Benjamin and Eva Titheridge’s Family
On 20 January 1906 Benjamin James Titheridge married Eva Agnes Wells in Alverstoke, Hampshire. They had 8 children
Dorothy Louise Eva Titheridge born 1906
Arthur Benjamin Titheridge born 1908
George William James Titheridge born 1912
Harry Edward Jesse Titheridge born 1914
Philip Errol Titheridge born 1917
Jack Ronald Titheridge born 1920
Ethel Beatrice Titheridge born 1921
Elsie Maud Titheridge born 1922
Their family tree can be found at this link and then scroll down to tree 1F.
On the 1939 register the family lived at 5 San Diego Road in Gosport. Dorothy did not marry and died in 1972, Ethel married John Jenkins in 1940 and Elsie died in 1934 age 12. Arthur was recorded as a passenger to Australia in 1927 and nothing more is known about him until his death in Moonee Ponds, Victoria in 2002. Harry did not marry, as far as we know, and died a batchelor in 1990 in Hampshire. Philip was recorded as a crew member sailing between England and New York in 1934 and then as in the Royal Navy in 1941, but nothing more is known about him. This blog is about the two remaining sons George and Jack, both of whom lost their lives in World War 2.
Jack Ronald Titheridge
Jack was born on 9 January 1920 in Alverstoke and was just 19 when war was declared in 1939. He joined the NAAFI (Navy Army and Air Force Institute) as a Canteen Assistant. Naval canteen staff were civilians who operated the canteen counter selling goods such as cigarettes, confectionary, toiletries etc. During battle they staffed stations alongside naval personnel, primarily working in first aid or ammunition supply. In 1941 Jack was serving on the battlecruiser HMS Hood and was one of 7 civilians on the ship. In May 1941 HMS Hood was sent out with the battleship Prince of Wales and several other British ships to intercept German ships. The aim was to attack the Germans before they reached the Atlantic and attacked allied convoys of ships. On 23 May the German ships, the Bismarck and the Prince Eugen, were spotted. They were intercepted in the North Atlantic in the Denmark Strait, which is between Greenland and Iceland. At dawn on 24 May 1941 the British attacked the Nazi ships. Unfortunately, the Germans knew the attack was coming and were ready. When HMS Hood opened fire, the fire was returned hitting the Hood and causing a fire in the ammunition store. Then a shell from the Bismarck caused a devastating explosion destroying the back of the ship. The Hood sunk stern first with the bow pointing to the sky. She sank in less than 3 minutes. There were 1418 men aboard and just 3 survived. Jack was among the casualties of this, one of the most infamous naval battles of World War 2. Jack is remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial (Panel 61, Column 2). The full story of HMS Hood can be found at this website.
George William James Titheridge
George was born on 13 October 1912 in Alverstoke, Hampshire. He was 26 when World War 2 was declared and prior to joining up he was working as a concreter. George served as a sapper in The Royal Engineers 36 Fortress Company (service number 1870698).
In 1941 The Royal Engineers 36th Fortress company were based on the Malayan Peninsular on the island on Penang. The Japanese troops began invading the Malayan peninsular and attacked Penang. In mid December the British troops were ordered to withdraw from Penang, most transferred to the Malayan Peninsular. Japanese Forces continued to invade and landed in Singapore on 7 February 1942 and the Fall of Singapore took place on 15 February.
George was among the thousands of British troops who were taken prisoner by the Japanese. The casualty list shows him as missing on 15 February 1942, the day of the Fall of Singapore. A lot of the documents just say he was held prisoner in a Malay prisoner of war camp. This was probably at Changi POW camp in Singapore, one of the most notorious camps used to imprison Malayan civilians and allied troops. The treatment there was harsh. Documents in the National Archives have a register of some 13,500 prisoners of war and internees in Singapore and these documents refer to Singapore camps number 1, 2, 3 and 4. In April 1943 George was shown as in No 3 camp which is now believed to be River Valley Camp to the west of Singapore city. Often men in this camp were originally from the Changi camp.
At home the British Casualty List issued on 21st March 1942 showed George missing in Malaya on 15 February 1942. It was 11 August 1943 before his status on the British Casualty Lists changed from missing to prisoner of war. An article in the local Gosport newspaper shows that in July 1943 his parents received a postcard from George telling them that he was a prisoner of war of the Japanese and he was in good health. This was received 17 months after his capture. Sadly, by the time they received the post card, George had died, but it would be over two years before his parents were informed of his death.
From George’s Japanese POW Index Card the remarks show “overland 28/4/43”. Other documents show that George was listed as one of the Japanese “F force”. This was a group of 7000 allied Prisoners of War who, in April 1943, were transferred overland from Singapore to work on the Thailand Burma Railway, in the toughest section of the railway in the mountains between Thailand and Burma. They were taken in groups of 600 men and although initially they were taken by train some of the journey was on foot. They marched over 190 miles, marching up to 15 miles a day. The story of this horrendous, inhuman journey is told in this link by one of the survivors, it is a very distressing story. Groups left Singapore from 18 April on train 1 to 30 April on train 13. George is recorded as leaving Singapore on 23 April 1943 on Train 11.
The aim was that the men would work on the 260 mile long Thailand Burma railway, but many of the men died on route. George would have reached Sonkrai no 2 POW camp in Thailand (also written as Sonkurai) at the railway about the 23 May. Songrai was one of the worse camps, more prisoners of war died at Sonkrai than any other camp on the infamous railway. The arrivals at camp were put to work on the railway immediately, regardless of their state of health. Many were so exhausted by the journey, that they never recovered. They were forced to work long days doing hard physical labour on a meagre diet. Their story has been told in the famous film “Bridge Over the River Kwai”. The causes of the many deaths was disease, starvation, physical maltreatment and exposure in the monsoon rain.
In early June a cholera epidemic broke out in the Sonkrai camp. Cholera is an acute disease with diarrhoea, vomiting and fever. It is caused by poor sanitation and ingesting contaminated food or water. The cholera spread like wildfire throughout the camp and in a 3 week period 600 men died from cholera. George was among the victims of cholera and died on 3 June 1943, aged 30.
George was initially buried at Sonkrai, but after the war the bodies of those who died in the construction of the Thailand Burma railway were transferred into three cemeteries, two in Thailand and Thanbyuzayat in Burma (Myanmar). George is buried in Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, grave reference B6. B. 17. There are 3,149 Commonwealth and 621 Dutch burials in this cemetery.
The account of the brothers Jack and George has been written after reviewing the information available online. If you can add anything or correct any errors please email titheradgegenealogy@gmail.com
