|
|
|
Sgt Frank Weldon Baker . Royal Air Force 9 Squadron (d.17th Apr 1941) Sgt Baker served with 9 Squadron based at Honington in Suffolk. He was part of the crew of Wellington bomber WS LT 2900 on a mission to Berlin on the night of 17th of April 1941 when the aircraft and all the crew were lost off the Suffolk coast.
|
Field Marshall. Geoffrey Harding Baker MC MID.. British Army Royal Artillery
|
Flt.Sgt. George Baker . Royal Air Force 99 Squadron from Canvey Island, Essex (d.21st Jan 1945) My Dad, Ted Payne, and my Mum's brother, George Baker, were best friends. They joined 99 Squadron together as part of the RAF Volunteer Reserve. Ted was trained as ground crew and George was an Air Gunner on Wellington bombers. They were originally at Waterbeach and were then posted with 99 Squadron to India. When the squadron converted to Liberators, Flight Sergeant George Baker 1610129 was a Ball Gunner. He was killed on 21st January 1945 (just 2 days before his 23rd Birthday) when his aircraft collided in mid-air with another Liberator from the same Squadron. He was buried with the other crew members at Maynamati War Cemetery in Bangladesh. My Dad never talked about it, and he died in 1983. I still have a few photos of their time in India that Dad brought home. My Dad was LAC Albert Edward Payne 1291901
|
Rflmn. George Baker . British Army Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) from Leeds (d.12th July 1944) My earliest memory is of my Uncle George Baker picking me up and lifting me up above his head. I was only 2 years old but the memory is vivid. He was dressed in his Army uniform and had a huge smile on his face. I think he must have been on embarkation leave before going to France.
|
LAC George Baker . Royal Air Force from Leeds George Baker joined the RAF in 1940, he was eighteen years old. He transferred to the Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm on 14th of May 1945, and after a short period of training was transferred to HMS Gadwall, a shore based station at Sydenham, Belfast.
|
George Baker . Royal Navy HMS Pembroke from Beeston, Nottingham George Baker served in HMS Pembroke.
|
H. C. Baker . Royal Air Force 41 Squadron
|
F/L H. A.B. Baker . 97 Squadron
|
Pte. Harold Baker . British Army Gordon Highlanders Harold Baker was captured at either Tunisia or Salerno. He survived the train wreck on the 28th of January 1944 on the Orvieto North railway bridge at Allerona, Italy and was sent to Stalag 344 Lamsdorf.
|
LAC. Harry Baker . Royal Air Force from Bradford, Yorkshire My father, Harry Baker, was stationed at RAF Kidlington probably around 1942-44. I have photos of him in Rome in 1945 so he must have been posted to Italy and Athens later in the war.
|
L/Cpl. Harry Jack Baker . British Army T Reserve Royal Engineers My father, Harry Jack Baker, was a POW from 1941 until the end of the war. He was held in Stalag 18a and 18d. He was a sapper(L/Cpl.) in the Royal Engineers, T Reserve. I think this was his unit: No6 (R&R)D.B.R.E. Any information would be welcome.
|
Skr. Harry Baker . Royal Navy from Yorkshire Harry Baker was my grandfather.
He was born on the 12th of April 1919somewhere near Sheffield
He had three brothers, two were named Derek and Jack, I don't know the third,
He was a stoker on the ship. Whilst moored on the river Clyde near Greenock in Scotland he met my grandmother Eileen Mahon and married after the war and lived the rest of his life in Greenock
He worked as a postman for 30 odd years
and loved gardening, drinking whisky, and his family
He died of a heart attack at his home. He was my friend and hero and I miss him everyday since.
|
Major. Henry John Baker MiD.. British Army Royal Berkshire Regiment from West Wimbledon My Father, Henry Baker, served with the Royal Berkshire Regiment in Burma and India in WW2. He died in 1977 and never talked about his experiences fighting the Japanese in Burma.
|
Lt. Hugh Massy Baker . Canadian Army Royal Canadian Engineers from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (d.5th March 1942) Lieutenant Baker was the Son of Massy and Mildred Baker, of Rockcliffe Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
He was 21 when he died in a car accident and is buried in the Bansha Church of Ireland Churchyard, Bansha, Co. Tipperary, Ireland.
|
J Baker . British Army J Baker served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
|
LAC James Michael Baker . Royal Air Force from Sheffield My Dad, James Baker, enlisted before the start of the Second World War. First he was in the RAF and was at West Drayton in June 1939. He later transferred to the Army and was with the Welsh Guards in Italy in 1945.
|
Pte. John Baker . British Army Cameron Highlanders from Birmingham (d.23rd March 1943)
|
PFC. Joseph Baker . United States Army 394th Anti-Tank Regiment
|
Lt. Col. Josephine Louisa Redenius Baker . United States Army from Wayne, PA Josephine Baker enlisted in June 1943 as a private in the Women's Army Corps and trained as an officer. In August 1944, she was honorably discharged in order to accept an appointment as a second lieutenant in the Army.
She worked on the Manhattan Project and as a Pentagon counterintelligence agent at atomic installations throughout the United States and Canada.
At various times, she was assistant officer chief of staff of Armed Forces in the Far East, escort officer for NATO, and chief Women's Army Corps recruiting officer. She received many awards, including the WAC Service Ribbon, American Theatre Award, Meritorious Service Unit Award, and the Army Commendation Ribbon. She retired from active duty in May 1967 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
|
Kenneth Leigh Baker . Royal Navy HMS Royal Arthur Below is a picture of my late father, Kenneth Leigh Baker who was at HMS Royal Arthur at the outbreak of the war in 1939. Below this is an extract from his war memoirs. It may give some people looking for information an insight as to what went on at the time.
"Some of you will remember the winter of 1939-1940; it was cold, in fact very cold on the east coast. Returning from Christmas leave, the railway line at Peterborough was blocked by snow and it was several hours before the train could get through to the coast.
We had no heat in the huts where we slept; some fellows in my class of 52 seamen brought back electric heaters and worked them off the electric light flex very efficiently. This went on for some time, until one night a hut was burnt down and that was the end of our heating; all electric fires were confiscated!
During a particularly cold spell one of the fellows found his false teeth frozen hard in a tumbler of water at his bedside.
But for all of this we kept very fit, we were fed well and given plenty of outdoor exercise, including 'square bashing' and PT, together with seamanship tuition. Apart from the usual knots and splices, bends and hitches, we were instructed and taught the 'cats-paw', 'sheepshank', 'monkeys first', 'turks head' and warming, parcelling and serving - several others which have escaped my memory after more than fifty years.
Every Saturday morning the whole establishment, except those on duty, fell in for a march of about ten miles along the coast, wet or fine, led by the Royal Marine Band in a van, followed by the senior class with rifles and fixed bayonets. Each class of about 50 was led by a Chief or Petty Officer and we marched in those days in columns of four. In the middle of all of these columns was another Royal Marine Band, so you can imagine it was most difficult for 800 or more men to keep in step!
Gradually a sense of belonging to a large organisation started to creep into us all and we started to value the comradeship of our 'mess mates' and which was to last throughout the war.
Every Sunday morning we fell in by class on the parade ground for church parade and one had to be either Church of England or Catholic. As there was only one padre, Church of England, all Catholics were required to leave the parade ground until after the church service. Accompanied by the R.M.Band we sang lustily all of the old hymns which I had learnt at Crusaders. Just one big male choir, in those days there were few WRNS in the Navy. We also learnt for the first time naval prayers which later, when at sea, brought tears to my eyes. Such as lines like 'be pleased to receive into thy Almighty and most gracious protection the persons of us thy servants and the Fleet in which we serve. Preserve us from dangers of the sea and from the violence of the enemy'. Oh yes, I would sometimes mutter to myself these inspiring words.
The Commodore, Captain or Commander would read the lessons and after the grace from the Padre and the usual reports from the class leaders, the parade would march off to the strains of the R.M.Band.
Shore leave would then be played over the tannoy such as 'leave to port watch from 12 noon to 21:00' followed by 'livery men fall in'. After inspection by the Officer of the watch we handed in our station cards, which would indicate we were ashore, then about 400 men were let loose on the town. The local single-decker bus going to and from town, about 5 miles, was known as the 'libery boat'. One evening I went with some pals to the local Methodist church and after the service we were invited back to the home of the local grocer for 'big eats' and with so much outdoor exercise we were always hungry. The grocer had two nice daughters, so we went to church quite often to be invited back home by Mum and Dad. Like all matelots, we were always complaining about everything amongst ourselves and especially to the grocer and his family that "we wanted a ship". Eventually that day came when our class passed out and my pals and I each received from the grocers family ... a toy battleship!
|
PFC. L. B. Baker . US Army 502d Parachute Infantry Regiment from Big Spring, Texas
|
Capt. Lancelot Barton Hill Custance "Barry" Baker . British Army 27 Line Section Royal Signals Captain Barry Baker with 69 men of RCOS 27 Line Section sailed on the troop ship Orontes for the Far East, reaching Malaya in October 1941. Until the Fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942, they worked all over Malaya putting up communications lines. They were taken prisoners of the Japanese at the Fall of Singapore.
Before they were captured he and his wife Phyllis set up a mail service which meant that when they became prisoners, Phyllis was able to keep in touch with the families of almost all the men. There are many letters from these families to Phyllis during the war. There are also letters from some of the men who returned after the war, and news of those who didn't. There are also many photos of the men from a dossier that Phyllis compiled.
After capture, British and Australian soldiers marched across the island of Singapore and joined many thousands of other prisoners in the complex of camps around Changi barracks. Over the next few months they learned to eat rice for breakfast and lunch and supper. Disease, particularly malaria and dysentery, became a serious problem. 27 Line Section turned their expertise in boring post holes to the more urgent need of making latrines. They found some large auger bits and constructed a tall set of sheer legs fitted with a block and tackle.
Barry remembers:
"The first hole went well, about fifteen feet deep, say 4 metres. One of our carpenter-and-joiners built a seat with a cover, very civilized. Then we then collected the other big auger bit from the Post Office stores and set up a second team of bore hole makers. We made several holes within our Unit’s area and a few for other regiments, until one day when we were at work the sergeant in charge of the other party came to me to announce a disaster.
The drill head had fallen off and stuck in the shaft. The team had tried everything then decided someone would have to be lowered head first into the hole. Since I was the officer I would, according to the sergeant, naturally volunteer for the job, especially as I was probably the thinnest and lightest man in the section. So I volunteered.
My ankles were tied onto the rope and I was heaved up and then lowered into the hole with my arms stretched out like a diver. I just fitted, but only just. When I reached the bit I found that there was luckily only a little earth in it and I was able to loosen it and get a good grip on it. At my word the team pulled me gently up again and swung me aside onto the spoil heap, untied me and then untied the bit. We found that the fastening bolt was too thin and had sheered under the strain, so we fitted a stouter bolt and restarted the work. I warned them that if it happened again someone else would have to go down. It is not an adventure that I recall with any pleasure."
Barry and the men of 27 Line Section, much reduced in numbers but still a coherent body, continued to work their way up the Kwai Noi building the Thailand-Burma Railway. In April 1943 they reached Wang Po (Wampo) Camp.
"This was to be quite a different “one off” job, unlike the usual jungle clearance and embankment. Wang Po is at the 113 km mark, and when we reached it in early 1943, was quite a new camp, the rains had not started and the camp was quite dry and fairly clean. We were by now dying off quite frequently but not more than one or two each day and we were still on two bowls of rice per day, not one.
Near the village of Wang Po the river makes a sudden eastward loop into a rocky gorge that cuts into the line of the railway and here it was necessary to build a viaduct about half a mile long to carry the rails over the gorge beside the river.
Our camp was set up on the west bank, opposite the working site as the gorge made it impossible to build a camp on the east bank. The camp was located on the edge of a forest of teak trees, which were to be the source of timber for the construction. We were a big group, a thousand or more I think… . One half of the group worked on the trees preparing the beams, the rest, of which I was one, worked in the gorge.
Our first job was to clear rocks and boulders from the planned route of the viaduct, which we did by drilling and blasting. The holes were made with a rock drill. One brave man holds the drill while two others smite the head of it with sledgehammers. We Linemen were used to sledgehammer work and did not often damage the hands of the drill holder but some of the other parties suffered several damaged or broken wrists. There was no power machinery of any sort in the whole construction, just hand tools.
By the time of the midday tea break our holes had generally gone in deep enough, and while we rested and drank our tea (no midday rice now), the Japanese engineers packed the holes with plastic gelignite and set detonators and lengths of safety fuse in them. There might have been as many as fifty blasts set off at once and it was important, both for us and for the Japs, to make sure they all went off. In the afternoon we shifted all the broken rocks and carried them down towards the riverbank.
When all the boulders had been cleared we set about making the concrete foundation piers, all built by hand with hand mixed concrete. … which had to be carried to the site on the usual rice sack stretchers. Wet concrete makes a very heavy load. The Japanese engineers had already set up wooden shuttering for the piers… .
I should have mentioned that we had to cross the river from the camp to the site, morning and evening, but as it was in the dry season the water was quite shallow and you could walk on the bottom most of the way and only had to swim in the middle.
While we were clearing the rocks and building the piers, the other half of the group were felling teak trees. Very tiring work, as fresh teak is extremely hard. The trunks when felled were cut to length and then squared up by Japanese engineers using an adze. I have seen one of their engineers square up a log fifteen foot long and around two foot thick in one morning’s work.
When the concrete piers were nearly finished, 27 Line Section and others rejoined the timber party and started the very heavy task of carrying the squared timbers down to the riverbank. The intention had been to float them across the river but some of the POWs who had worked in the Burma teak forests insisted that green teak is so dense it will not float. The Japanese were unconvinced but the first trial proved the point. From then on we swam the beams across the river fastened to bundles of bamboo to keep them afloat.
A few elephants with their Burmese mahouts helped in this work of shifting the beams down to the river but they were the only powered machinery on the job. They seemed extraordinarily precise, even fussy, in their handling of these heavy loads seemingly without any orders from the mahouts. There were not enough of them, of course, and we had to do much of the carrying ourselves. I reckon these beams must have weighed around 3/4 of a ton (or tonne) each, more or less, depending on their length. At first we tried to get them up on to our shoulders like undertaker’s men with a coffin. But the edges were too rough and sharp, so instead we used the ever-present bamboo poles. Eight or ten stout poles pushed under the beam and then lifted with one or two men at each end and the beam could then be carried down to the river looking like a giant caterpillar.
There were no cranes, simply intricate bamboo scaffolding fastened onto the rocky cliffs above the site and multi sheave pulley blocks fastened to it. A long rope over the pulleys with 50 POWs tailing on to it served to raise each of these beams into its proper position, where they were then all fastened together with dog spikes.
When the trestles were in place, held up by more bamboo props, then the even heavier horizontal beams which connected them together had to be heaved up into place by the same method and then spiked together. With the crudest estimate there must be between 500 and 1000 beams in the viaduct. While we were doing this other groups of POWs had laid sleepers and rails on the prepared embankment and were ready to go on over our viaduct as soon as each section was completed.
[The next section of the Railway had already been completed, so] we POWs who had built it were actually carried forward for a short section of our next march in railway trucks over the viaduct. I remember it as a very scary proceeding. The train went at a walking pace and at each rail joint, with its sudden change of direction, we felt that the wheels might easily jump the track and tumble us all down into the River. We got over without incident but I heard that the engineers kept a working party permanently on the viaduct with crowbars to lever bogey wheels back on to the rails if they came off.
I have to admit that when this job at Wang Po was finished we POWs felt a certain mixed up pride in the work. We could see the completed viaduct and it worked and we had built it ourselves without mechanical aids of any sort beyond hand tools and a few elephants. I was left with a great admiration for the skill and planning ability of the Japanese engineers and an ever-growing bitter hatred for our guards."
Some time at the end of April 1945, Phyllis, with the dossier of information and photos of Barry’s men, interviewed a Sergeant Smith, from the Royal Signals. Smith had been a prisoner of the Japanese and was rescued after the sinking of the transport ship Hokofu Maru. He knew Barry and other men from 27 Line Section. In her notebook Phyllis scribbled entries for each man who Smith remembered having seen. For example:
Appleton. Saw him in June ’44. Excellent condition. Down ? Tech. Party due for Japan but hadn’t left [‘Japan party’ are the groups of men selected to be shipped to Japan]. Worked with Smith as Cook after completion of railway in Tamarkan hospital camp. One /or 2 attacks/malaria but survived them well, often spoke of his children and wife.
Jim Bridge Died 1943??
Hugh Canning. Tropical ulcers on leg in Thailand sanatorium. April 1944. Ulcers healed unable to straighten his leg. Very clean. Mentioned wife & mother. Health otherwise O.K.
Signalman William Dawson Seen end Jan 44. Condition pretty fair. No party for Japan then.
Douglas. June 44. Sick in 1943 but recovered. Worked in Japan cookhouses as servant which gave him extra. Mentioned both wife and son. Kept out of trouble.
Jack Earnshaw 1944 June. Health quite good. Mentioned fiancée a lot. (sister?) Packed up on railway in 1943 August. No party for Japan.
Henry Farrell: Plumber? Friend of Walls? Last seen June 44. Health fair. Trouble with asthma. Kept bright & cheery. In hospital October 43. Down for new San. (?) Looked after by Thai Red X.
Garrod 43. Last August 1943 Condition quite good – bright & cheery. Not due for Japan. Mentioned wife.
Graham June 44. Quite good health. Pelagera [pellagra – lack of vitamin B3] – but recovered by June 44. No party for Japan.
Harrison. Early 44. Quite well.
Reginald Jennings June 44. Quite well. Not on railway. In September 1943 The War Office had written to Mrs Jennings to say that her son, Reginald, had died of beri beri malaria on 18.7.43. Scepticism had long since set in among the relatives and she had still sent a photo and information about her son to Phyllis for the dossier. The War Office had been right and Smith must have thinking of another Jennings.
Charlie Johnstone. June 44. Might be sent on draft to Japan. Always speaking of his wife and children. Well & cheerful. Knew Barry. Kept going very well.
Jones. June 44. Working in hospital dispensary. 2 camp. Not changed – keeps well.
Kittwood Last seen early 44. Very seriously ill – malaria.
Neil McDonald June 44. Good health. Worked on railway 10 months – Then hospital orderly in Tamarkan camp. In original 27 Line in France.
Parker. Same cargo boat for Japan. Probably killed.
Russell June 44. In quite good health – quite cheery. Always speaking of wife & 2 boys.
Walls Speaks of wife and son. June 44. Well and cheerful. Pretty good health.
I am writing a book about the survival of relationships for these 69 men and their families. I would love to hear from anyone with relatives in 27 Line Section and would like to share all the information I have about them.
|
Pte. Leonard Baker . British Army Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment from Walthamstow My Grandather, Len Baker was part of the BEF, and was being evacuated from Dunkirk when he a 3 or 4 others were separated from their regiment by advancing Germans. They managed to hide in the woods just outside Dunkirk overnight,the following morning they attempted to get back to the beach, but the Germans where everywhere, they came across a farm and hide in the barn. The farmer's wife discovered them and supplied them with food and water, after a few days the farmer's wife told the farmer that she was hiding British soldiers in their barn. The farmer was not happy, and confronted the soldiers telling them to leave, but his wife convinced him to let them stay for a few more days. Unfortunately, a German patrol turned up the following day and the farmer panicked believing the Germans would kill if they discovered the Brit's in his barn, so he gave them up!
Pte. Len Baker and his fellow soldiers were captured and taken prisoners. They were gathered together with other British troops and matched to Stalag XXIB in Poland. Marching from France to Poland took it's toll on the prisoners with food and water being scarce. The Germans would find barns or halls to lock the prisoners in when they stopped over night en route to Poland. The British troops had to match in the clothes and boots they were captured in, the soles on the solider's boots soon wore out, so when they were kept in a barn over night they would gather up any straw that was available to them and "weave" it into mats to put in the bottom of their boots for the next days match.
On arrival at Stalag XXIB the prisoner's details were taken and a POW number issued. Pte. Leonard Baker was No6064. Life in the camp was very difficult. Len Baker saw a number of his friends die from ill health, the Germans also executed Len's best friend for decent!
When Leonard Baker was liberated he weighted less than 6 stone, and was physically very weak. His time as a POW left him with deep psychological scars. In his later years, Len developed pain in his left foot, it became so bad he wasn't able to walk. He attended hospital and had his foot x-rayed, they found a lump in his foot,and decided to attempt to remove it. What they found was a stone buried deep under the sole of his foot. A stone that Len was convinced he got during being matched from France to Poland, where his feet got so sore he couldn't even feel them!
Len never really spoke of his experience during the war until very late in his life, But during the 80s and 90s he regularly went to Dunkirk for the annual memorial and reunion. One year he completely took his family by surprise by speaking fluent German, something he had never done before and something we never know he was able to do! He learnt by listening to his German captors.
|
Leslie Baker . British Army Royal Army Medical Corps from Salford, Manchester My Grandad Leslie Baker died when I was 7. I belive he saw action with the LRDG and with General Teto in Yugoslavia. Any information would be very greatful.
|
WO. Leslie James Gregory "Bo" Baker . Royal Navy HMS Woolwich
|
Cpl. Lionel E.W.D. Baker . British Army 5th Btn. Royal Hampshire Regiment Lionel Baker was my grandfather, all I know is he ended up as a POW in about 1943.
I'm still investigating as there is an old family tale about him escaping!!
|
Lance Corporal Peter Baker . Army Lincolnshire Regiment (d.5th October 1944) During the second World War the Allied and German soldiers, who were killed in Goirle, Noord Brabant, the Netherlands and in the neighbourhood, were buried at the Roman Catholic cemetery from the parish St. Jan in Goirle.
After the war the remains of the German soldiers were reburied in Ysselsteijn (near Venray) and most of the allied soldiers were reburied in Bergen op Zoom (War Cemetery and Canadian War Cemetery) and in Leopoldsburg (Belgium, War Cemetery).
At this moment there are 27 Allied graves in Goirle. Every year we commemorate the victims of World War II, both soldiers and civilians. We know their names, but who were the persons behind the names? What were their lives before they died? Where did they come from? How did they die? Under what circumstances?
It is my intention to give the victims a face, to write and keep the story behind the gravestones because we always will remember the soldier who died for our liberty. We can forget names, but not faces. I will try to write down all their stories for the next generation so they will know who was commemorated.
Maybe someone can help me in this matter. Send me a letter or an e-mail with additional information, a photograph or a copy of any personal document, which I can use for The Memory Book or a website.
Lance Corporal Peter Baker, Lincolnshire Regiment died the 5th October 1944, age 19.
Thank you in advance for your help
|
Capt. Peter Arthur David Baker MC.. British Army Royal Artillery
|
W/O R. C.W. Baker . 97 Squadron
|
SSGT. Raymond O Baker . United States Army 30th Infantry Division from Erwin, North Carolina Raymond Baker was a POW in Europe, held in Stalag IIIc.
|
|
 Top Right crop.jpg)
