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21st September 1944On this day:
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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Remembering those who died this day.
- Arlitz William Harold Walter. Pte. (d.21st Sep 1944)
- Billen Leslie John. WO. (d.21st September 1944)
- Boynton Richard Godfrey. Pte. (d.21st Sept 1944)
- Bradley William Henry. Bmbdr. (d.21st September 1944)
- Collier John. L/Cpl. (d.21st Sep 1944)
- Conry-Candler George Felix. Flt.Sgt. (d.21st September 1944)
- Dermott Cyril. Cpl. (d.21st Sep 1944)
- Duffy Joseph. Pte. (d.21st Sep 1944)
- Earnshaw John K. S.. A/Cpl. (d.21st Sep 1944)
- Edwards Frank Walter. Pte. (d.21st September 1944)
- Edwards Frank Walter. (d.21st Sep 1944)
- Edwards William Stanley. (d.21st Sep 1944)
- Govaars Godefridus Antonius Theodorus. Sgt. (d.21st Sep 1944)
- Green Raymond Hobart. Pte. (d.21st September 1944)
- Groener C.. Pte. (d.21st September 1944)
- Kirtley William Oswald. Sig. (d.21st Sep 1944)
- McEwan Francis Fowler. Rflmn. (d.21st Sep 1944)
- Mothershaw Eric. Gnr. (d.21st September 1944)
- Potton James William. Sig. (d.21st Sep 1944)
- Rogers Clifford James. Pte. (d.21st September 1944)
- Ruddy John. Cpl. (d.21st September 1944)
- Watson Thomas. Sgt. (d.21st Sept 1944)
- White Kenneth William Francis. L/Cpl. (d.21st September 1944)
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
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Want to know more about the 21st of September 1944? There are:40 items tagged 21st of September 1944 available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Stories from 21st September 1944
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Sig. William Oswald Kirtley. British Army, Royal Signals. (d.21st Sep 1944) William Kirtley served with HQ, Malaya Command Signals.
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L/Cpl. John Collier. British Army, 18th Divn Royal Corps Signals. (d.21st Sep 1944) John was a Territorial - had, I think, served on the Norway raid early in the war. I don't have much family detail - he would have been an uncle to me.
30 October 1941, Orient Line’s SS Orcades and seven other transports sailed in convoy (WS12X) from Liverpool’s Princess Jetty. The 18th Division regiments, totaling 20,800 officers and men were en route to the Middle East via Halifax. This was the first convoy secretly manned and protected by US Navy and Coastguard personnel with orders to sink any opposing craft - this was before Pearl Harbour and the US formal entry to WW2.
10 November 1941 TF 14 sailed from Halifax in 6 American transports via Cape Town for Suez. US Navy manned USS Mount Vernon (AP22), USS West Point (AP23) and USS Orizaba (AP24); US Coast Guardsmen manned USS Wakefield (AP21), USS Joseph T Dickman (AP26) and USS Leonard Wood (AP25). 7 December 1941 Pearl Harbor.
13 December 1941 convoy (WS12X) left Cape Town with revised orders for Bombay now renamed convoy TF-14.2. Subsequent splitting and reroutes saw transports arrive at Singapore between 13 January and 5 February 1942. John was then POW on the Burma railway. Another POW tried to track him down through his wife at the end of the war, saying John's actions had kept him alive as a POW - but it was later found out that John had perished but when and how?
4 July 1944 convoy SHIMI-05 left Singapore, 10 ships (5 carrying about 5000 POWs in total) being the largest group of POWs shipped at one time during the war. John along with 1286 POWs were put aboard the Hofuku Maru (nb: this ship was also known as the Fuku Maru, the Toyofuku Maru and the Fuji Maru) a 5825 ton cargo ship. Convoy made for Miri, Borneo which it reached on July 8. Hofuku Maru and another ship (not carrying POWs), dropped out to wait for another convoy.
19 July 1944 Hofuku Maru made it to the Philippines but lay in Manila harbour until mid-September while its engines were repaired. The POWs on board suffered terribly from disease, hunger and thirst and finally a number were removed to the Bilibid Prison hospital in Manila being replaced by a similar number from the Philippines making a total of 1289 POWs then on board.
20 September 20, Convoy MATA-27 sailed from Manila (11 ships including the Hofuku Maru now the only one carrying POWs) anchoring at Subic Bay for the night.
21 September 1944 convoy sailed for Takao (Formosa) but aircraft from the 17 carriers in Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher’s Task Force 38 attacked about 80 miles north of Corregidor. 10:35 am planes attacked the Hofuku Maru and then the entire convoy had been sunk by more than 100 American planes. About 200 of the POWs either swam to shore or were picked up by the Japanese and taken back to the Philippines. John was listed as dead.
Jeremy Collier
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Sgt. Thomas Watson. British Army, B Company 14 Platoon Border Regiment. (d.21st Sept 1944) My dad was Sgt Thomas Watson from Blyth, Northumbland. He served with the 1st Airbourne Divison in the Border Regiment. He was killed in action near Driel Ferry and was buried there on the 21/9/44. He was later reburied in Oosterbeek War Cemetery. I didn't know him as I was born Oct 44. If anyone has a photos of Border Regiment or knew him any info would be greatly received. Thank you.
Irene Thomson
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Sgt. Godefridus Antonius Theodorus Govaars. Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, Infantry. (d.21st Sep 1944) My children wanted to know our family WW2 wartime background. It was not till three years ago, at age 75, that I was able to address our wartime history, firstly my own three and half years in Japanese concentration camps on Java and my father's 2 and a half years in captivity in Java and Thailand.
My father was taken prisoner in Java, following capitulation of the KNIL (Royal Netherlands Indies Forces). After three months in camp on Java, he was transported to camps on the Thai-Burma rail project. In June 1944 he was transferred to Changi and subsequently was marched to the water front to board the Hellship "Hofuku Maru" with other British and Dutch POWs.
This ship headed for Borneo and then travelled to the Philippines. Some 50 POWs died enroute and the numbers were replenished with additional POWs to a total of 1287. The freighter experienced engine troubles, which forced the POWs to remain on board ship for two months under atrocious conditions. More POWs lost their lives and some 50 were sent ashore to the Bilibil Hospital. The number of POWs was increased again to 1282, prior to the ship's departure for Japan on 20 September 1944.
The following day approximately 10.30 am, the Hofuku Maru was torpedoed by US aircrafts operating from carriers nearby. The freighter took three torpedoes and sank within minutes. Most POWs too weak to move went down with the ship, locked in the holds. My father, as a medic, perished with them. The Hofuku Maru was not emblazoned with the Red Cross, to indicate prisoners were on board. Some prisoners made it to shore, only to be rounded up and sent to Japan by the next convoy. Lex Govaars
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Rflmn. Francis Fowler McEwan. British Army, 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade. (d.21st Sep 1944) Frank McEwan was killed and buried on 21st of September 1944 in my town Mol, Belgium. He was a talented footballer, he played for Scottish Division Two side Airdrieonians and played his first game for Tottenham Hotspur in December, 1939.
Does someone remember him? I'm searching his relatives.
Gil Geerings
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William Stanley Edwards. Royal Air Force, 150 Sqdn.. (d.21st Sep 1944) William S. Edwards served as a W.Op/Air Gnr. and is remembered on the WW2 memorial in St. Anne's Church, Aigburth, Liverpool. He had been a member of the church choir.Richard Daglish
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Sig. James William Potton. British Army, Royal Corp of Signals. (d.21st Sep 1944) James Potton is a distant relative of mine (3rd cousin) whom I have recently discovered was in the Royal Signals and died in 1944.
I am in touch with his niece who says she thinks he was a POW and died on a prison ship sunk by the US Navy. He is listed on the Memorial in Durham Town Hall.
He married sometime in the forties whilst serving in Singapore, a lady called Josephine Maria (Surname unknown but of Chinese origin?) who later visited Durham, England in Nov 1945 and then returned to Shanghai in Sep 1946 to be unheard of since (rumour has it she married in the Netherlands?).
I would dearly love to know any information about James, his service record, attestation, training, postings, marriage (?) and his death.
Thanking you in advance
Julian Mark Pilsworth
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A/Cpl. John K. S. Earnshaw. British Army, 27 Line Section Royal Corps of Signals. (d.21st Sep 1944) Jack Earnshaw joined the Territorials (London Corps of Signals) on 25th of April 1939 at Fulham House.
He was posted 17th of December 1939 as part of 10 Line Section with the BEF to France. Jack was evacuated from Dunkirk between 30th of May and 4th of June 1940.
He joined 27 Line Section under Capt Barry Custance Baker in Autumn 1940. Went to Singapore 28 July 1941. Captured on surrender of Singapore, Feb 1942 and worked on the railway until 1944. He was transported back to Singapore and then transported to Japan on the Hofuku Maru. This was sunk on 21st of September 1944 and Jack was killed.
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Pte. William Harold Walter Arlitz. British Army, 2nd Btn. East Surrey Regiment. (d.21st Sep 1944) Willie Arlitz died as a POW while on the Hofuku Maru Ship. It was bombed and sunk by the US Army who didn't realise it was full of English POW's. Caroline Thompson
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L/Cpl. Kenneth William Francis White. British Army, 1st Btn. Manchester Regiment. (d.21st September 1944) Kenneth White was a POW. He was sadly killed the ship Hofuku Maru was bombed. It was carrying many prisoners. He left behind a wife and a three year old daughter who never got to meet her father.Paula Lovett
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Cpl. John Ruddy. British Army Air Corps, 2nd Btn. Parachute Regiment. (d.21st September 1944) Jack Ruddy served with 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment. Brian Ruddy
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Pte. C. Groener. S.A. Forces, Attn. South African Engineer Corps Cape Corps. (d.21st September 1944) Private Groener is buried in the Rabat European Cemetery in Morocco.
S flynn
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Flt.Sgt. George Felix Conry-Candler. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 190 Squadron. (d.21st September 1944) Flight Sergeant (Pilot) George Conry-Candler was the son of George Candler and of Teresa Mary Anastasia Candler (nee Conry) of Streatham, London.
He was aged 20 when he died and is buried in the Batenburg Roman Catholic Cemetery in the Netherlands.
S Flynn
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Gnr. Eric Mothershaw. British Army, 20th Light A.A. Regiment Royal Artillery. (d.21st September 1944) Gunner Eric Mothershaw was the son of Walter and Sarah Ann Mothershaw, of Silverdale, Staffordshire.
He was 20 when he died and is buried in the Groede General Cemetery, Zeeland, Netherlands.S Flynn
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Pte. Raymond Hobart Green. British Army, 4th Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment. (d.21st September 1944) After completion of Burma/Thailand railway Hofuku Maru had left Singapore with POW it stayed in Manilla for about a month.
21st September 1944 approximately 80nm North of Corregidor Island beginning 10.35 the convoy was attacked by planes of the 2nd wave of U.S. Task Force 38. The Hofuku Maru was sunk on board were 1,289 POW's, of which 1,047 lost their lives.Myra Thomas
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WO. Leslie John Billen. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 190 Squadron. (d.21st September 1944) Warrant Officer Leslie Billen was the son of Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Billen, husband of Joan Edith Billen of Tolworth, Surbiton, Surrey.
He was 21 when he died and is buried in the Horssen Protestant Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands.
S flynn
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Frank Walter Edwards. British Army, 5th Btn. Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. (d.21st Sep 1944) Frank Edwards joined the TA and went to Singapore. He died in the Hofuku Maur convoy MATA-27 which was sunk by American planes. 1200 prisoners on this ship died. John Edwards
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Pte. Joseph Duffy. British Army, 2nd Btn. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. (d.21st Sep 1944) Joseph Duffy was a prisoner of war and he died at sea as a result of Americans bombing the ship he was travelling on.
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Pte. Richard Godfrey Boynton. British Army, 2nd (Airborne) Btn. South Staffordshire Regiment. (d.21st Sept 1944) Richard Boynton was the son of George and Doris Boynton.Keith Boynton
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Bmbdr. William Henry Bradley. British Army, 1st Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery, B Troop Royal Artillery. (d.21st September 1944) Bill Bradley, 37 years old, was killed in action in the vicinity of Arnhem Bridge on 19th of September 1944.Steve
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