No. 5774502, Private, Ernest John NEAL
Aged 23
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Born in Lakenheath on 20th January 1921 (Mildenhall Q1-1921 4A:1765), son of Alfred and Mary Ann NEAL (née FLACK), of Station Cottages, Lakenheath, Suffolk.
In the 1939 register, at 2 Station Cottages, Lakenheath were his father Alfred [1-4-1886] permanent way labourer; mother Mary A [12-5-1850] and brother Albert J [12-8-1922] general labourer]. There is 1 closed record. |
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Ernest John 'Jack' NEAL was captured on 15th February 1942 when the British surrendered to the Japanese in Singapore. He was a victim of the "Hell Ships". These were used to transport prisoners of war across the pacific , mainly for slave labour
in mainland Japan. Unfortunately they were never marked as carrying our men and since the Allies were aware of the whereabouts of these
convoys, many were sunk en route. Conditions on these ships were such that a strong stomach is required to read the various books about them. Jack survived working on the Burma-Siam railway. He was then part of a group to be sent to Borneo on the Hofuku Maru. This old ship was forced to call in at Manila, where it waited for a month with the prisoners still kept below in the hold, many dying of starvation and disease Eventually,on September 20, 1944, the Hofuko Maru [KA-27} (with 1,289 prisoners on board) and 10 other ships formed Convoy MATA-27, and sailed from Manila for Japan. The following morning, the convoy was attacked 80 miles north of Corregidor by more than 100 American carrier planes. All eleven ships in the convoy were sunk. Of the 1,289 British and Dutch POWs on board the Hofuku Maru, 1,047 died. |
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