WW2 Allied Ships sunk by the Japanese in the Far East & MN POW's taken.

[Cliff Phillips]

Anyone who had relatives who were on ships sunk in the Far East during WW2 by the Japanese or who's MN relatives were taken as POW's may be interested in this record of ships sunk and POW camps MN members were held in. You may need to join this Facebook group (It's free): https://www.facebook.com/groups/FEPOW.Family
My father (Army) was captured in Singapore and shipped to Formosa (Taiwan) in the Japanese Hell Ship Dianichi Maru.
Cliff

Link to the MN page:

https://fepow-addendum.info/html/mer...hxCSl8bgV4vqqI

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Cliff
Thank you fr the wonderful Link, it sure is a good one and i am sure will be of interest to quite a few here!
We had an old Member (Now sadly passed) who was in one of the POW Camps during his time in the Merchant Navy (Lou Barron) he wrote his accounts which was so sad but very interesting as well.
He hailed from New Zealand , and at one time came over here to Aussie, to visit me and the Wife, stayed with us for over a Week, we had some great time. We were so sad to see him leave!
So his passing not too long after he went back, really hit us here!
Thanks again
Cheers

https://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/...te-lou-barron/

[Cliff Phillips]

Is this him Doc? Barron, Charles L Ordinary Seaman R227743 Gloucester Castle 16.7.42 Unknown Japan
If it is he is on this page: M_N_2.pdf (fepow-addendum.info)
This is the camp he was held in in Japan.

( Corrections done on Initial posting here, thanks to Cliff)

[Doc Vernon]

One and the same Cliff! One great Guy i must say, he was small in stature but bloody Huge in Heart! A Man amongst Men!
And a True Gentleman to the Core! I dont think there would be too many like Lou still left on this Planet!

RIP My dear Friend Lou! We think of you always!

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Vernon.
I always thought that Lou was held in Changi until his release.
Des

[j.sabourn]

Whilst on Singapore Island Des apart from his being held in Changi he was on work parties in Loyang which he pronounced slightly different with a slight difference in the spelling. I visited Lou in one of his local hotels with a large bottle of duty free whiskey or rum can’t remember which now which he immediately put down his trouser leg and it was a 40 ouncer, but as we were sitting in the bar the management might have complained , he was accompanied by one of his sons at the time. As I knew Loyang very well as was a sea base for the oil industry and I usually
used to pick up ships there to bring to Oz , was able to tell him how much the place had probably changed since his time and he was very interested on my knowledge of the places of entertainment . Cheers JS
I forget what year it was but know it was on Robbie Burns night as later the hotel put on a show for the residents , however Lou had to be home by a certain time. Don’t think it was too long after this that he sadly passed away. JS

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Vernon.
I always thought that Lou was held in Changi until his release.
Des

He was Des so dont know why the Unknown!??
Cheers

Barron, Charles L Ordinary Seaman R227743 Gloucester Castle 16.7.42 Unknown Japan


R227743 BARRON C L 01/05/1924 HULL

Ordering and viewing options

This record has not been digitised and cannot be downloaded.

You can order records in advance to be ready for you when you visit Kew. You will need a reader's ticket to do this. Or, you can request a quotation for a copy to be sent to you.

• Book a visit Request a copy

Reference:	BT 372/333/83
Description:	R227743 BARRON C L 01/05/1924 HULL
Date:	1913-1972
Held by:	The National Archives, Kew
Former reference in its original department:	R227743
Legal status:	Public Record(s)
Closure status:	Open Document, Open Description

[Ivan Cloherty]

Spent a few days with Lou (along with Kong) in Liverpool at the BOA in 2013 (God how time flies) he was 90 then but fit, we stayed in the same hotel, taxi drivers would never take any money from him. I still have the book about Dunedin, his home town, that he presented to my late wife Wendy, they had some good laughs together.

Lou gives an account of some of his experiences in the book 'Hell or High Water' isbn 978-1-86950-786-2 pages 200 - 215, Lou lied about his age when joining the MN gave it as 16, he was actually 14.5 years old, they didn't check too much in those days

[Brenda Shackleton]

Hello
We met Lou in NZ in Feb 2014 and he treated us to Lunch. He still had the Red Duster from the Liverpool Meet-up.
Great character. He went through a lot. ' Hell or High Water' is a good read about NZ mariners.
Will try the photos again and hope that they don't flip sideways or turn turtle.....
Brenda100_7759.jpg100_7760.jpg100_7763.jpg

[Cliff Phillips]

He was Des so dont know why the Unknown!??
Cheers

Barron, Charles L Ordinary Seaman R227743 Gloucester Castle 16.7.42 Unknown Japan


R227743 BARRON C L 01/05/1924 HULL

[FONT="]

Ordering and viewing options

This record has not been digitised and cannot be downloaded.

You can order records in advance to be ready for you when you visit Kew. You will need a reader's ticket to do this. Or, you can request a quotation for a copy to be sent to you.

• Book a visit Request a copy

Reference:	BT 372/333/83
Description:	R227743 BARRON C L 01/05/1924 HULL
Date:	1913-1972
Held by:	The National Archives, Kew
Former reference in its original department:	R227743
Legal status:	Public Record(s)
Closure status:	Open Document, Open Description

[/FONT]

Thanks for the information, I will let them know.