from the War to start being released in 2020. I believe you have to be next of kin to request a full record from the MoD but anyone can get basic service details:

https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-pers...ervice-records

His records could indicate any travel via Royal Navy vessel and may also include any Prisoner of War data.

Sadly more than two ships were sunk by the Imperial Japanese Navy and Air Force in the Second World War. HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were the largest and arguably most significant losses being a King George V class Battleship and Renown Class Battlecruiser. But the Royal Navy also lost an Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes and a number of Heavy Cruisers, Destroyers and Submarines.

If you are sure that the ship he was on was hit by torpedoes twice it could have been HMS Exeter which was hit by 2 torpedoes from a Japanese Destroyer before sinking. A great deal of Exeter's crew survived the sinking and were captured. 153 died in Japanese captivity.

Kind Regards,

Tom

[Tokyokee]

Thanks Tom that's brilliant information!! I'll start looking at HMS Exeter to see if I can find his name! I found 1 record of an Albert Jones who was medical personnel and captured by the Japanese and held in Hong Kong POW camp.