Women & Children Evacuees & Escapees from Singapore up to 15th Feb 1942
This list started from my own research on what happened to women and children when Singapore fell. The lists below name women and children but that does not mean that there were not men on board as well. Thanks to the generosity of Michael Pether and Becca Kenneison, much greater detail of passenger lists of some of the escape vessels is now available on this website. The website: www.netherlandsnavy.nl/Singapore.html gives details of convoys, many of whose ships became escape ships. The growth of this list from small beginnings is the result of people contacting me via the Cofepow website and contributing further information. This helps enormously in piecing together the still very unclear picture of what happened to women and children of all ethnicities, who tried to get away when Singapore fell on Sunday 15th February 1942.
Mary Harris, September 2012.
If you would like to add names or make any corrections, please contact me, Mary Harris or Michael Pether via the Cofepow website.
[MH] = Mary Harris, own research and personal communication
[KF] = Kent Fedorowich 'Evacuation of Civilians . . .' in 'Sixty Years On'
[JK] = Joseph Kennedy 'British Civilians & the Japanese War . . .'
[[JM] = Jonathan Moffat's Malayan Volunteers' List - see MVG Newsletter for contact
[MVG] = Malayan Volunteers' Group Newsletter.
[MS] = Margaret Shennan 'Out in the Midday Sun'
[CN] = Cofepow Newsletter
[CM] = Charles McCormack 'You'll Die in Singapore'
[NB] = Noel Barber, 'Sinister Twilight'
[MP] = Michael Pether's list
[IWM] = Personal account in the Imperial War Museum, London
[PE] = Peter Elphick' 'Pregnable Fortress'
[W&S] = Warner & Sandilands 'Women Beyond the Wire'
[IM] = Ian MacCleod 'I Will Sing to the End'
[GB] = Geoffrey Brook 'Singapore's Dunkirk'
[JH] = John Hayter's 'Priest in Prison'
[RM] = Robert Mullock- Morgans
[MM] = Moffatt and McCormick, Moon Over Malaya
TP = Tanjong Priok, the port for Batavia (now Jakarta)
Tjilatjap is on the south coast of Java
NB 1 There is sometimes confusion over departure dates in different contemporary accounts. This can be because ships sometimes pulled away from the docks which were being bombed and shelled and stood off for a while to clear the bombing zone, return for more passengers, wait to form a convoy, locate minefields, await a tide In addition, for obvious security reasons the names of many vessels were painted out so many people did not know the name of the vessel they left on.
NB 2 The names of people arriving in Australia were recorded on arrival, and many lists of passengers are now in Australian National Archives, which you can search on line on at
www.naa.gov.au
Search on the name of the ship and date, but note that not all records have survived. Though most ships called first at Fremantle, the port for Perth, even if they went on to other ports, not all records that still exist are located at Fremantle. Most records have not been digitised i.e. you cannot read them on line. However the website publishes good guides to searching and the staff are very helpful. COFEPOW regrets that it does not have the resources to do your search for you. In spite of the fact that much more information in the form of passenger lists is now available,I have decided to continue to use the informal format of the original list, because many people have used it to help them find other people who were on the same vessel. Family research websites are now a rich resource too.
The NAA also holds a digitised copy of the 1943 Bulletin of the Malayan Research Bureau, based in Sydney. The Malayan Research Bureau was set up to collect and sift information on the whereabouts of civilians who left Malaya, Borneo and Netherlands East Indies after their capitulation. See Tanjong PInang below for a list that applies particularly to her.
NB 3 For ships that reached England eventually, lists of arriving passengers should be available, but these must not be taken to be complete lists of people who left, which, if they ever existed, have not survived. Some passengers disembarked en route for England or changed ships.
October 1941
KPM Cremer (Dutch) (Cremer is variously spelt Kremer, Kramer) - left 23.12.41
Mrs Jean Hembry with John to Batavia then SS Rhuys to Melbourne [MVG]
Mrs Shirley Joice and friend Rosa {MVG 19]
Gorgon -A full passenger list for Gorgon is now listed separately on the Cofepow website. She arrived in Fremantle on 20th February 1942 with 357 passengers listed among whom are 42 names with military rank pte, sgt or corp and 56 obviously Chinese names. Please also see Lyeemoon below left 22.12.41(Christmas spent on board) for Australia arrived Fremantle 31.12.41
Mrs Kathleen Pether (wife of HE Pether, CC Wakefield & Co) and Maureen 2 [MP]
Mrs Alison Jennings née Dyas (MVG 28/12)
NB Gorgon returned and took out more evacuees on 10.02.42 - see below
SS Lyeemoon
NB Lyeemoon, originally called Gorgon left Singapore unescorted December 31st and arrived Colombo January 13th carrying 75 personnel [details in MVG 27/21].
Mrs Winifred Dymond with Yvonne (4) (now Wurtzburg) [MVG 27/21] and MVG 30/5]
Mrs Peggy Frampton, may have been using the name of fiancé Major Dewe, with her daughter Rachael (Rae) (11) and Roddy Dewe (6 ½) and Michael Dewe (1/12) [MVG 26/17]
Nestor
Mrs Hilda Harrison and Mr John Harrison, with Anita Elaine (9) Beatrice (Yvonne) and Rowena (4). Arrived Liverpool November 5th 1941
Orion - left 31.12.41 for Freemantle arrived 6.1.42 (The National Archives of Australia has now opened an 'Orion' file on their website. details from [JM] are Series No. A433, Conrol Symbol 1942.2.494, Location Canberra, Barcode 3091703. Access open
Derek Allton schoolboy returning to Australia [MS]
Mrs Blakeley and daughter Rosemary [MH]
Mrs Teresa Carey, Eileen 4 (now Ritson) & Brian 2 [MH]
Mrs E J H Corner and John [MH]
Mrs Sybil Chalmers [MH]
Mrs William Campbell Elliott Diamond, with Jeremy and sister [MVG]
Mrs Marjorie Gjersten with daughter Heather (2) arrived Fremantle January 6th 1942. Returned to England on Nestor, mid 1942 to Liverpool. [MVG 30].
Mrs Grindlay and June (now Dunnet) [MVG 17]
Mrs Marjorie Killeen with Nigel (9)
Roma Nassim with sons K & J [JM]
Mrs Miles with Ken & Robin [MH]
W O'Grady, son J & daughter I [JM]
June Grindlay now Dunnett [MVG]
Mrs Dorothy Kathleen Hunt with Jan (3) (now Goddard) and brother (3m) [MH]
Mrs Edward (Ned) Mulligan, née Daly with Mary (now O'Sullivan) Joan (now Lardy de Neri), John and Edward (Dr Ted Mulligan decd. 2.10.05) [MH]
Mrs Evelyn Niblock, Eileen 6 anbd Patricia 1
Mrs Kathleen Richardson with Ian Logan and 2 brothers [MVG]
Mrs Eliza (Elizabeth) Spranklen, Yvonne 7 (now Heritage) and Barbara 10 [MH]
Katharine Del Tufo nee Holdsworth and children Peter and Cabry [JM]
Florence Winifred Page with children, Sandy (now Lincoln) and Norman aged 18m
and mother Florence Louise Robson (known as Flo) [MVG & MH]
Mrs Rigby with Lily, Beryl and Raymond [MH]
Barbara Saunders with Barbara & 6 sons [CN28 &MH]
J Ward with daughter S [JM]
Kathleen Wilson nee Norwell [JM]
Nigel (Wooldridge) Killeen [CN23]
Mrs Margaret Wright with Gillian (now Smallshaw) [MH]
Penang SVC(possibly not the name of the boat)
left December 21st, in Roads until 'sailed for South Africa' Dec 23rd, arrived Colombo January 2nd, arrived Capetown Jan 21st [MH] Mrs Margaret (Peggy) Hebditch with David (4) and June (3) now Jackson [MH] Hopkins family, travelling with the Hebditches [MH] Mrs Josephine Wormald and baby, travelling with the Hebditches [MH]
SS Perseus
Took women and children to Fremantle probably at about Christmas time [MH]Recent research suggests that Perseus did not enter Singapore waters. She probably took people from Colombo onwards. [RM]
MV Ulysses - left 22.12.41 arrived Fremantle 31.12.41See MVG 14/6 for details
Winifred Harriet Corrke nee Mitchell, LMO, with sons David and Brian
Doreen Grace Lucy Grose [JM]
Nancy Henly nee Johnston and daughter Janet Margaret [JM]
Mrs George Littledyke with daughter Morag now Atiken [MVG]
Centaur
"Arrived Perth about 3 weeks after leaving Singapore" [MVG 28/12]
Mrs Corona Hilda Brand with John Anthony Guy (10), Eric Peter Grayden (9) and Corinne Barbara (5) [MVG 28/12
January 1942
Aorangi - left 16.1.41 Some accounts say that Aorangi went first to Ceylon, then to Fremantle instead of Cape Town because of German submarines, arriving in Fremantle 24.01.42. See entry Narkunda below The Aorangi and Narkunda left together under escort which left them after 2 days. Passengers on Narkunda who wanted to go on from Fremantle to Adelaide, Melbourne or Sydney transferred to Aorangi at Fremantle. An outbreak of dysentery on board made some passengers intending to go further, disembark at Adelaide [Ian Stitt, MVG 11]
National Archives of Australia now has an online file on Aorangi. Go to www.naa.gov.au/collection/recordsearch.aspx Click on 'Search Now', key in Aorangi and 1942 in the year box on the Search page. About 200 files are recorded and well into them you will find title - evacuees from Singapore 'Aorangi' January 1942 Series No. A433 Control Symbol 1950/2/3792 Contents date range 1942-1942 access Status - open Location Canberra, Barcode 3103331. You will also see on the Search page that you can click on Passenger Index which takes you to another Search page and enables you to search for individual names or extract a passenger list for a specific ship. This information from [MH]
Mrs Elizabeth Bean with Christine (now Edmonson) [MVG 6]
Mrs Dawson and elder son [MVG]
Mrs Dorothy Frend with Rosemary [MH]
Christine Edmondson [MVG10]
Mrs Faulkener with daughter Judith now Chisholm [MVG]
Mrs Edith Emily Gould [MVG]
Mrs Winifred Jagoe with Robert and E lizabeth [MVG]
Mrs Lancaster with Liz (4) (now Higgins) and sister (1)
Mrs Hilda Long with baby Hilary now Palfrey
Mrs Gladys Mitchell (pregnant) with Hamish (1 ½ , younger brother born in Perth [MH]
Mrs Violet Moffatt with Violet (11), twins Samuel and William (7) and Iain (1) [MVG]
Kathleen Reeve with Rosemary (2) (now Fell) [MVG10]
Mrs Robertson and Duncan [MVG]
Mrs Pat Sewell with David {MH]
Mrs Scott with daughter Ann, now Catchpole [MVG]
Mrs Lorna Stitt with Ian (1y11m) [MVG11 & MH]
Mrs Vi Talbot and baby Michael {MH]
Mrs Catherine Thurling with Marea (13m) (now Smith) [MH]
Grace Thurling (now Napier) [MH]
Mrs Warin and Anthony [MH]
Susan Whitley née Kennaway and sister Pippa under care of
Mrs Violet Payne and baby [OC] and [MVG3]
Mrs E.M Willimot and 2 sons
Bulan/Bulang - left Singapore ?10/11/12.02.42. Arrived Tanjong Priok, went on to Ceylon [MP]
Charon - (Blue Funnel Line) - left Singapore 08.01.42 - Bob Webb says left on January 16th, reached Freemantle 18.01.42
Barnes family inc. children Geoffrey and Ken [MS]
Felicity Daly [MVG]
Mrs Hobbs with 2 daughters [MVG]
Harry Lampen-Smith aged 8/10 to NZ [MH]
Palliser family [MS]
Webb family [MS]
Molly Preston-Webb and Bob, wife of Charles Webb, Raffles College [MH]
SS Devonshire Sailed 08/02/42 Same convoy as Felix Roussel and City of Canterbury. Sailing date given in Nat Archives as 7th Feb. Convoy attacked off Berhala Island but seen off by escorts.
Geoffrey Frank (17) [MH]
Mrs Majorie Gooding with Jillian [MH]
Mrs Doris Kenneison with James (6), Wendy (4) and Pamela (18m) [MH]
Joyce, Mrs Doris with James, Wendy and Pam [MH]
"Some unaccompanied children with labels round their necks and addresses in England" [MH as told by Marjorie Gooding]
Duchess of Bedford - arrived Singapore 28.01.42 with 12,000 troops. Left 30.01.42 with 1,221 refugees [MS] for Batavia, Colombo, Cape Town and Liverpool. Arrived Liverpool 19.03.42. Left with Wakefield and Westpoint with total of 4000 passengers [MP]
NB Jonathan Moffat has a passenger list on arrival at Liverpool, not departure fr Singapore: ie. no list of those who got off at Cape Town.
Diana Auten, hospital matron, delivered Diana Bedford Vaughan, see below [MH]
Gillian Bullivant [MVG 10]
Susan Cooper (4 ¾), Anthony(2 ½) with their nanny Kathleen Heasman [MH]
Penny Dembrey nee Todman [MVG 8]
Mrs Barbara Everard with Martin [MVG]
Ellen Fraser and daughter Susan. [JK]
Mrs Marjorie Gooding with Jillian now Somerwill [MH]
Mrs L M Gray and 2 daughters, one of which newborn. [KF]
Elizabeth Norah Gulliford, nurse. [JM]
Dora Gurney and 3 small children [JK]
Doris Edith Inder
Kathleen Heasman nanny to Cooper family (see susan Cooper above) [MH]
Daphne Harrison. [JM]
Eileen Mary Hawley and son Peter aged 2. [JM]
Ann Kennaway
Mary Elizabeth Kennaway (now Davis) [MVG]
Marie, cousin of Veronica Vaughan and Noeline Leigh, see below [MH]
Marjorie Hudson [JK]
Margaret Kavanagh [MVG]
Maisie Keyzar with children Max 2 and David 1.[JM]
Noeline Leigh, sister of Veronica Vaughan see below, with daughter Vivian
Mrs Owen with son Gareth Owen [MVG10]
Mrs Barbara Parnell, MAS nurse, Ipoh [MP]
Doris Pelton, daughter of Doris Cox [MH]. [CN33]
Mrs G R Percy and 3 daughters of whom the 2 older were married [JM] and one son [JK][
Ann Potter [MVG 11]
Malcolm Read [OC] [article in CN33]
Mrs Peggy Todman (wife of Daniel Innes Todman) with Tony(5) and Penny(3) (now Dembry) [MVG8]
HIlary Tuxford with daughter Gill now Bullivant [MVG 11]
Veronica Vaughan with daughter Morven 10 months. Daughter Diana Bedford born on board [MH]
Mrs Ellen Waldock with children Shirley, John, Jilla and Philip. [MH]
Unaccompanied children with labels round their necks [MH]
Empress of Japan - left 31.01.42 with 1,221 evacuees as causeway being blown. Batavia, then England via South Africa.She arrived Liverpool 19.3.42, some passengers having disembarked in Cape Town. A number of families of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on board. It has been suggested that changing the name from Empress of Japan to Empress of Scotland during voyage was in honour of this. [MM] The 'Argyll families' included Johnstone, Mrs Jessie and children [MM] Mrs McTavish and four daughters including Rose [MM] Munnoch, Mrs and daughter of RSM Munnock [MM]
Mrs Anne Allin, Priscilla Jane 3 and Penny 2 [MH]
Ann, a doctor [MH]
Phyllis Beton and young son [MS]
Kathleen Bowers, 7 months pregnant w 2 yr old Georgina (now Towers) [MH]
Gillian Bullivant [MVG10]
Mrs Ethel Burchell and daughter Ruth (13)
Mrs Kath Chasen and Terry [MH]
June Beryl Crichton (9), alone. Put on board by father Leonard McLean Crichton, mother already in England, taken care of by 'a Jewish lady with no children'.
Mrs Connelly [MH]
Mrs Barbara Jessie Day (Betty) and Susan 3weeks [MH]
Mrs Leslie H Eastman with Rosemary Jean [MH]
Mrs Eddington [MS]
Mrs Catherine Eveson, with Mary Anita and Jane [MVG]
June Ferguson, later Reeve Tucker, aunt of Joy Harding, qv. [MVG]
Win Gibson and daughter Jill [MVG10]
Dr Ann Gibson-Hill [MH]
Mrs Dora Gurney and 3 children [MP]
Mrs Karen Hammonds and two children [NB]
Joy Harding and daughter Ann (now Evans) [MVG]
Jessie Hutchinson and baby [MS]
Edith Kellet and daughter [JK]
Joan Kitching aged 19 [MS]
Margaret Leach, Tam and 4 children [MH]
Nancy Madoc and son David [MS]
Kay Melrose [MVG 15]
Mrs Rosemary Molesworth and Jenifer [MH]
Tibbie Morrison [MH]
Mrs Patterson and son Ian 1, [MVG]
Mrs Daphne Pennington and Rosemary (now Bridges) 20 months and pregnant with Brian [MH]
Mrs Helen Pyper [MVG 28/20]
Mrs Angus Rose and daughter [MVG 14/14]
Mrs Marion Russell, son Barrington (8), Daughter Phyllis (2 weeks)
Mrs Barbara Shrubshall with Nancy (3) [MH]
Katharine Sim [MS]
Margaret Stalder, disembarked South Africa [MH]
Minnie 'Flop' Steel wife of Harold 'Geordie' Steel [MH]
Mrs Colette Jeanne-Marie Thompson née Hubert with Alan Charles(8m), Andrea (born Durban August 1942) [MH]
Gillian Tuxford with Hilary (2) birthday on board) [MVG11]
Bill Vowler [MVG10] and family [MS]
Valerie Walker, mother and sister [MS]
A group of White Russian women, refugees from Shanghai [MH]
Islam/Islamic - left Singapore mid Jan 1942 for India. Possibly this is the one with over 1000 Japanese women and children internees and some allied civiians including
Marnix van Sint Aldegonde - left as Ship 54 from Quay No 6 at 1100 on New Year's Day, for Batavia [MH]
Lady Brooke-Popham with Sir Robert
Lady Layton
Many service wives
Aileen Grace Wallace nee Wise with Diana 6, Hugh 4
Narkunda - left 21.01.42 for Freemantle arriving 27.01.42
The Aorangi and Narkunda left together under escort which left them after 2 days. Passengers on Narkunda who wanted to go on from Fremantle to Adelaide, Melbourne or Sydney transferred to Aorangi at Fremantle. An outbreak of dysentery on board made some passengers intending to go further, disembark at Adelaide [Ian Stitt, MVG 11]
[NB Full passenger list for Narkunda now available via National Archives of Australia.]
Phyllis Avery with children Susan 3 and Gordon [MH]
Roger Barrett with mother and brother [MVG10]
Mrs Miriam Booker (wife of George Booker, Dunlop's) [MP]
Ann Donnan, mother and 2 sisters [MVG10]
?Roger Eagle, brother Christopher and mother [bbc.co.uk.WWII archive ID3998334]
Mrs Rosalind Gray née Croft (wife of John Lindsay Gray, Guthries, killed Singapore 14.2.42.) with Peter (7m) [MVG10]
Griffith Mrs Minnie Griffith with Dafydd [MVG]
Mrs Marguerite Henville with Lorna (5) and John (2)
John Heytman and mother [CN37]
Patricia Hodgkin now Wood [MVG 11]
Mrs Hosking and children [MP]
Graeme Sorley, mother and sister [bbc.co.uk WWII archive ID A2127629}
Mrs Walker with Tony and Sheila (now Smith) [MH]
Webber, Mrs Violet with Alison (now Williams) [MVG membership]
Anne Wilson [Cofepow website]
Nellore - (Eastern and Australian Co) - to TP then passengers transhipped to Australia.
Batch of women and children refugees from fall of Penang including
Mrs Flossie Grand (pregnant) with Ada (10), Reuben (7) and Sion (4) (daughter Glenice born in Perth) [MH]
Lily Kahan [MH]
Mabel Price and 2 sons [MS]
Miss Norah Inge, missionary [MP]
Rohna - sailed 28/01/42
Mrs Esme Kenneison (sister of Phyllis Mayo below) with Kit (11), Ray (8), Noreen (4) and Jacqueline (1)
Mrs Phyllis Mayo and Bertie, with Winsome (15 on board), Maurice (c13), Peter (11), Peggy (c8), Hylton (6) & Jean (1)
Esme Kinneison (Phyllis Mayo's sister) with her children Kit(11), Ray(8), Noreen(4) and Jacqueline(1). The Mayo and Kinneison families were from Batu Caves, Selangor. [Becca Kinneison via MH]
USS Wakefield (previously Old Manhattan) - left 30.01.42 with Westpoint and D of Bedford arrived Colombo
Mrs Joan Allen with baby Christopher who died in Cape Town [MH]
Paddy Beegan - Mollie Beegan [MH]
Mrs Collings and Susannah 5 [MH]
Mrs Mollie Franks with daughters Heather Chasen (15), Christine Chasen (11) and son Jeremy Franks (4). [MH]
Pat McCormack [CM]
USS Westpoint (West Point) - left on tide 30.01.42 [JK] with Wakefield and Duchess of Bedford
Please see [MVG 31/20] for an update (July 2012) of people on Westpoint by Henry Langley. Teenagers - Leslie Butler Madden, Sheila Butler Madden and Vicki Proust [MH]
Mrs Marjorie May Langley with Rosemary (11), Veronica (9) and Margaret (5) [MH]
February 1942
Agan (244 tons) - left Singapore 11.02.42. Either reached Palembang or was sunk and survivors picked up by the Tengorah [MP]
150 civilians including women and children
Bulan/Bulang - left Singapore ?10/11/12.02.42. Arrived Tanjong Priok, went on to Ceylon [MP]
SS City of Canterbury - left Singapore ?06.02.42
HMS Chang Teh (or Tay) - left 13.02.42. Sunk in Durian Strait.
Darvil and Kinta left 09.02.42 with Australian 2/3 Motor Transport Co, having fulfilled duties. [PE]
SS Deucalion - arrived Singapore 10.2.42. Impossible to dock so embarked many men, women and children from small boats drifting and being strafed by machine guns. Arrived TP, took on board approximately 480 personnel of RAF,RNZAF and RAAf together with many British civilians including women and children who had previously escaped from Singapore. Left TP 22.2.42 arrived Fremantle 2.3.42
Edang - left 11.02.42 with 11 other vessels in slower part of convoy heading for TP.
Empire Star & Yoma. [MP] Survived Japanese dive bombing attack. Reached Tanjong Priok, then Fremantle.
358 - 380 passengers- see Empire Star below
Empire Star - left 12.02.42 with Gorgon under escort. Survived severe attack, reached Batavia then reached Fremantle 23.2.42
Phyl Clyne VAD [MVG]
Mrs Dorothy Lucy VAD [MVG]
Alison Nelson TWA at Naval Base, mother of Mason Nelson [MVG 4]
Gwendolyn Mary Oak-Rind nee Grafton [JM]
2,154 military, naval and RAF personnel and large contingent of Australian, British and Indian military nurses [MS] and [JK] MP says 2000 RAF ground crew and service families.
Fanling - Motor launch. Left 13.02.42. Sunk in Bangka Straits
47 passengers, 4 survivors
Felix Roussel - Free French crew w British captain. Arrived damaged 02.02.42 with convoy BM12. Left Singapore 06.02.42 MP says 08.02.42 with 110 passengers mainly women and children. Colombo, Bombay, Australia
An Anglo-Indian sergeant [DP]
An Australian women [DP]
Mrs Lucy Buckeridge [NB]
A Czech woman with her little girl [DP]
A very old Chinese woman [DP}
A Chinese and an Indian boy, both 2 [DP]
Muriel Collings and daugter Ann, 3 [DP]
Mrs D, over 40 with baby [DP]
Mrs English, wife of Prof English, Gynaecologist RAMC, to Bombay where children Tom and Margaret at school [MVG 13]
A Eurasian nurse from Singapore General Hospital [DP]
Mrs Dorothy Fawcett [MP]
Joan Forman [MVG10]
Mrs Julienne Glover [NB]
Mrs Marjorie Hudson [NB]
Mrs Law and daughter Pom [IM]
Jean Lips [MVG10] sister of Malcolm, Ronald and Ian Mitchell [MVG]
Mrs Mitchell with 13 year old daughter Jean now Lipps. Mrs Mitchell's sister Alex and her daughter June were also on board [MVG 11]
Miss Murray [JH]
Miss Pring [JH]
Carol Purdie, Robin 4, Diana newborn [MH]
A White Russian woman injured by flying glass [DP]
A woman, far gone in pregnancy, posted through a porthole, went into labour [DP]
Giang Bee (Chiang Bee) (1200 tons) Chinese owned coaster. Left Singapore 13.2.42. MP says 11.02.42 Sunk by Japanese. Very few survivors. Details in [NB]There is now a separate researched list of passengers on Giang Bee on this website.
200 - 300 old men, women and children. 200 - 240 killed in lifeboats or drowned.
Ernest and Violet Kenneison and granddaughter Betty (Edith). Ernest killed. Violet and Betty interned Palembang.
Irene Kenney, confidential secretary to R H Scott, Director of Far Eastern Bureau
Mrs Ismail and Molly [W&S]
Gorgon (3533 tons)( Blue Funnel Line) - left 10.02.42 With Empire Star formed advance guard of mass evacuation. In same convoy as Durban, Kedah, Stronghold.
Gwendolyn Mary Oak-Rind nee Grafton [JM]
Mrs K Stapledon [IWM 85/31/1]
HMS Grasshopper - left 13.02.42 with Kuala but ordered back to take more passengers. Left 12.30 14.02.42. Bombed w Fairmile and Dragonfly. Ran ashore on Sempang island, women and wounded taken ashore but no water so taken to Sungei Buaya island, heroic work by nursing sister H V Fisher and naval ratings. Two babies delivered on Posik Island, mothers' names not known. [GB] Grasshopper blew up. [GB]
On board Grasshopper Mr &Mrs Lampen-Smith (NZers) whose son had left on Charon arrived Padang too late to evacuate. Interned Bankinang with Brenda Macduff, Br nurse.
SS Hong Kheng (6167 tons) sailed night of 11.02.42
Hong Kwang - left 13.02.42. Abandoned Java 09.03.42 [MP]
SS Ipoh (Straits Shipping Co) - left 10.02.42 Reached TP 14.02.42 [MP]
200 women and children, many the wives of Malaya Survey Dept [MH]
300 RAF personnel [MH]
SS Jalavihar/Jalibahar (5330 tons) - left 11.02.42. Heavily bombed in Durian Straits but reached TP then Ceylon
SS Jalakrishna - left 11.02.42 at 1700 hours. Possibly cleared harbour on 12.02.42 in convoy with Delamore, Empire Star, Jalibahar & Li Sang. Damaged by bombs in Sunda Straits but reached Tanjong Priok, then Colombo. [MP]
Mrs Francis Clarke who with others from Singapore later boarded Plancius at Tanjong Priok, though some reports say no passengers [MP]
SS Jalratna (3942 tons) Sailed night of 11.02.42. Reached Tjilitjap, which left on 19.02.42 [MP]
Koh Fuka Maru - ex-Japanese fishing vessel owned by Australian Bill Reynold. Sailed Telok Ayer 12/02/42 with about 50 women and children. After rescuing many more eventually reached Madras. Re-named 'Krait'. After more adventures now moored in Sydney Harbour.
Kedah - small coastal ship Straits Shipping Co. left ?13.02.42. Survived repeated bombing and shelling thanks to Captain Sinclair and eventually arrived Batavia. Survived war to lead RN fleet back into Singapore Harbour September 1945 [GB]
Possibly 750 men, women and children including
Mrs Muriel Reilly, Governor's cipher clerk. [MH]
SS Kuala - left 13.02.42 at about the same time as Mata Hari and Vyner Brook. Bomb damaged while waiting to leave Singapore, 2 killed and buried at sea, many casualties. Sunk by bombing while at anchor off Pompong island. 14.02.42. Many searing survivor stories
5/600 people on board including most of Public Works Department, RAF Radio Location Unit with gear, various troops and women and children of many nationalities, large group of nurses and 5, IWM-S says 7 women doctors, ordered to leave.
Please see separate entry on this website 'SS Kuala - Researched Passenger List' for Michael Pether's almost complete list of 'Kuala' passengers, which he has prepared as a memorial to them.
Kulit - left Singapore 12/02/42 with a number of civilians- assumed lost or captured Sumatra 02/03/42 (Ships/SE Asia on COFEPOW website).
Kwang Wu - left 13.02.42. Sunk off Pompong island.
Li Sang sailed c 1730 on 11.02.42, might have cleared harbour on 12.02.42 [MP]
Mata Hari - left 12.02.42 [GB] 13.02.42 [MP] Captured by Japanese in Banka Straits and passengers taken to Muntok for internment
300 passengers+ 120 more including
Mrs Russell-Roberts, died in internment [GB]
Mrs Jennings died in internment [GB]
large group of nurses including
Nurse Phyllis Briggs, living in UK [MP]
Christine Briggs [W&S]
Mamie Colley [W&S]
Margaret Dryburgh [W&S]
Madura. Reported to have later sailed from Batavia (TP) in last days of Feb. [MP]
Sybil and Natalie Darville, 10 other Europeans and an unknown number of Chinese passengers [BBC WW2 People's article ID A4462490]
HMS Monarch (?Dominion Monarch) - left Singapore 08.02.42 for New Zealand [MP]
Nora Moller - date of departure from Singapore not known but attacked by Japanese aircraft off Palembang Feb 3rd, so might have left Feb 1st or 2nd. 57 passengers including women and children. Survivors rescued by HMAS Hobart and HMAS Tenedos and taken to TP.
Estimated 166 - 216 women and children, mainly families of Dutch Indonesian garrison soldiers at Rhio. To Pompong then Rengat having taken off people thence and from other islands. These included [GB]
Sister Dowling
Sister Brenda Lee (Mrs McDuff) from Batu Gajah hospital
Sister Patsy Brennan (Mrs Clark) from Batu Gajah hospital
Ping Wo - pre-war Yangtze steamer, 200' long, 6' draft. Left Singapore 11.02.42. Arrived Fremantle 04.03.42 Towed destroyer Vendetta to Fremantle. [MP]
200 civilian passengers [MP]
RAF Petrol Tender/British Navy launch - There are two accounts in [MVG 28/13] which explains the two names for the vessel.
Edwards "Mother, sister and 2 little girls 5 and 3 1/2 of Pilot Officer C P Edwards with sister and brother in law, from St John's Island on February 16th 1942, picked up survivors en route for Sumatra, 35 on board in all. [MVG 28/13]
Rochuissen [MVG 10/6]- Dutch cattle boat with no passenger accommodation. Reached Tanjong Priok 05.02.42 [MP]
200 passeners including 50 Malayan Broadcasting Company personnel
Enid Innes Kerr MBC [MP]
HMS Scott Harley sailed daybreak 12.02.42, arrived TP. For full story see Cofepow website.Most European passengers shipped from TP 21.02.42 to Bombay on Plancius. Some went on to Australia on the Johan de Witt [MP]
[MP] lists 170 women and 30 men, including
Michael Ashe
Roland Bradell
Miss Linda Brash
Mrs Annie L Clark (wife of Norman Clark, engineer at Govt Rice Mills)
Mrs Elliott/Mrs Sharpe-Elliott (canteen worker MAS, husband engineer at Naval Base)
Mrs W F Joyce Fitzpatrick (husband with Singapore Cold Storage)
Eliza Martin/Mrs Eric Martin
Mrs Enid Miller
Mr & Mrs Percy
Nessie Rhodes/Mrs 'Dusty' Rhodes of KL
Winifred Sinclair
Dr J W Scarff, his wife, daughters Elizabeth and Jopin and 2 boys
Joan Winchester/Mrs V A Winshester (wife of a vet and whose brother in law was a doctor)
A Russian mother and daughter (latter had a hairdresser salon at Raffles Hotel)
A Secretary to the Governor of Singapore: descibed as about 35 and 16 stone.
A Naval Policeman
Possibly a Mr Potts, Melvin Thompson, Mrs Duke and Mrs Ray ('of the Municpality) and one child
Scout - left 10.02.42
Naval personnel and Megan Spooner, wife of Read Admiral Spooner [MH]
Sedjatra - Wooden schooner (30 tons) Left Singapore 04.02.42, later left Tjilitjap
5 civilians [MP]
3 RAF [MP]
Women and children [MP]
RAF personnel 453 squadron. [MP]
Silver Larch - left Singapore 10.02.42. Reached Java. [MP]
Sing Wo (2500 tons) - Yangtze River Boat. Left 12.02.42. Bombed and ran aground at Muntok where passengers imprisoned.
230 passengers including Rohan Rivet, author of 'Behind Bamboo.'
HMS Ban Hong Liong (1671 tons) in company with Sin Aik See. Reached TP left 2 days later destination unknown.
Troops and civilians [MP]
Vyner Brooke - left 12.02.42. Built to take 12 passengers, left with 250 [W&S]
Dive bombed and sunk. Many Australian nurses on board.
June Bourhill, aged 9 (later June Brown) survived sinking while mother drowned. Reached shore with Armstrong family. [MVG 29/3]
Mrs Mary Brown (wife of EA Brown, choirmaster St Andrews) and daughter Shelagh (married Arthur Lea 1946). Their experience of wreck and internment contributed to TV series 'Tenko' and film 'Paradise Road'. [MVG 5]
Beth Cuthbertson [GB]
Matron Drummond [GB]
Sister Ennis [GB]
Sister Iola Harper [GB]
Mavis Hannah
Sister Betty Jeffrey
Matron Paschke [GB] (drowned0
Elizabeth Simmons [W&S]
Sister Jessie Simons [GB]
Mrs Brown and Shelagh [GB]
Dorothy MacCleod [GB]
Nora Chambers with sister Ena Murray and sick husband John
Maudie James [W&S]
Eva Madden of Taiping. Died in camp early 1945 [MHC]
Olga Neubrunner, heavily pregnant but miscarried baby on the pier at Muntok [W&S]
Mrs Parfait [GB]
Olga Springer [GB]
Mrs Stevens died in camp May 1945 [MH]
Myrtle Ward. Survived sinking and interned South Sumatra. [MH]
Mischa Warman 4 year old White Russian from Shanghai. Parents killed. [W&S]
Group of survivors on Muntok discovered by Jap patrol16.02.42, men bayonetted, women marched into the sea and shot. One survivor, Vivian Bullwinkle. [MS, JK, MP]
Name Unknown small coaster left 13.02.42
12 men and a woman named Mary Jenkins. [MP]
Ying Ping left 13.02.42 [RE]
Evacuated by flying boat
Ceres G-AETX 4/1/42 By Air unknown seaplane, possibly of Asian Petroleum Company
Mrs Elsie Irene Stone with Peter James (4). To New Zealand [MH]
Elizabeth Alexander with Billy 5, Mary 3 and Bernice 4 months [MH]
Robert Arbuthnott with mother and brother [MVG &MH]
SS Angking.
Mrs Louise Mowat [Audrey McCormick]
SS Anglo Indian. Reached TP 12.02.42
SS Auby (636 tons) Reached TP
SS Aquarius (6094 tons) Sunk
110 passengers, possibly only 3 survivors [MP]
HMSs Barlane, Barrier, Barricade and Fastnet were boom defence vessels built in Bristol in 1937, specifically for Singapore harbour defences. under Commander G L Baily [RM]
Blumut - Small craft of Johore Marine Dept. Captured by Japanese off Banka 16/17.02.42
29 passengers. [MP]
Cap St Jaques - Bombay
Mrs Scoular with Guy(2) [MH]
Ruth Lean w ch John, David, Richard [JM]
Huang Jao - former Yangtse River customs boat, picked up Giang Bee survivors and single survivor of Giang Tay. Subject of war crimes tribunal, sunk by gunfire, women and children on board.
SS Plancius - reached TP [MP]
Mrs Mary Rawson [MVG 31/15]
840 mainly women and children evacuees from ships from Singapore, possibly for South Africa but more likely Bombay [MP]
USN President Polk on her maiden voyage Bombay to USA under Captain Dutton and Commander Jeffs took the following to the US [DP]
Carol Purdie with Robin 2 and Diana 3 weeks
Muriel Collings and daughter Ann
A little boy called Larry
A bell boy called Tom
Rantau (Straits Steamship Co) (75 tons)
SS Redan (531 tons) - Thai Navigation Co. Sunk in Berhala Strait.
89 passengers including 6 women and 3 children. Captain Rasmusson's account says 62 lives lost in attack by 2 Japanese destroyers including "two young ladies, said to be from Messrs Mansfield Co's Singapore Office . . . while typing out the passengers' list in the Chief Engineers Cabin" About 30 people including 4 women and 2 children got away by boat and were captured by the Japanese.
Relau (75 tons) Palm oil tanker of Straits Shipping Co. Captured by Japanese
66 passengers
survivors en route including 13 from Scorpion [MP] with Rantau and Relau were Chiang Tay, Tien Kwang, Kwang Wu, Mata Hari, Hung Jao (Yangtze customs boat) and Fairmile, fast naval patron launch w Spooner and Pulford.
Silver Gull - left with 166 women and children, broke down on Rhio. Towed from Rhio by Capt Bill Renolds in his converted Japanese fishing boat Kohfuku Maru, later Suey Sui Fah (later the 'Krait' now in Sydney Harbour) [GB]
SS Sing Kheng Seng Straits Shipping Co.
45 crew from the Empress of Asia and unknown others [MP]
Tandjong Pinang, sometimes called Tanjong Pinang
Please see separate entry on this website, 'SS Tanjong Pinang - Reseached Passenger List' for Michael Pether's almost complete list of passengers, which he has prepared as a memorial to them.
Tien Kwang/Tun Kwang. Bombed and sunk at Pompong Island 14.02.02 with SS Kuala. See [MVG13/4] for a description of the sinking
Many government servants and RAF [MP]
Wosang Wells forward and aft crowded with Tamils [MVG 10/6] "Arrived Calcutta about the time of the capitulation" [MVG 10/6]
Mrs Mange, Swiss French with daughter Claudie (now Erskine) and 1 more daughter.
Mrs Warden, son John and his brother. Repatriated to England on Stratheden.
"A Eurasian family of mother and 2 boys with a Portuguese name, father a doctor stayed behind" [MVG10/6]