Private Papers of W J Leaney

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Description

Object description

Ms diary (111pp) written while he was a prisoner of war on the Burma-Siam railway in the camps at Tonchan ( November 1942 - April 1943), Tonchan `jungle camp' ( April - August 1943), Tarsao (August 1943) and Chungkai (late August 1943) with vivid descriptions of their many privations (especially medical conditions, including the experience of suffering from cholera) and of the spirit of utter despondency resulting from apparently interminable imprisonment; together with original ts copies (9pp) of the orders issued duing the 'Selarang Incident' in Changi camp, Singapore (August - September 1942). Leaney, a pre-war Regular soldier who was serving as a Sergeant with the 7th Coast Regiment RA when he was captured on the fall of Singapore, died when a Japanese prison ship (either the RAKUYO MARU or the KACHIDOKI MARU) was sunk en route to Japan on 12 September 1944; the collection also includes various official documents regarding his military service, POW status and death, telegrams, postcards to his wife written whilst in captivity, and photographs [also 2 medals].

Content description

History note

Cataloguer PHR

History note

Catalogue date 1984-06-15

Object Details

Category

Private papers

Related period

Second World War (content)

Creator

Leaney, William James

Dimensions

File: Weight 0.9 kg

Box: Weight 5.3 kg

Catalogue number

Documents.4030

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

British Army, Royal Artillery, 7th Coast Regiment
Leaney, William James
Associated events

Selarang incident, Changi camp 1942, Singapore Island 1942, Malaya 1941-1942, Second World War
Associated places

Tonchan, Thailand
Tonchan South camp, Thailand
Chungkai POW Camp, Thailand
Chungkai Hospital, Chungkai POW Camp, Chungkai
Associated subjects

Original documents
Photographs
Private Papers
Prisoner of War
FEPOW

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