No.5830481, Private, Reginald Charles RIDGEON
Aged 25
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Reginald Charles Ridgeon was born in Brandon on 3rd January 1919 (Thetford Q1-1919 4B:418), son of William and Mary Ann RIDGEON (née SNELL).
He had at least 5 sisters and 3 brothers In the 1939 register his mother Mary A [1-4-1882], married ?,(in 1946 to marry Richard BAILEY) was at 16 George Street, Brandon with his brother Walter G [21-8-1914] a wood sawyer and sister Alice M [20-5-1920] hatter/furrier,later to be BAILEY and then CHAPMAN. There is one closed record. His father had died in 1926. |
click here to go to the ww2.brandonatwar.co.uk website for more information
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Reginald was captured on 15th February 1942, the day Singapore was surrendered to the Japanese. The 2nd Battalion fought to the last at Braddell Road. A report in the local press in 1944:- P.O.W. - Mrs M Ridgeon, 16 George Street, has recently received the first news of her son, Private R Ridgeon. He has written to say that he is in a Prisoner Of War camp in Thailand and is in excellent health and working for pay. Sadly by this time Reginald was already dead. The "excellent health and working for pay" would seem to be Japanese propaganda in any event. His PoW card is annotated "buried at sea". This date does not fit with so far discovered sinkings of any of the Hell Ships. It appears to be a case of dying on a voyage to Japan, but the ship has not not yet been identified. |
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details
