Ancestors of Christopher John Augustine Morry

Ronald James Williams

      Sex: M

AKA: Ron Williams

Individual Information

Birth Date: 14 May 1919 - Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom ¹⁹⁸⁹ ^,8068 ^,8551 ^,8552 Christening: 12 Jun 1919 - Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom ⁸⁵⁵² Death: 6 Jan 2011 - Leeds, Yorkshire, England ( at age 91) ¹⁹⁸⁹ ^,8553 ^,8554 Burial: 26 Mar 2018 - Wakefield, Yorkshire, England ⁹⁶² Cause of Death: Old age

Events

• Residence: Rothwell, Leeds, Yorkshire, England.

• Alt. Birth: Kings Norton, Between Apr and Jun 1919, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom.

• Alt. Birth: 1921, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom.

• Census: 1921 England Census, Household of Ronald Williams,, 1921, Smethwick, West Midlands, England. (Household Member)

• Residence: 64 Coney Green Drive, Northfield, 1921, Smethwick, West Midlands, England. (Occupant)

• Education: 1933, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom.

• Military: Attestation 5109852, Sapper, Royal Engineers, 35 Fortress Company, 14 Nov 1935, Singapore.

• Military: Sapper, Regt. # 5109852, British Army, Between 1935 and 1955, Singapore. Held in Changi POW camp.

And then stayed on after war

011218 from FindMyPast:

Prisoners of War 1715-1945 Transcription
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ConflictWorld War 2
Record setPrisoners Of War 1715-1945
Archive referenceWO 392/26
First name(s)Ronald James
Last nameWilliams
Year1942
RankSapper
Ship nameA
Country of imprisonment-
NationalityBritish
Ship or corpsA
Prison camp or shipMA
ArchiveThe National Archives
Document detailsWar Office: Directorate of Prisoners of War: Prisoners of War Lists, Second World War, 1943-1945
CategoryMilitary Service & Conflict
SubcategoryRegimental & service records
Collections fromUnited Kingdom, Overseas / Unknown
Findmypast

copyright Findmypast 2015.

• Military: Attestation in Royal Artillery, Service Number 1586462, 1940, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 011218:

Royal Artillery attestations 1883-1942 Transcription
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First name(s)Ronald James
Last nameWilliams
Age-
Birth year-
Birth place-
Attestation year1940
Service number1586462
Former service number-
Record setRoyal Artillery Attestations 1883-1942
CategoryMilitary Service & Conflict
SubcategoryRegimental & service records
Collections fromUnited Kingdom, Overseas / Unknown
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• Military: Details on Missing in Action, 15 Feb 1942, Singapore. 1942/02/15 - Ron was last seen Pearl Bank, leaving in a row boat for Sumatra with:- 2nd Lieutenant Bode Lance Corporal Swainston, Sapper Cheadle, Sapper Arnold, Sapper Harris. All were Royal Engineers, who landed in Sumatra, then marched 100 km, taking two days to reach Padang..

• Military: Captured by Japanese, POW No. I 1148, later changed to 11427, 17 Mar 1942, Padang, , Sumatera Barat, Indonesia.

• Military: Prisoner of War, Between 17 Mar 1942 and 2 Sep 1945, Singapore. Prisoners of War 1715-1945 Transcription
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ConflictWorld War 2
Record setPrisoners Of War 1715-1945
Archive referenceWO 345/56
First name(s)Ronald James
Last nameWilliams
Year1942
Birth year1919
RankSapper
Regiment-
ResidenceBirmingham
Country of imprisonmentMalaya
NationalityBritish
Residence countryEngland
Prison camp or shipMalaya PoW camp
ArchiveThe National Archives
Document detailsWar Office: Japanese Index Cards of Allied Prisoners of War and Internees, Second World War, 1942-1945
CategoryMilitary Service & Conflict
SubcategoryRegimental & service records
Collections fromUnited Kingdom, Overseas / Unknown
Findmypast

copyright Findmypast 2015

AND

Record Transcription:
Prisoners Of War 1715-1945

First name(s)R J
Last nameWilliams
Year1942
Service number5109852
RankSapper
Regiment-
Ship name35 Frt Co Re
Country of imprisonment-
Ship or corps35 Frt Co RE
Prison camp or ship-
ConflictWorld War 2
Archive
The National Archives
Archive referenceWO 361/2191
Document detailsPrisoners of war, Far East: Royal Engineers; nominal roll.
Record setPrisoners Of War 1715-1945
CategoryMilitary Service & Conflict
SubcategoryRegimental & Service Records
Collections fromGreat Britain, UK None

AND

Record Transcription:
Prisoners Of War 1715-1945
First name(s)Ronald James
Last nameWilliams
Year1944
Service number5109852
RankSapper
Regiment-
Country of imprisonmentMalaya
NationalityBritish
Prison camp or shipMalaya
ConflictWorld War 2
Archive
The National Archives
Archive referenceWO 361/1948
Document detailsMalaya POW Camp Name list
Record setPrisoners Of War 1715-1945
CategoryMilitary Service & Conflict
SubcategoryRegimental & Service Records
Collections fromGreat Britain, UK None
Findmypast

copyright Findmypast 2015.

• Residence: 12 Pendeen Rd., Yardley Wood, 17 Mar 1942, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom. (Occupant)

• Military: WO 417/40 Casualty List No. 778, Reported Missing, 23 Mar 1942, Singapore.

• Military: Transported, 6 Sep 1942, Taratung, Sumatra.

• Military: Transported, 8 Feb 1944, Medan, Medan, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia.

• Military: Returned to Singapore with Medan Party to build defences, Jun 1944, Changi, Singapore. British Commander Major Campbell of Changi Prison - POW Camp. New POW No. 11427

Working on X2 Funk Holes
By 1944 the Japanese authorities once again looked to improve the defences of Singapore in anticipation of the Allied invasion.
Plans were also drawn up for the construction of a series of fortifications in the hinterland of the island. The Japanese plan was in line with the defence of the home islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, where the enemy forces would be given relatively easy access to the beaches but would have to fight tooth and nail for the heart of the island through a string of pillboxes, gun emplacements and fieldworks.
The POWs in Changi were assigned to work parties starting in the spring of 1945 and, in
the coming months, groups designated as the 'X Parties' made their way to various camps around the island to work on the Funk Holes.
The Funk Holes had a more sinister use, the disposal of the PoWs if Allied forces landed on Singapore soil. 1945/11/02 - Liberated General Seishiro Itagaki, Japanese Commander of Singapore, would not accept the Japanese surrender. Plus it gave him time to cover up all Japanese Atrocities in Singapore. The allied naval landing force 'Operation Tiderace' were delayed as it was still understood the Japanese would dispose of all the PoWs in Singapore if they landed.
Mountbatten ordered British paratroopers into Singapore to protect the camps. To many of the PoWs in Singapore, those red berets of the paratroopers were the first signs that the war had ended. All this delayed organising the PoWs. It wasn't till the 12th September that Lord Mountbatten accepted the Japanese surrender at the Municipal Building. Hospital cases were the first to leave Singapore 1945/09/10 on the HMHS Koroa. They were soon followed by Repatriation ships which started reaching the UK about the 15th of October
1945. Why many of the liberated PoWs on these ships had November on their Japanese Index cards, I don't know as in other areas of the Far East, PoWs were marked as Liberated at their PoW camps with the correct date. Unless General Seishiro Itagaki did not make the cards available when the camps were liberated.

• Military: Welcome home letter from King and Queen, Sep 1945, London, Greater London, England.

• Military: Liberated from POW Camp, 2 Nov 1945, Changi, Singapore.

• Military: Liberation Questionnaire completed by Ronald James Williams, 2 Nov 1945, Changi, Singapore.

• Residence: 12 Pendeen Rd., Yardley Wood, 2 Nov 1945, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom.

Parents

         Father: Ronald Williams ⁸⁰⁶⁷
         Mother: Muriel Gladys Smith ¹⁹⁶⁴^,8066^,8067^,8068

Spouses and Children

1. *Mary Gertrude Patricia O'Brien ³⁰²² Marriage: Between Oct and Dec 1972 - Spen Valley, Yorkshire North Riding, England ⁵⁹⁹⁶

Marriage Events

• Alt. Marriage: Cir 1974, Leeds, Yorkshire, England.

Notes

General:

160318:

Eve passed on the information today that Ron was held at the Japanese Changi POW camp in Singapore during WWII. I was able to find a digitised version of the book in which his name was listed along with his regimental number and a few other details of his detention. Not much else is available online at this time but may be obtainable for a fee from the British Archives or Ministry of Defence.

http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/camplists/other/MALAYA_CHANGI_Vol3_British_roster_RG407Bx118.pdf

120519:

England & Wales births 1837-2006 Transcription
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First name(s)RONALD J
Last nameWILLIAMS
Birth year1919
Birth quarter2
Registration month-
Mother's maiden nameSmith
DistrictKings Norton
CountyWorcestershire
CountryEngland
Volume6D
Page50
Record setEngland & Wales Births 1837-2006
CategoryBirth, Marriage & Death (Parish Registers)
SubcategoryCivil Births
Collections fromUnited Kingdom, England
© brightsolid online publishing ltd

Living

      Sex: F

Parents

         Father: Archibald P. Williams ⁵⁸⁶
         Mother: Veronica M. Kavanagh ⁵⁸⁶^,665

Spouses and Children

1. *Albert Venditello
       Marriage: 
       Children:
                1. Living

Living

      Sex: F

Parents

         Father: Living
         Mother: Living

Living

      Sex: F

Parents

         Father: Living
         Mother: Living

Living

      Sex: F

Parents

         Father: Living
         Mother: Living

Spouses and Children

1. Living

Living

      Sex: M

Spouses and Children

1. *Christian Williams ¹⁰ 
       Marriage: 
       Children:
                1. Eleanor Williams

Sarah Williams

      Sex: F

AKA: Sarah Chafe, Sarah Williams ³²⁷³

Individual Information

     Birth Date: 
    Christening: 
          Death: 
         Burial: 
 Cause of Death:

Spouses and Children

1. *Edward Chafe ¹⁴¹ 
       Marriage: Cir 1817 - Petty Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ³²⁷³
       Children:
                1. Alvina Chafe
                2. Henry Edward Chafe
                3. Susanna Chafe

Living

      Sex: F

Parents

         Father: Living
         Mother: Living

Living

      Sex: M

Parents

         Father: John Clarence Williams
         Mother: Living

Spouses and Children

1. Living
       Children:
                1. Living
                2. Living
                3. Living
                4. Living
                5. Living

Living

      Sex: F

Parents

         Father: John Clarence Williams
         Mother: Living

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