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Lisbon Maru
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Those known to have sailed in Lisbon Maru during the Second World War 1939-1945. - Cheney James Michael. L/Cpl.
- Hughes Kenneth. Able Sea.
- Tooley Michael. L/Bmbdr. (d.2nd Oct 1942)
- Tunmer William Arthur. Bndsmn. (d.1st-2nd Oct 1942 )
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
Records of Lisbon Maru from other sources.
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Want to know more about Lisbon Maru? There are:0 items tagged Lisbon Maru available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Able Sea. Kenneth Hughes HMS Thracian My father, Kenneth Hughes served in the Royal Navy on the Tracian in Hong Kong in 1941. He was on board Christmas day when Hong Kong fell.
He was a PoW in Sham Shui Po Camp and was then transported on the Lisbon Maru when the ship was hit by friendly fire.
My father was in the water for days. He was one of the lucky survivors.
He was recaptured and sent to Japan. The camp in Japan was Osaka 1B.
He was liberated on 8th of September 1945.
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L/Bmbdr. Michael Tooley 8th Coast Regiment, 30th Bty. Royal Artillery (d.2nd Oct 1942) My Uncle Michael Tooley died on the Japanese POW ship the Lisbon Maru which was torpedoed by the US submarine Grouper.
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L/Cpl. James Michael Cheney 1st Btn. Middlesex Regiment My father, Jimmy Cheney, served as a machine gunner with the Middlesex Regiment defending Hong Kong in WW2. Very little of this story is from him. He never spoke about within my hearing when I was young (I was born in 1947), although I did overhear a little when he spoke about it occasionally with his two brothers who served in Europe during the war. The eldest brother was killed in North Africa. He did speak more freely when I got older but, unfortunately, he died at an early age which meant that much of his experiences were left un-said. I did get some of his stories from my mother and some of the other older members of the family but as always with family stories, they are embellished or parts forgotten.
He claimed he was captured by the Japanese on 25th December 1941 although his record shows it was 26th December. He was incarcerated in Hong Kong for nearly a year and then embarked on the Lisbon Maru for transport to Japan. The ship was torpedoed by USS Grouper on 1st October 1942 and my father was one of the lucky ones to escape from the holds and spent some time (he said more than a day) until he was picked up by a Japanese warship and transported to Osaka. He was put into a POW camp and was forced to work in the docks. I still have to find out which of the camps he was in. During his time as a POW he contracted various diseases including malaria and beriberi. The camp was bombed a number of times by the US Air Force, which my father said was because they mistook it for a troop camp. I suspect it was no more than some saturation bombing of the dock area which meant the camp was likely to be hit by mistake rather than design.
He spent some time in a sweat box for stealing sugar and claimed that probably saved his life because one night the camp was hit by bombs and some of his friends were killed.
He was finally liberated by the Americans following the Japanese surrender and, according to my mother, was transported home via Canada and he arrived at Londons Waterloo station. My father was 6ft 2in tall and a well-built man with a full head of hair. When he went to Hong Kong he weighed almost 15 stones. When he arrived home he was almost bald and weighed about 8 stones. For much of the fifties he suffered from the effects of his time as a POW including malaria. He finally died in 1972 aged 54. He never bore any ill will towards the Japanese and said that although the officers were cruel and brutal, the ordinary soldiers were just doing what they were told. If they were ordered to punish someone they knew if they didn't, they would be punished and the person would get punished anyway by someone else. He always wanted to go back to Japan and see the country but never made it. I have been lucky; I have lived in Singapore for four years and have had the opportunity to visit Osaka. It felt a little like a pilgrimage for the old man.
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Bndsmn. William Arthur Tunmer 1st Btn. Middlesex Regiment (d.1st-2nd Oct 1942 ) Bill Turner served as a Bandsman with 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment.
He was killed on the 1st or 2nd of October 1942 on the Lisbon Maru. He was 28 years old and is remembered on the Sai Wan Memorial.
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