Hi Stephanie, re grandfather Bombardier Patrick O’Shea. The 5th Field Regiment was a Regular Army regiment, which in 1939 was based in India. Oct 8th 1941, the regiment was mobilised and sent to Bombay to board the troopship Orion. Upon landing at Singapore they were sent to Ipoh where they remained there for appx. 2 months, before being sent to Kota Bharu.
The formation tasked with the protection of the airfields in and near Kota Bharu was the 8th Indian Infantry Brigade Group. When the Japanese landed on the beach the regiment had to direct their shells over the aerodrome and onto the beaches and shorelines. They then had to fight a rear guard action all the way back to Singapore, and the capitulation on. Patrick was then incarcerated in Changi until 25/10/42 when he was locked down in the hold of the hellship England Maru and sailed to Keelung in northern Formosa (Taiwan). Patrick remained in #T6 from Nov.1942 until June 1945, when he was sent to help construct OKA Camp high in the mountains.ĥ23 men of the 80th Anti Tank and 155th Lanarkshire Yeomanry (amongst others) were sent to the Kinkaseki Copper Mine, whilst the 5th Field Rgt.Īfter this 3 week journey of hell, the 1100 men were disembarked onto the quayside and split into 2 groups mainly by regiments. This camp was to be where all the POWs were to be eliminated if the allies landed on Taiwan. Your Grandfather died at this camp, five days after the end of the war and just one day before the camp was abandoned and the men went back to #T6. The brutal treatment of OKA resulted in 19 deaths in 2 months. Patrick was buried in Yuboku cemetery until 1948, and then relocated in Sai Wan, Hong Kong. Stephanie I’m looking for information & a photo of my grandad Patrick William O’Shea.
He was in 5th field regiment & was in a Japanese pow camp on Formosa & died there. I’d welcome any information & have never seen a photo of himĭalton looking for information on my great great uncle Ronald Howe, Oldham, Manchester 1st battalion, killed in action in Singapore on 15th feb 1942. I understand that his battalion were made POW by Japanese after that day and likely have no pictures.
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