About

“To remember them is to honour them”

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Welcome to the Researching FEPOW History (RFH) Group’s website and blog. The RFH group was founded in 2005 with the aim of bringing together all those interested in researching Far East POW history, a still little-known aspect of WWII history.
We do this by organising conferences approximately every two years. Details of events held to date can be found by selecting  “Conferences” above.  Up to 75% of our audience are family historians; the remainder comprise professional and academic researchers, students, authors and historians. We attract leading authorities from around the world to share their research into Far East captivity during WWII. Please share your interest in this history with others who visit this website or who attend our conferences. We hope we may welcome you to the next one.

Dr Lizzie Oliver — Former Chair, RFHG

 

“…the Researching FEPOW History Conference plays an extremely important role in maintaining an interest in FEPOW history, encouraging good quality academic research and fulfils the duty of acknowledging and appreciating the men and the sacrifice that was made by the FEPOWs and ex-internees.”

Mr Jeya Ayadurai — Director of the Changi Museum — Singapore

 

34 thoughts on “About”

  1. Hi.
    My grandad Harry Scotter was in Changi prison at the end of the war possibly 4th or 6th Battalion Royal Anglians
    How could I find out more information about him
    Regards Howard

  3. Thanks Stephen ,I have visited KEW today and found a lot of information on him.
    Regards Howard

  4. My father was in Changi from 1942 to 1945 he wrote an account (mainly for his family and friends) of his time there. He also illustrated this with his own sketches. I would be happy to share this with anyone who is interested in Changi.

  6. Hi Sarah.
    I would be interested in reading your fathers account in Changi .
    Regards Howard

  7. Hi Sarah
    I would like to speak to you about your father’s illustrations. This is an area of research that I’m actively involved in at present, regards Meg.

  8. could anybody help me with my fathers records i did start research last year but had a stroke and had to stop i have only just started to do a bit more but still have a long way to go,

  9. Meg I would be happy to share them with you. Perhaps I can email them or we can connect via FB messenger.

  10. I would very much appreciate some help and advice from you,i am so mixed up over things about my dad,over the past few days i have watched the Belford Boys on tv and the morpeth fepows,my dad was in the northumberland fusiliers,i have 2 records for him one says missing in malaya,the next he is in thailand,his army number is 4276311,,,

  11. Hi Anne, if you let me know your fathers name I will try and find some information about him

    The 9th battalion Northumberland fusiliers became part of the 18th Div.
    24th October 1941 the 9th Btn. sailed for Halifax aboard the ‘Warwick Castle’ from Liverpool. Arriving in Halifax they re-embarked on the American troopship the ‘USS Orizaba’ After a long hot journey via the Port of Spain in Trinidad and Capetown they arrived in Bombay for training before setting sail again for Singapore in late January 1942 to join the 11th Indian Division.

  12. My Father was Peter HR Neithercott and was a POW in Burma.
    A Native of Brixton, U.K. he passed away in 2010 in Tucson AZ USA
    He never wanted to talk about it either.
    After watching The Railway Man
    and reading Eric Lomax’s book
    I have even more respect for what all the FEPOWs endured.
    If you know anyone involved please don’t let the story be forgotten.
    God Bless them All!
    Any comments are welcome
    at pnbond@aol.com…
    PS You haven’t seen the movie or read the book please do

  14. hello my dad was also on the burma railway,i did get a few bits of information but i then had a stroke so was unable to continue,i rang Kew about copies of his records and they wanted £700,money i did not have,i was then advised to go to Kew where i could photostat the info myself but i live in north east,so that was impossible.i would love some info,

  16. Thanks, soon! All of the sudden there’s lots of people who have been through the same thing…

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

  18. Hi Sarah.
    I am putting together a piece on our local Methodist Minister (deceased) Revd Robert Pridmore for the Local History Society and possibly a County Local History Magazine. He was in the 6th Royal Norfolks, part of the 18th Division, arriving in Singapore days before its surrender. Taken prisoner on 16th Feb 1942 he was moved to Changi on 20th Feb. Leaving on 7 November to work on the Railway. I would be interested in looking at your father’s account and sketches and possibly using them to help illustrate the conditions and situations that Revd Pridmore refers to.

  19. Hello Jeremy I can share my fathers book which includes his sketches via Dropbox if you can provide an email address

  22. Sarah Many thanks for your fathers book. I have just finished reading it only pausing in the middle of the morning, long after I should have been warm in bed. You must be justifiably very proud, it is a very well written and interesting book which I very much appreciate your generosity in sharing. Reading accounts like this is very humbling for our generation who hear only snippets of what our parents went through (my parents were children in the air-raid shelters of Hull and Wakefield). And, I remember the anger and horror of one of our neighbours in our tiny village (Lowdham Grange, Notttinghamshire), when the older teenage boys were buying Japanese Motorbikes in the early 1970’s. Even before this reminder he had remained haunted by memories all of his life and people used to say in hushed tones that he hand been held prisoner at the hands of the Japanese – but no one locally really understood . I hope that he found peace.

    Many thanks again.

    Jeremy

    web: turnthepage.me

  23. Thank you for your feedback Jeremy. My father wrote his book in his 60’s, to exorcise some of the demons from his experiences. I am proud of his writing and his sketching/painting. He was a survivor and writing the story may have helped him make it to 99. We’re so thankful he left his prisoner of war account behind for his family. Please feel free to pass the story on to people who might be interested. He would have been flattered to know It is reacing a wider audience.
    Best wishes for 2016. Sarah

  24. Sarah, Hi I have just come across the website and your comments. I am looking to do some research about my father in law (Leonard Seaman 4th Royal Norfolks/18th Batallion) who was captured and sent to Changi at the same time as your father. I would be extremly honoured to read your fathers accounts if possible.

  25. Hi my father was Tom walker 2nd battalion east surry regiment , taken prisoner after Singapore with the British battalion .I wondered if enyone from either the Surrey or Leicester regiments had any info

  26. Both sets of Grandparents, as well as their children (2 of whom married and became my parents) were interned by the Japanese in Chapei camp in Shanghai.
    I listened to my parents speak of their days in ‘camp’ as a boy- it sounded fun! I now know it was very far from this! My Dad’s father, whom I sadly never met, was struck with the flat edge of an officers’ sword! This was because he’d broken curfew one hot evening to sit outside their hut to read his bible. He’d been a missionary in China before the war and ran the chapel in camp.
    If anyone else had family I’m Shanghai, I’d be interested in hearing from them. We’ve no photos from that internment time either.

  27. Hi Sarah my father was in the Army Dental Corps when he was captured in Singapore in Feb 1942. He was at Roberts Hospital Changi and also Selarang and Kranji Hospitals. After dental supplies ran out I think he was a medical assistant working under Col Craven RAMC and Lieut Col Collins RAMC. I would like to read your father’s account of his time at Changi. I visited Singapore for the 1st time in October 2015 and was deeply moved by my visit to The Changi Museum. Like many FEPOWs my dad spoke little of his time in the far east and the horrors he saw & experienced. I wish now I had asked him a little more before he passed away in 1985. Many Thanks & Kind Regards.

  28. my father was captured in Changi we have a few different stories,it seems as if he was captured twice in malaya,he then went on the Burma Railway,I was researching a few years ago but I had a major illness preventing from going further my dad was H A Norman 9th Battalian northumberland fusiliers,there was 4 listings for him on war records 2 were Henry Allan Norman 2 were just HA norman,although I would lke to go further I am unable to,

  30. Hello, thank you for your interest. I would be happy to share my father’s account if his time in Singapore and Changi. If you can let me have your email address I will invite you to share it in Dropbox. Sadly it is too large to email. I look forward to hearing from you.
    Kind regards Sarah

  31. Hello Russell, thank you for your interest.
    I would be happy to let you read my father’s account of his time in Changi. If you could let me have your email address I will share it with you in Dropbox.
    Kind regards
    Sarah

  32. Hello Sarah,I would love to read your fathers account of being in Changi,my dear dad was there too,I have found 4 entries of my dads name all with the same army number I have not been able to research anything much due to ill health,He did tell me little bits of his experience,but I have not got much about him,I know the ship he went on,and captured in Singapore then to Malaya then apparently burma railway,

  33. Hello Anne, thank you for your interest. I would be happy to share my father’s account if his time in Singapore and Changi. If you can let me have your email address I will invite you to share it in Dropbox. Sadly it is too large to email. I look forward to hearing from you.
    Kind regards Sarah
    Sarah Pilbeam

  34. My Uncle Bill (William Armiger) although he wasnt a FEPOW he was in Singapore in Feb 42′ with 5th Royal Norfolks,he was injured Braddell Rd,taken to St Alexandras Hosp,14th Feb and you can imagine what happened there 15th Feb yes he was part of the massacre which took place there..would anyone know if there is paperwork reference this and patients murdered, as he has no grave so obv a mass grave there somewhere..he was just always stated MISSING on the telegram received to my Aunt

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Remembering captivity across Southeast Asia and the Far East during the Second World War

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