Japanese Index Cards of Allied POWs and Internees and Liberated POW Questionnaires
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1.Japanese Index Cards
2.Liberated Pow Questionnaires
3.Offices & Organisations (March 2006)
Japanese Index Cards of Allied POWs
The object of this article, which will be one of two, is to assist those trying to trace the Military History of next-of-kin if they served in the Far East during 1941 - 1945 and were captured and held as Prisoners of War by the Japanese.
These Index Cards are stored in 58 boxes at the National Archives at Kew near London and are held under File Reference WO345. Below is a list of those boxes, by box number and the name range each box covers.
| WO345/1 | Aaron - Angus | WO345/30 | King M - Lawrence |
| WO345/2 | Anholm - Bairstow | WO345/31 | Lawrenson - Litten |
| WO345/3 | Bakar - Barstow | WO345/32 | Little - McCole |
| WO345/4 | Barugh - Benzie | WO345/33 | McColgan - McMinn |
| WO345/5 | Bere - Bond | WO345/34 | McMoreland - Martin |
| WO345/6 | Bone - Briggs | WO345/35 | Martindale - Miller H |
| WO345/7 | Brigham - Buist | WO345/36 | Miller J - Morrill |
| WO345/8 | Bulbeck - Camp | WO345/37 | Morris - Needham |
| WO345/9 | Campbell - Chaplin | WO345/38 | Neen - Oldcorn |
| WO345/10 | Chapman - Clegg | WO345/39 | Oldershaw - Parsonage |
| WO345/11 | Cleggett - Cooke | WO345/40 | Parsons - Peyton |
| WO345/12 | Cookman - Crewe | WO345/41 | Phair - Poynton |
| WO345/13 | Cribb - Davie | WO345/42 | Pragnell - Rayson |
| WO345/14 | Davies - Dickson | WO345/43 | Rea - Rixson |
| WO345/15 | Didd - Dunmore | WO345/44 | Roach - Rostron |
| WO345/16 | Dunn - Elworthy | WO345/45 | Rote - Schofield |
| WO345/17 | Ely - Fiford | WO345/46 | Scholes - Shilling |
| WO345/18 | Figg - Fozzard | WO345/47 | Shillingford - Smith E |
| WO345/19 | Fradgley - Gazey | WO345/48 | Smith F - Spencer |
| WO345/20 | Geach - Goodwill | WO345/49 | Spendelow - Stones |
| WO345/21 | Goodwin - Griffin | WO345/50 | Stoneham - Taylor F |
| WO345/22 | Griffith - Hance | WO345/51 | Taylor G - Thynne |
| WO345/23 | Hancock - Haswell | WO345/52 | Tibbett - Twatt |
| WO345/24 | Hatch - Heyworth | WO345/53 | Tweddell - Walmsley |
| WO345/25 | Hiam - Holme | WO345/54 | Walpole - Weeks |
| WO345/26 | Holmes - Hulin | WO345/55 | Wegg - Wigzell |
| WO345/27 | Hull - Jamieson | WO345/56 | Wilburn - Wilson |
| WO345/28 | Jancey - Jones R | WO345/57 | Wilthew - Wurra |
| WO345/29 | Jones S - King L | WO345/58 | Wyatt - Zuzarte |
The contact details for the National Archives at Kew,
Surrey, TW9 4DU are:-
Telephone - 020 8876 3444
Web site - www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/contact
This web site page cotains details of how to cacontact the National Archives including a Contact Form.
Keith Andrews
This is the second article regarding files held at the National Archives relating to the War in the Far East during 1941 - 1945. These files were completed upon liberation by those who were captured and held as Prisoners of war by the Japanese.
These forms are held in 98 files at the National Archives at Kew under the reference WO344. The following list is of those files, by file number and the name range each file covers. The file references are those you would need to use in full to order a file, and because of this I have not included the short reference. So, for instance if I wanted to view my father's form, I would order file WO344/361/2, to try and order the file using WO344/361 would result in the computer advising you that you are not ordering a correct file number. Where only one file reference is listed, this is the one to use, trust me, I have had lots of practice.
If these forms were completed correctly and in full by the FEPOW concerned, they will contain information on the camps he was in, the dates, and the camp commanders, BUT not all FEPOWs completed these forms and those that are complete differ in the amount of information they contain.
These were not the only forms the FEPOWs completed so I am told, but all they wanted to do was come home and forget the horrors of the past three to four years. It is also known that some of these forms are missing.
For the most part these forms follow the same format and are headed M.I.9/JAP, but there are other forms within the files of differing designs, and colours.
Most of those for the Army and Royal Air Force are a brown colour but for the Royal Navy a white form has been used. Buff and headed Gp/Gen/J.I or J.2 for the Indian Army (Indian Officers), yellow seems to have been used for Canadians and gold for New Zealanders. It is worth looking through the files to see what is there. There are no Australian files.
Remember, these files are over 60 years old, so handle with care.
| File No All Start WO344 |
Contents | File No All Start WO344 |
Contents |
| 361/1 | Aaron - Alesbrook | 3862 | Kew - Kyrniski |
| 361/2 | Alexander - Angel | 387/1 | Laban - Laws |
| 362/1 | Anger - Armstrong T | 387/2 | Lawson - Leys |
| 362/2 | Armstrong W - Ayton | 388/1 | Lias - Lloyds |
| 363/1 | Baba - Bamcroft | 388/2 | Loader - Lytle |
| 363/2 | Bamendine - Barton | 389 | MacAlister - MacWhiter |
| 364/1 | Bartram - Bedworth | 390/1 | McAdam - McGrath |
| 364/2 | Bee - Bibby | 390/2 | McGreen - McWilliams |
| 365/1 | Bicker - Blakemore | 391/1 | Maartense - Mann M |
| 365/2 | Blakeney - Boyton | 391/2 | Mann R - Maslyn |
| 366/1 | Brabham - Briggs S | 392/1 | Mason - Meehan |
| 366/2 | Briggs T - Brown | 392/2 | Meek - Mills |
| 367/1 | Browne - Burgoyne K | 393/1 | Millson - Morris |
| 367/2 | Burgoyne R - Calvert | 393/2 | Morrisette - Mytton |
| 368 | Cambert - Cherry | 394/1 | Nabi - Nicholetts |
| 369/1 | Chesham - Clarke M | 394/2 | Nicholl - Oddy |
| 369/2 | Clarke P - Colenzo | 395/1 | Odell - Owens D |
| 370 | Coles - Coyne | 395/2 | Owens J - Pask |
| 371/1 | Crabb - Crossley J | 396/1 | Paskin - Pemberton |
| 371/2 | Crossley K - Davie | 396/2 | Pemble - Pike |
| 372/1 | Davies - Daye | 397/1 | Pilch - Power G |
| 372/2 | Daykin - Dixie | 397/2 | Power N - Quirke |
| 373/1 | Dixon - Downey | 398/1 | Rabbie - Reader |
| 373/2 | Downham - Durkin | 398/2 | Readhead - Reynolds R |
| 374/1 | Durman - Edwards | 398/3 | Reynolds T - Roast |
| 374/2 | Edworthy - Evanson | 399/1 | Robb - Roche P |
| 375/1 | Eve - Feakes A | 399/2 | Roche W - Rushworth |
| 375/2 | Feakes H - Flavin | 400/1 | Ruskin - Sarney |
| 376/1 | Fleet - Foster | 400/2 | Sartain - Settle |
| 376/2 | Fostey - Fyffe | 401/1 | Sevens - Shillito K |
| 377/1 | Gabell - Geldard | 401/2 | Shillito N - Slater |
| 377/2 | Geldart - Gill | 402/1 | Slatter - Smith H |
| 378/1 | Gillan - Gooch | 402/2 | Smith J - Sparrow |
| 378/2 | Good - Graves | 403/1 | Sparvell - Stark |
| 379/1 | Gray - Grieves | 403/2 | Starkey - Stoner |
| 379/2 | Grievson - Hadley | 404/1 | Stookes - Swallow |
| 380/1 | Hadlow - Hanel | 404/2 | Swaminathan - Taylor |
| 380/2 | Haner - Harrod | 405/1 | Teadley - Thomson J |
| 381/1 | Harrold - Hayes G | 405/2 | Thomson K - Totterdell |
| 381/2 | Hayes H - Henry | 406/1 | Towler - Umney |
| 382/1 | Hensey - Hinchley | 406/2 | Underdown - Wall |
| 382/2 | Hinchcliffe - Honywill | 407/1 | Wallace - Warters |
| 383/1 | Hood - Howlett | 407/2 | Warwick - Welch |
| 383/2 | Howarth - Huns | 408/1 | Weldon - Whitcombe |
| 384/1 | Hunt - Ingram J | 408/2 | White - Wigram |
| 384/2 | Ingram R - Jelley | 409/1 | Wilbur - Williamson |
| 385/1 | Jelly H - Jones A W | 409/2 | Willicombe - Wintle |
| 385/2 | Jones B C - Keane | 410.1 | Winton - Wough |
| 386/1 | Kear - Kettley | 410/2 | Woulfe Flanagan - Zuzarte |
Offices and Organisations (March 2006)
Army Service Records:
Army Personnel Centre,
Disclosure 1, Mailpoint 520, Kintigern House, 65, Brown Street, Glasgow
G2 8EX
Tel: 0845 600 9663
Army Medals:
Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency,
Building 250, RAF Innsworth, Gloucester, GL3 1HW
Tel: 01452 712612 ext.8149
Royal Air Force Service Records:
PMA IM1b (RAF)
Room 5, Building 248A, Personnel Management Agency, Innsworth, Gloucester,
GL3 1HW.
RAF Decorations and Citations:
PMA IM1c (RAF), Room 6 at the above address
Medals: as for Army.
Royal Navy Service Records:
Officers who entered service between 1924 and 1939
inclusive:
Navy Records Office, TNT Archive Services, Tetron Point, William Nadin
Way, Swaddlincote, South Derbyshire, DE11 0BB.
Tel: 01283 227913
Officers who are retired and service records from
1939 onwards:
The Naval Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Victory Building, HM Naval
Base, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 3LS.
Tel: 02392 727433
Non-Commissioned Ranks who enlisted between 1924
and 1939 inclusive:
Data Protection Cell (Navy), Victory View, Building 1/152, HM Naval
Base, Portsmouth, PO1 3PX.
Tel 02392 727470
Non-Commissioned Ranks who are retired and service
records from 1939 onwards:
NSFOICC, CINCFLEET, Mailpoint G1, Leach Building, Whale Island, Portsmouth,
PO2 8BY.
Tel: 02392 725086
Medals: as for Army.
Keith Andrews