Capt Thomas Broadbent Mangnall

[digger100]

Hi - I have been collecting medals for close to 55 years now (yes I am old!). The hobby has now taken a second seat to my desire to find 'the story of the man behind the medal'. I spend hours hunting down the most basic information on a soldier to put together his story. As we all know the best records have been destroyed and we are left with 'the examples' retained in regimental and other archives.

Rebuilding a Red Book is no easy task especially in the UK. In Australia it is much more simple - records have not been bombed and many have survived the culling by government authorities. We do have access to many Part 2 Orders for ww2 units (as well as a lot less for ww1 units). Copies of many battalion ww1 war diaries include some Part 2 Orders. I have been steadily adding these to a database for Australians who served in ww1. So if anyone would like research assistance for Australian soldiers, please feel free to contact me.

Felix (the name of the databse) does have close to 12m ww1 names in it ranging from honours and awards, RN, RFC/RAF, Army casualties (extracted from the ww1 weekly casulaty list as well as the Naval and RFC lists that are in addition to the weekly lists), extracts from regimental journals, medal rolls (1914 star, 1914-15 star, BWM, VM, TFWM), LSGC rolls (including Indian Routine Orders), ICRC lists plus rolls of honour etc etc.

The Manchesters feature prominantly during ww1. The combinations of medals is mind blowing and I am lucky to have a few of them in my collection.

I recently bought the group to Major Thomas Broadbent Mangnall (24951) commissioned 2nd Lt LG LG 17/4/1923 who later became a Jap POW ww2,  and served in Malaya. He received an TD (LG 12/9/1947) plus 1 clasp (LG 16/3/1951). Interned 15/02/42 - 02/09/45 POW in Japanese POW camp, Mukden, Manchuria.

I do not have the Manchester Regiment Gazette so if anyone does I am hoping that there will be some references to Mangnall for Malaya or even an obituary ..... ?

Enough for now. I need to go and do osme work to fund Felix!!

All the best
Andy

[rafboy]

Some Information on his POW time for you:
Captain. Thomas Broadbent Mangnall. 30 North Promenade, Lytham St Annes, Fylde, Lancashire.
Arrived in Taiwan on the Dianichi Maru departing Singapore 30th October 1942. My father was on the same Hell Ship.
Was moved from POW Camp 3 (Heito) to POW Camp 4 (Shirakawa) after the Americans bombed Heito on 7th February 1945.
Sent to Japan on the Taiko Maru arriving on 10th March 1945.
Held in POW Camp 12 Minato, moved to POW Camp Mukden on 24th April 1945.
Liberated from POW Camp Hoten (Mukden) Manchuria in September 1945.
This is on the Forum in Part 1 of Liberation of Formosa (Taiwan) Part 2 at: http://themanchesters.org/forum/index.php?topic=11005.msg70963#msg70963
You will also find him in Liberated from POW Camp Hoten (Mukden) Manchuria September 1945 at: http://themanchesters.org/forum/index.php?topic=10125.msg70879#msg70879
If you contact TBRC at: http://www.tbrconline.com/ they will help.
Attached for you is his Liberation Q sorry it's not a very good quality photo, the original and a Japanese Record Card should be held in the National Archive at Kew.
Someone else on the Forum may be able to add to the above.
Cliff

PS:He was also in the same 2 POW camps in Taiwan as my father.  You may also like to look at: http://www.powtaiwan.org/

[digger100]

Fantastic info RAF man thanks indeed. Now for any info in the Manchester Gazette.

All the best
Andy

[rafboy]

Fantastic info RAF man thanks indeed. Now for any info in the Manchester Gazette.

You are welcome Andy, though I have to say that a large part of the research for the information on the Manchester's Japanese POW's was carried out by Mack who unfortunately has not been active on the Forum for quite a while now. I just contributed a little where I could and put it all together for the Forum.
If you do find his POW Record Card or get information from TBRC (It's run by Australians) it would be appreciated if you could share it with the Forum.
Cliff also old.

[Bob.NB]

Captain Mangnall's PoW card attached.
hope it's of interest.
Bob B

[rafboy]

Captain Mangnall's PoW card attached.
hope it's of interest.
Bob B

Thanks Bob, one I did not have.
Cliff

[Bob.NB]

Cliff,
No problem - they are available on FindMyPast.co.uk.
Best wishes.
Bob

[rafboy]

Cliff,
No problem - they are available on FindMyPast.co.uk.
Best wishes.
Bob

Thank you Bob, I will see if I can find more that I don't have later. I'm just moving house at the moment,
Not going far moving from number 31 to number 20.
Cliff