Captured at Singapore .

[davesmum]

Hi ,my second cousin (I think thats right ) John Axon born in 1914 in Ashton under Lyne ,was captured at Singapore and died at Shonkrai May 1943 ,he is on A******y's UK ,Army Roll of Honour ,Rank Lance Serjeant ,number 3525605 .He was with the Manchester Regiment .I'm just wondering if there is any further info for him .

davesmum .

[rafboy]

Hi davesmum
He is on the Roll of Honour  See:  http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/  and this page gives all his details including the plot number: http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/regiments/Manchester_Regiment/html/a_database_4.htm .  You will notice that the cemetery is San Krai No 2.  Unfortunately we do not apear to have any grave photos from San Krai cemeteries.  He is also listed in the Roll of Honour in document reference MR1/3/1/18 available from the Regimental Museum.  The title is "First Battalion The Manchester Regiment Malaya, Thailand, Burma 1939 ~ 1945. 
Finally from me for now attached is his Japanese POW Record Card.

[davesmum]

Hi rafboy ,thank you very much .I'm always amazed at what info you kind people have ,.I've just looked at the link you gave for the roll of honour, how lovely that someone should do that for the men .I do have a photo of him from a book that someone on this forum kindly sent to me ,the only problem being when I try to print it off ,he's missing from it -It could be too large for my printer to get the whole picture .He's pictured with a group of prisoners .

davesmum

[rafboy]

I forgot to ask which book the photo was in.  Please post all the details of the book, ie. Title, Author, Publisher and ISBN Number plus the page number where the photo is located.
Cliff

[davesmum]

Hi rafboy ,well the photo is taken from "Free For A Blast " by R.King- Clark ,Grenville Publishing Co .,the photo is "My No 2 Platoon 2nd Manchesters .It says -Seven of my my fourteen strong No 2 Platoon died in Japenese captivity during WW2,mostly working on the notorious "Railway of Death "in Sian ( Thailand ) or Burma .We did manage to save the photo to the computer and print it off ,but it's not a very good copy .I'll see if I can get it better to see and send to you ,if that's ok . I can't pick him out on any of the forum photo's .

Thanks again Davesmum

[george.theshed197]

Hi Cliff,
The photograph in question is on page 106 of Rex's book 'Free for a Blast'. I will have a go at scanning it to see if I can get a decent copy for you.
Cheers,
George.

[rafboy]

Thanks George that would be appreciated.  I have received a copy from davesmum which is very feint so if you can get a good one that would be better.  I have not got time to do anything this weekend as we have a house full including two extra dogs belonging to my stepdaughter.  These two Patterdales keep trying to kill each other so need some watching.
Cliff

[rafboy]

Sorry davesmum, George and me have tried to improve the picture from the book to get a clear view of his face but our best attempts are not realy good enough for comparing to the group photos.  I have tried and cannot see anyone that could be him.
Cliff

[davesmum]

Thanks rafboy and George ,for all your help .

davesmum .

[Bob.NB]

Some more info on John Axon.
Enlisted as a regular - 3 April 1933.
Served with the 1st Battalion in Palestine.
Discharged but then rejoined on 26 Dec 1941 and rejoined 1st Battalion in singapore.
Captured by Japanese at fall of Singapore.
Part of "F Force" (13 parties made up from 3,600 Australians and 3,400 British POWs) that left Changi camp between 18 and 30 April 1943 to travel North to work on the Burma Railway.
Died aged 29 of Cholera on 29 May 1943 at Sonkurai camp. (See Major Hyde's diary in the Manchester Regiment archives on F Force).
Buried Thanbyuzayat War Cemetry.
Married to Doris and lived at 117 Kings Rd, Ashton-Under-Lyne.
Commemorated on the Ashton war memorial.

[liverpool annie]

Nice one Bob ! 

Do you have any other soldiers information from F Force ?

Annie 

[Robert Bonner]

Interestingly he is shown in Major Hyde's diary as CQMS (Company Quartermaster Sergeant) Axon.  Presumably he had been given a temporary promotion before moving up to the dreaded railway.

[davesmum]

Thanks everyone ,how I wish that I could have met this man ,both him and his father served in the Manchester Regiment ,what history I could have learnt from them !!

Bob.NB ,thanks for your info ,and also thanks to Robert Bonner .

davesmum

[Bob.NB]

Davesmum,
Have a look at this website (http://www.cofepow.org.uk/pages/asia_thailand6.htm) . This is a brief history of F Force by Major C H Wild - it makes for grim reading. There was in the Daily Mail from 19-22 June 1995 a series of articles by John Franks who was in F Force and at Sonkrai. If you can't find it anywhere I will get a copy to you.
Best wishes.
Bob B

[davesmum]

Hi Bob NB , how could people do that to others ! Were the Japanese ever taken before courts as the Germans were ?

Do you think my best bet is to write to the Daily Mail to see if they hold copies of the articles you mention ?

Thanks again -davesmum