No.5833097, Private, Stephen Henry RADFORD
Aged 27
Stephen Henry RADFORD was born in St Ives on 1st July 1917 (St.Ives Q3-1917 3B:359), son of Richard Chapman and Minnie F RADFORD (née ALDRIDGE ). His mother was at Boyton Hall Cottages, Haverhill on his prisoner of war records Stephen’s father Richard, born in 1881 in St Ives, was a grocer, who brought his family to 13 Queen Street, Haverhill in the 1920s. Sadly, Richard was to die in 1928 at the age of 47. The family continued to live at 13 Queen Street for at least six years before Minnie moved to Boyton Hall Cottages. Like so many boys of his age, Stephen was a member of the 1st Haverhill Scout Troop. On leaving school, he found employment as an assistant manager in the Textile Department at Chauntry Mills. In the 1939 register, at Boyton Hall Cottages, Haverhill were his widowed mother Minnie [19-11-1886], his brother Eric R. [23-11-1918] a hotel chef and his sister Olive M. [21-10-1921] warehouse girl in wholesale clothing. There are two closed records. |
Stephen enlisted at the start of the war, joining the 2nd Battalion Cambridgeshire Regiment. Following the Fall of Singapore in February 1942 he found himself a
prisoner of war of the Imperial Japanese Army. Back home his mother waited anxiously for news of her son and seventeen months later, on 1st July 1943, The Echo
reported that she had received a postcard stating that he was a prisoner of war. She had previously had no news other than official intimation that he was missing
following the Battle for Singapore. It was apparently obvious from the card, although no address was given, that Pte Radford was in Japanese hands. A year later, on 15 July 1944, the Echo reported that Stephen's mother, who had moved to 106 Withersfield Road, had received two undated postcards from him. As these postcards arrived together at her new address it was presumed that at least some mail from home was getting through to the POWs.
Stephen Radford was a victim of the "Hell Ships". These were used to transport prisoners of war across the pacific , mainly for slave labour
in mainland Japan. Unfortunately they were never marked as carrying our men and since the Allies were aware of the whereabouts of these
convoys, many were sunk en route. Conditions on these ships were such that a strong stomach is required to read the various books about them. |
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