William Woodcock
He was a press operator in 1939.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
He was the son of William Henry and Edith Woodcock and the brother of Betty Woodcock. In 1921, they lived at 10, Edinburgh Street and in 1939 at 4, Boden Street, (both Radford, Nottingham).
The original 1/5th Battalion had been entirely captured by Japanese forces at the fall of Singapore in February 1942. Consequently, by January 1944, its personnel were Far East Prisoners of War (FEPOWs), while their sister unit back in Europe had been officially renumbered to carry on the 5th Battalion name.
For the men who sailed with the original 1/5th Battalion to the Far East, January 1944 was a period of brutal captivity.
• The Thai-Burma Death Railway: Throughout 1942 and 1943, the majority of the captured 1/5th Foresters had been forced into slave labour constructing the notorious Thai-Burma Railway.
• The Situation in January 1944: By the end of 1943, the railway construction was technically completed. In January 1944, surviving members of the 1/5th Battalion were being consolidated into massive base camps in Thailand (such as Kanchanaburi and Chungkai) or were being selected for transit to labour camps in Japan, Formosa (Taiwan), or Singapore. They were suffering heavily from malnutrition, tropical diseases (malaria, cholera, beriberi), and harsh treatment.
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