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Thread: POW In Changi?

  1. #1
    Huey421
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    Default POW In Changi?

    I have been checking on the POW records for my father who was in Malaya, at the time of Capitulation and spent 3 yrs 8 months in Changi and last week or so in Adam Road POW camp. According to your site there is no record of these camps never mind the individual. Can this be true is it all bunkum?

    Did I imagine my dad was there, and his long suffering flash backs and re-occurring malaria?


  2. #2
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    Have you read the National Archives guidance on WW2 POWs?

    https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/r...-1939-1953.htm

    Section 7 deals with the Far East. WO345 and WO367 are the main series.

  3. #3
    apowell
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    Hello,

    Just out of interest why do you say this site states that Changi POW never existed ?

    This link may help:

    https://www.mansell.com/pow_resources..._research.html

    All the best in your research.

    Kind regards
    Adrian

  4. #4
    spison
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    We also are unaware for which country your father served so if he was in Australian Forces you will need

    https://www.naa.gov.au/

    and

    https://www.awm.gov.au/

    And records at the AWM should also provide background on the POW camps no matter where he enlisted.

    Jane

  5. #5
    Super Moderator christanel's Avatar
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    Hello and welcome to Brit-Gen
    You have already received very helpful links from our members regarding WW11 records and who holds which records.
    Not all sites hold all record types. Some records on a site have either only been licensed to that site or have only been gathered by that site themselves. Each site has a list of the sources they hold so a look at the sources acknowledgements on any site will tell you what records they hold.
    Here is the collections list for FWR who do have some POW records but not all.

    Christina
    Sometimes paranoia is just having all the facts.
    William Burroughs

  6. #6
    A fountain of knowledge
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    Hi, sorry you didn't find records you wanted: don't think for one moment mind that just because a site/any site doesn't have these records it means automatically that either the records don't exist or that they are somehow failing to recognise the service of individuals.

    Changi was a series of camps:Far from your 1st impression - if you take a look on the guide to far east POWs on FWR you'll see a fairly comprehensive write -up on all camps, none are ignored.

    The Far east POWs are also listed completely FREE of charge on FWRs site, with good reason: I made this database myself in my own time -it contains just over 14000 names for those incarcerated in Japan and a few other places, it's not complete and sad to say it may never be so.

    However it is the only Far east data set on any mainstream genealogy site as far as I am aware, and we have no plans to ever charge for it.

    I am currently collating the RAF records for the Changi area from Air40/1899 onwards, it's a laborious task that might add another 700+ records at fruition later this year.

    After that I think I can locate some of the Burma Railway camp listings: please be aware that many of these were made on pain of death if the author was found out, they may even be quite scant in some places but every time I transcribe them I am reminded how lucky we all are to even see them, I hope my work reflects this to others.

    There are no nominal listings of those captured at Singapore that I am aware of, so any addition of records is done bit by bit from the thousands of small record sets (mostly those held at the national archives in Kew).

    You'll see on the FWR guide a number of links to some small but very dedicated FEPOW sites that might be able to help further also.

    https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/...nese-1939-1945

  7. #7
    Huey421
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    Quote Originally Posted by apowell View Post
    Hello,

    Just out of interest why do you say this site states that Changi POW never existed ?

    This link may help:

    https://www.mansell.com/pow_resources..._research.html

    All the best in your research.

    Kind regards
    Adrian
    First of all thanks to all those who have replied so promptly. As you may have guessed I am not an eminent British researcher, historian, and author.
    I said that because I was using this site and checked on the page for POW Camps and neither Changi nor Adam Road is listed. But my fathers service record names both these to locations as his service following capitulation. My father like many others did not speak of the time other than to berate the jailers.
    I just wondered if the site applied the same theory that WWII ended in April/May and not August? Forgotten Army an'all that. Only kidding. I just wondered why the two prisons one at least quite notorious are not listed amongst the many that are listed?

  8. #8
    A fountain of knowledge
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    Please read my answer.
    The reason the camp listing search will not show the camps you've searched for is because the database doesn't currently carry any information on POWs held there: so there's no point adding in these camps to that search facility.

    The camps ARE listed and described (where possible) in the guide I have written on FWRS site.
    The very reason I started to add FEPOWs in my own time free of charge was precisely as I also feel/felt they were the forgotten army.

    Changi was not one prison -Changi Gaol was one, Changi camp another, Selerang, Roberts, Kitchener etc.

  9. #9
    Huey421
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    Thank You that put me in my place. I am grateful for any pointers given and appreciate that updating these records is a thankless task.
    Unfortunately when I went on the site and followed the route to the POW Camps it doesn't show the details of the two camps given in his military records. Thankfully you have now updated me on that and I now know that Changi Gaol, which was a civil prison, and became a POW camp now has many addresses. Better to find that out now than waiting until I got there?

    In any case I did look for my father putting his name and Regiment, Royal Signals, (he was in a Line Unit when he went out there) but I don't know what squadron, unit or whatever, but he is not shown as listed. Thaks anyway I will have a look at the Far East POW's site and see if they can help. If I find out maybe that will help others?

  10. #10
    Huey421
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    Thanks for your direction, I did read your post, and I don't want to antagonise you I just want to find my fathers details of there is any and possibly where he stayed. Hey, Im a new kid on the block forgive me for not having the answers already. If I had I wouldn't be here?

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