Pvte John Robertson 8/244642 55th Infantry Brigade Group Coy. RASC D Platoon c/o

[Scott_M]

A letter that my Grandfather "David Ross Morland" kept till he died and passed on to my father..meant a lot to him "David Eaglesham Morland" .. Meant a lot to my father..  I have the letter now..
The transcription was actually from my father and some detail he shared to the best of his knowledge .. Hes since passed on  (There may be some errors but possible clues) I wish  to understand the facts better of the gentleman's fate and actually if he belonged to a family. This subject relates to the area of Glasgow / Gorbals / Southside "Florence Street"
If there is a family out there that John links to I would want to share this letter ..

Have attached the original letter in two parts
I really thank anyone who can support on this subject to advance the detail and help understand the facts better .. If there is a basic family history that supports this gentleman

Pvte John Robertson.. Transcribed - In memory of a dear friend of David Ross Morland.. John Robertson last letter to his pal, my father. Pte J Robertson, 8/244642 55th Infantry Brigade Group Coy. RASC D Platoon c/o APO 1635. Dear David, Well old pal this is one New Year we won't be able to have our usual fun at the corner but I don't suppose I will be the only one missing. I will be a long time before we have more drunken rabbles at Tonies on a Saturday night. For I expect to be gone for a couple of years.. "The letter damaged goes on to say" . Tell Jonnie in the shop I will try to stay sober ..................... Hoping you are all well at home, tell your mother, father, and sister I was asking for them and Tom and his new wife I wish them the best of luck. Well David I wish you and your people and the lad a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year and hope to be back with you all soon I will write again soon and hoping to hear from you soon. tell them the best of luck to you all. Your Old Pal John...

The following personal message my father actually shared ... RIP John to you and all your comrades who perished..  Additional Text best of my fathers understandings , John was drowned whilst captive on the Kibitsu Maru, Sunk by the American Submarine The Pampanito. 900 all British prisoners. Over 500 were drowned. Convoy HI72 to the best of my knowledge sailed from Singapore on the 4th Sept 1944 and the Kibitsu was sunk on the 12th in the North China Sea. John Robertson's name lives on at the Kranji War and Military Cemetery Singapore.     

[AlanBoyd]

According to information at the link below, the ship that was sunk by the USS Pampanito was the Kachidoki Maru.

Survivors were transferred to the Kibitsu Maru and continued to Japan.

The site has a death roll, and John Robertson, Pte., RASC is listed.

https://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/Hell_Ships/Kachidoki_Maru/

[AlanBoyd]

The book Lucky Johnny: The Footballer who Survived the River Kwai Death Camps contains an account from a survivor (Johnny Sherwood) of the Kachidoki Maru. It's available from Amazon but is also available at the Internet Archive and can be short-term borrowed (I think that you have to be registered (free) to borrow books).

A sample:

The deafening sound and smell of tremendous explosions filled the air as the Kachidoki Maru took two direct hits at once. The whole ship shuddered beneath my feet. Immediately there were terrified shouts all across the deck. The bloody Japs ran every-where, shrieking and wailing, panicking and falling: over each other, trying to lower the lifeboats for themselves to scramble into. It was complete pandemonium.

The blurb from Amazon:

In 1938 Johnny Sherwood was a young professional footballer on the brink of an England career, touring the world with the all-star British team the Islington Corinthians. By 1942 he was a soldier surrendering to the Japanese at the siege of Singapore. Taken prisoner he was sent to a POW camp deep in the heart of the Thai jungle, where he was starved, beaten, and forced to build the notorious 'railway of death' on the River Kwai.

Johnny kept his and his men's spirits up with tales of his footballing past, even organising matches until he and the other prisoners became too weak to play. One day, he even encountered a brutal Japanese guard, and was shocked to recognise him as a Japanese footballer Johnny had played against.

Many years after Johnny's death, his grandson Michael discovered an old manuscript hidden in the attic of his mother's house. It was Johnny's own account of his wartime experiences - the story too horrific to reveal in full to his loved ones. In the tradition of bestselling memoirs like The Railway Man, Lucky Johnny is an inspirational tale of survival against the odds.

[Scott_M]

Thanks Alan, appreciate very much that share

[brigidmac]

what a treasure !

I wish you luck finding a relative to share it with .
If not you could consider whether a museum would appreciate it .

it reminded me of the way my grandfather spoke .

[Scott_M]

Hi team thanks for the details shared.. and the kind wishes ..
I wonder if there is more detail on John Robertson's military career.
I am disappointed with the death registration of military personnel in Scotland's death records. I attach Johns death registration and it is detailed with no alignment to his roots / address in Scotland..
I wonder if there are any records through military archives that shed some more direct alignment to his roots .. Are there 2nd WW enlistment records to pick up? I also attach after viewing clues what is a fair possible birth registration .. A bit of a clue is the age v the number of John Robertsons and alignment to HutchesonTown / Gorbals area in Glasgow. Johns best friend (My grandfather was 253 Florence Street).. Hanging out at the corner ... ? Tonies?
Would be grateful if there are any military archives that can shed more light and help me confirm correct family alignment of this John Robertson ..


Thanks

[Scott_M]

The 55th Infantry Brigade, along with the rest of the 18th Division, was sent to Singapore in 1942 where it surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army in the short but violent Battle of Singapore. The men of the brigade would spend the next three years as Japanese prisoners in harsh and degrading imprisonment.

Quoted from Wikipedia see link for a better understanding
"The Fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore,[c] took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. Singapore was the foremost British military base and economic port in South–East Asia and had been of great importance to British interwar defence strategy. The capture of Singapore resulted in the largest British surrender in its history."


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Singapore

I would be of the opinion that John was caught up in this conflict and became a POW after the 15th Feb 1942.

Given he was being transported in a POW transport ship September 1944 that would see John subjected to abt 2.5 years of captivity under very harsh conditions (Like many others)