Breaking Gerald's Silence: Far East POW

Bombardier Gerald Ernest Burtt, 908631 of the 118th Field Regiment Royal Artillery, seldom spoke of his wartime experiences, except on two occasions. The first was when he wrote a short piece for his grandson's school project newspaper, attached here. You'll notice he mentions how he became a Far East POW and how he made it home, but he doesn't delve much into his captivity. The second occasion was when he showed his son Jeremy a photo, taken clandestinely, of soldiers in the square at Penang. Gerald didn't take the photo himself, but he was entrusted with bringing it home. Unfortunately, the photo hasn't been seen since. Given Gerald's background as a historian, it's hoped it has found its way to an appropriate repository.

The Order of the Deep, pictured in the attached photo, was issued on the USS Westpoint as the ship journeyed from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Trinidad and Tobago, crossing the Equator. It's a sailor's tradition to pay homage to King Neptune the first time they cross the equator, often through an initiation or event. Undoubtedly, the American sailors organized an event for all the English Army passengers. What's remarkable is that this document survived capture at Singapore on 15/02/1942, internment in Changi, and work on the "Death Railway," returning to England with Gerald in October 1945. It was then affixed in a scrapbook with other family photos until it fell out when the adhesive tape wore off, revealing five names and addresses on the reverse.

Four of the five names have been traced to other members of the 118th, two of whom returned and two who didn't. Upon their return, the British Government asked each soldier to complete a questionnaire about their time in captivity. Upon examining the questionnaires of the two who returned, it's clear they weren't in the same camps as Gerald, so it's likely he wrote these names and addresses on the back while they were aboard the USS Westpoint.

Gerald's questionnaire reveals he was in Changi from February 1942 to May 1942 under G.O.C 18 Div, Haverlock Road from May 1942 to October 1942 under Lt Col Thomas, Kanu (Tarsoa Group) from November 1942 to March 1943, Chungkai from April 1943 to May 1944 under Lt Col Outram, Tamuang from May 1944 to June 1945 under RSM Christopher, and Pratchai from June 1945 to August 1945, also under RSM Christopher. By reading accounts written by others who broke their silence about these various camps, it's possible to gain an understanding of what Gerald went through.