Dakota Crash, Kai Tak 1946.

By: SIDSIKO - 17th July 2011 at 19:59 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Was with 110 Squadron, thats all I can tell you

By: paulmcmillan - 19th July 2011 at 12:21 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Straits Times of Singapore has a list of 5 crew and 14 Passengers (Dakota was en route for Singapore)

Crew from Paper and CWGC

Warrent Officer Alastair Christie Pilot #1522726 110 Sqn RAFVRfrom Stonehaven Scotland. Age 22
Warrent Officer Rex Neville Blackmore 2nd Pilot #1208876 110 Sqn RAFVR from Walmsfeyen near Birmingham. Age 24
Flight Sergeant John Kendall Hazeldene Pilot #1624960 110 Sqn RAFVR from Rossingdale Lancs
Flight Sergeant John Wilfred Holden Navigator #1815869 110 Sqn RAFVR from Byansfield Notts
Flight Sergeant Richard Samuel Bond Wireless Operator #1875821 110 Sqn RAFVR from Hackney London. Age 21

Passengers from Paper and CWGC

Mr. Ngo Uny from Hong Kong
Chiang Foe Hung from Yick Wah Trading Company of Hong Kong
Mrs. Lam Mour from Yick Wah Trading Company of Hong Kong
Master Chiang Chu from Yick Wah Trading Company of Hong Kong
Mr Troung Din Phoung from Yick Wah Trading Company of Hong Kong
Colonel Cyril Hew Dalrymple Wild M.B.E Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, Chief War Crimes Liaison Officer ALFSEA HQ Singapore District. Age 38
Mr Reginald 'Rex' Spencer Davies Barrister Chief War Crimes Prosecutor Tokyo Trials from Whitchurch Bucks. Age 36
Mr Royal Arch Gunnison American War Correspondent for Mutual Broadcasting from New York, USA
Corporal Samuel Scott Cameron Royal Army Pay Corps #7665361 from Eastbourne Sussex. Age 30
Driver Brian Thomas Partrick Royal Army Service Corps #T/14880775 from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. Age 19
Leading Signalman John Charles Boardman #D/JX 170243 H.M.S Tamar Royal Navy
Gunner Robert Heathcock 30 Field Regt Royal Artillery #1491852 from Alumrock Birmingham. Age 28
Driver Paul Timerick Royal Army Service Corps #T/14929991 from Selly Oak Sussex. Age 19
L/Cpl M Adcock Royal Army Service Corps #T/14531630 from North Spalding, Lincs

Notes

Mrs. Lam Mour and Mr Davies not on CWGC (well I could not find them)

Gunnison and his wife was interned for 22 months by Japanese after being captured in the Philippines and a book called 'So Sorry, No Peace' about
his experiences was published in 1944 after he was repatriated from China

By: kev35 - 19th July 2011 at 13:50 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

I've heard a little about Colonel Wild and have read some of the pages linked to as the experiences of PoW's of the Japanese is one of my interests. I personally have never understood why Hirohito was never tried because as far as my, albeit limited, understanding goes everything was done in the name of the Emperor. But that is by the by.

A couple of corrections to Paul's excellent post, partly from CWGC and partly from a little local knowledge.

Warrant Officer Blackmore from Walmsfeyen (sic) near Birmingham is actually from Sutton Coldfield. A district of Sutton Coldfield is Walmley so that is perhaps where the confusion arises?

Gunner Heathcock was from Alum Rock in Birmingham.

Driver Timerick from Selly Oak, Sussex, was in fact from Bournbrook, Selly Oak in Birmingham.

Interesting for me to note, being local, that three of the 19 casualties were from Birmingham.

Regards,

kev35

By: kev35 - 19th July 2011 at 22:32 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

As far as I can tell from all the books I've read, Cyril Wild was very well thought of. I believe his MBE was awarded for service during captivity and a Mention in Despatches awarded for his work in Malaya early in 1942. Is it a conspiracy theory to suggest that Colonel Wild was assassinated for evidence he held against Emperor Hirohito and Unit 731? I don't have the answer, but if evidence did exist confirming a link between Hirohito and Unit 731 then it would have made a real mess of both America and MacArthur's vision of a post war Japan.

It would be interesting to know exactly what documentary evidence remains regarding what was at best a simple tragedy and at worst, well, it doesn't bear thinking about, even 65 years on.

Regards,

kev35

By: AVI - 20th July 2011 at 00:11 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

I've heard a little about Colonel Wild and have read some of the pages linked to as the experiences of PoW's of the Japanese is one of my interests. I personally have never understood why Hirohito was never tried because as far as my, albeit limited, understanding goes everything was done in the name of the Emperor. But that is by the by........

Regards,
kev35

Kev35, I certainly do not wish to hijack this thread, but you wrote: ..."experiences of POWs of the Japanese is one of my interests" ...

...my father was a POW, captured in Hong Kong and from what he told me about two weeks before he died in 1996, was shipped to Japan, to Nagoya, to work as slave labor in a Mitsubishi locomotive plant. Dad was eventually repatriated to Vancouver or Victoria sometime late in 1945 or possibly early 1946. He rarely, if ever, spoke of his years in captivity, but my mother was extremely vocal in her hatred for the Japanese until the day she died, a year after Dad.

Do you have any info concerning the repatriation/transportation of allied POWs from Japan to Vancouver or Victoria, BC? You may contact me via PM or my email: avi2039 AT gmail DOT com

By: kev35 - 20th July 2011 at 08:46 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Andy.

Already sorted the Selly Oak busuness, and the Sutton Coldfield one too.

Mrs. Lam Mour does now seem devastatingly obvious now it's been pointed out to me. It's also interesting that I can't find any other mention of Mr. Davies either. I wonder if there's any way we can check he even existed? No finds for a Yick Wah trading Co., other than a modern toy and sporting goods wholesaler established in 1963.

Is there a mystery to be solved here?

AVI.

I will be sending you a PM.

Regards,

kev35

By: paulmcmillan - 20th July 2011 at 09:19 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Opps deleted text by mistake - Yes He did exist according to The Times

I believe this might be him with wrong date of death on CWGC as 29/09/1946 and S instead of RS Davies

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3169477

I am now 99.9% sure this is him with wrong date - he was known as "Mr Spencer Davies"

By: kev35 - 20th July 2011 at 09:24 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Thanks Paul, I found a birth for him that fits with him being 36 as the only Reginald Spencer Davies I can find was a birth in the June Quarter of 1910 at Chertsey.

Regards,

kev35

By: paulmcmillan - 20th July 2011 at 09:24 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Think I found Mrs 'LAM MOUR' now as well

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3169540

Wrong Month (Dec insread of Sep) - But right sex... day of month and location Hong Kong

Name: LAM MOU TRI
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Civilian (Mrs.)
Regiment/Service: Civilian War Dead
Date of Death: 25/12/1946
Casualty Type: Civilian War Dead
Reporting Authority: HONG KONG

By: paulmcmillan - 20th July 2011 at 09:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Shame L/Cpl M Adcock can't be fully identified...

By: kev35 - 20th July 2011 at 09:27 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Sounds likely Paul.

Are you using Geoff's search engine for this?

Regards,

kev35

By: paulmcmillan - 20th July 2011 at 09:37 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Are you using Geoff's search engine for this?

Originally yes - But when I could not find Davies or Lam Mour (when all rest listed) I thought maybe wrong date so I used CWGC for all Davies in 1946 and only one Civilian in 1946 in Hong Kong and then I just used LAM in CWGC to find all LAM* in 1946...

By: lauriebe - 20th July 2011 at 09:42 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Have just looked at the write-up on this accident in Colin Cummings' book 'Final Landings'. The first two sentences of the entry read:

"The aircraft, en route to Singapore, was at about 700 to 800 feet immediately after takeoff, when it turned onto its crosswind leg. The pilot, who had not appreciated the amount of turbulence from the foothills over which the aircraft was flying, lost control and the aircraft dived into the ground and was destroyed."

Cummings also mentions a little of Col Wild's background. Wild, an excellent Japanese linguist, was the officer who carried the white flag in Gen Percival's surrender party, having already been involved in the earlier initial surrender talks.

Cummings also mentions that Wild earned the respect of the Japanese during his time in captivity and was known by them as "nemuranu se no takai otoko" - the tall man who never slept - for his tireless efforts on behalf of the POWs.

Also in Cummings' book, the lady who has been discussed above is listed simply as Mrs Lamour; note, no splitting of the name. There are also spelling differences in two of the other names. These are shown as Mr N Guny (Ngo Uny in the Straits Times) and Chiang Foo Ching (Chiang Foe Hung according to the Straits Times). There is no reference to the trading company listed in the Straits Times article quoted above.

By: lauriebe - 20th July 2011 at 09:49 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

For Adcock, see here:

http://www.cwgc.org/search/SearchResults.aspx?surname=Adcock&initials=M&war=2&yearfrom=1946&yearto=1946&force=Army&nationality=6&send.x=43&send.y=10

By: kev35 - 20th July 2011 at 09:57 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Paul.

Lance Corporal Adcock might be Maurice Adcock, birth registered in Boston, Lics., in the June Quarter of 1924. A search of all male M Adcocks born between 1910 and 1930 reveals another 12 or so but none from Lincolnshire. It's not definitive by any means but it's a reasonable assumption unless proven otherwise.

Lauriebe, thanks for the additional info.

Regards,

kev35

By: paulmcmillan - 20th July 2011 at 09:59 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Laurie

Yes saw his entry but was after his forename

The only M Adcock I could find born in Spalding. Lincs in FreeBMD was a Maureen Adcock - I think if had been a woman it would have been a different service name

Paul

By: paulmcmillan - 20th July 2011 at 10:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Paul.

Lance Corporal Adcock might be Maurice Adcock, birth registered in Boston, Lics., in the June Quarter of 1924. A search of all male M Adcocks born between 1910 and 1930 reveals another 12 or so but none from Lincolnshire. It's not definitive by any means but it's a reasonable assumption unless proven otherwise.

Lauriebe, thanks for the additional info.

Regards,

kev35

Yep.. Could be assuming he Parents stayed locally

Looks like he had a Sister Annie E both 1920 and and brother Herbert born 1922

By: lauriebe - 21st July 2011 at 07:36 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Sorry Paul, misread your post. Yet another senior moment!