COFEPOW - News - Chairman's Report

The Commemoration of Canon Noel Duckworth - First Chaplain of Churchill College

by Carol Cooper

The 23rd January 2010 was the 50th anniversary of the opening of Churchill College, Cambridge.

To commemorate this occasion there was an evening in Commemoration of Canon Noel Duckworth, First Chaplain of Churchill College.

Canon Noel Duckworth, or Padre Duckworth as he was known during the Second World War, was with the 2nd Cambridgeshire Regiment when he became a Far East Prisoner of War. He was taken prisoner during the fighting in Malaya and first held in Pudu Jail before being transferred to Changi Jail, Singapore when the island capitulated.

He was sent up into Thailand with the “F” Force in April 1943 and later crossed the border into Burma to a camp called Tambaya – a hospital camp, where he stayed until April 1944. He returned to Singapore, remaining there until liberated in August 1945.

The Commemoration of Canon Duckworth on the 23rd January was an evening that most who were present will never forget. Commencing with an excellent Service of Choral Evensong, focusing on and remembering Canon Duckworth, together with the melodious voices of a very enjoyable choir. We then proceeded to a ‘meet and greet’ reception, followed by an exhibition and presentation of Noel Duckworth by Michael Smythe, a former Churchillian who knew the Canon during his time at the College in the 1960’s.

The evening continued with a formal dinner, a different wine to be enjoyed with every course ( of which I am sure Canon Duckworth would have approved!)

But, as it should be, the best was saved for last.

When we had feasted and drunk the last of the wine, the port and the claret, a wonderful accolade of tributes poured out from all who remembered ‘The Canon’. They stood up one after another, patiently waiting for others to finish, waiting to recall some special memory they each held of this inspiring and captivating man. Stories of kindness, compassion, benevolence, patience, colourful, unheeding traditions, raising eye brows, yet always resolute and always determined, but above all always remaining an amazing charitable humanitarian.

I sat there listening to all that was said about a man I believe was with my father in “F” Force in Tambaya and as I listened how I wished I had met such an inspiring figure who quite possibly comforted my father in his final hours.

I and my husband were honoured and privileged to be invited to this incredible evening and I am so pleased to be allowed to print below one of the speeches given by Kathy McCarthy, great niece of Canon Noel Duckworth.

"Good evening, Master, fellow Churchillians and guests.

First of all, on behalf of Noel's family, and as a Churchill alumna myself, I'd like to say thank you to Churchill College for organising this Memorial Event for Canon Noel Duckworth, as part of the celebrations for the 50th Anniversary of the College; and for inviting us, some of Noel’s nephews, nieces, and great-nieces, to participate in this very special occasion. In particular, I would like to thank Michael Smyth for the time and effort he has spent researching Noel’s life, in preparation for his fascinating presentation earlier this evening.

My sister Philippa, one of Noel’s great-nieces, who is with us this evening, has also undertaken some research into Noel's life over a number of years, focusing so far on his coxing achievements, and on his war-time experiences. As part of the latter, she contacted a number of Far East Prisoners of War Groups, including COFEPOW, the Children and Families of the Far East Prisoners of War, whose Chairman, Carol Cooper, is also present tonight. Through these groups, Philippa was contacted by a number of former Prisoners of War, who wrote to her about their experiences during this time, and of their memories of Noel. We would like to share a few short extracts from some of their many letters with you, as part of our tribute to Noel, and to the men themselves:

The Australian broadcaster Russell Braddon, a Japanese prisoner at the same time as Noel, dedicated ‘The Naked Island’, his vivid account of capture and imprisonment, in part as a tribute to Noel. Shortly before he died in 1994, Braddon wrote to my sister “…Your great-uncle was … a hugely courageous and much loved man….He should have died a George Cross and a bishop.”

Ronald Searle, who illustrated many aspects of the life in the camps, wrote in 2001: “Noel Duckworth was a marvellous man who almost killed himself doing good and helping his fellow prisoners of war… He was the epitome of Christian kindness and sacrifice…I knew him in Changi and up on the Kwai, and as did all the prisoners who encountered him, I loved him for what he did to raise morale and for his lovely sense of humour – and for just being himself.”

Many others, who did not become as well-known after the war, also sent letters. Among them:

One former prisoner, who wrote in 1998, about his experiences in Changi: “In the evenings [Noel] would visit various areas of the camp and give talks on his experiences as an undergraduate at Cambridge, and more especially when he coxed the boat-race crew to…three victories and the consequent celebrations afterwards. It lifted our spirits enormously and did much to make our life more bearable…without the charisma of Padre Duckworth, many men would not have survived…”

There are many letters in this vein.

Another, wrote of his experience in Singapore: “I was one of the hundreds whose life he saved. I was very ill …in Singapore … and on the list of ‘H’ Force [to go] up to the Burma Railway. He was severely beaten because he said I was too ill to go. He defied the Japanese all night so I was taken off the list. I would have died on the train.”

And a member of the 196 Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps, who my sister met several times before he died, said in his letter: “I knew Duckie for several years, he was Padre for my Unit…At Sonkuri I was in charge of a cholera ward, losing up to 10 men a day. Always present was Duckie….I had men dying most nights and some wanted a Padre to pray for them before dying. I had serious problems with all Padres, except Duckie. They would insist that I got the relevant Padre for their own religion. Not Duckie… He would come without question.”

I’d like to add one final story to the above, which came as an unsought and unexpected tribute to Noel. While I was a student at Churchill in the 1980’s, I worked during the vacations as a home help for my local council, looking after the elderly and housebound. On one occasion I found myself visiting an elderly Scotsman, a double-leg amputee who was wheelchair bound, and living in sheltered accommodation. Like many of those I saw at that time, he wanted to tell me his story - and an important part of his story was that he had been a Far East Prisoner of War. To share something with him, I told him that one of my great uncles had been one too. He asked me his name. I was amazed at his reaction: how thrilled he was to hear the name Noel Duckworth, and how he wanted to talk about Noel. I found it a very moving and humbling experience.

The depth of feeling shown by these and other men so long after the war is striking. Their words are testament to the widespread impact that Noel's actions had on those who shared that terrible experience, and whose experiences and memories of that time were made more bearable because of what he did.

As we have heard from a number of you tonight, Noel was an outstanding and extraordinary character throughout his life, with many achievements to his name. Most importantly, he was someone who made a difference to people in need, in circumstances which it is hard for us, who have not experienced them, to imagine. It is one of his many legacies, and why so many of us are gathered here today to celebrate his life thirty years after his death - and why I and his surviving family are so proud of his memory. Long may Noel be remembered.

Thank-you very much."

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