SOME PRISONERS OF WAR & OTHERS

HENRY SCOTTER BORN 1910 Private HENRY SCOTTER was born in Norwich. Norfolk. England, in 1910 the son of EMILY SCOTTER he was at this time a coach trimmer by trade. He enlisted in the 6th Bat. Royal Norfolk Regiment sometime in 1940/41. After initial training for desert warfare they set off as far as they knew for North Africa. Sometime in late December 1941 or early January 1942 the ship which they were on The Mount Vernon was diverted to Singapore. They landed on the 13th January 1942 in a tropical rain storm. They had hoped to be given a week to acclimatise but this was not to be they had to move out the next day. It was all action. At a place called Sanggarang on 25th Jan. the fighting was ferocious the sniper fire and bombing was constant as they strove to hold the place with its bridge over the river. But to no avail the company had to withdraw through Mangrove swamps. They were up to their waists in mud and I was told that you just could not imagine what it was like, the guns were filled up with mud and would not even have fired if they had been needed. It was at this time that HENRY witnessed the killing of his own cousin ROBERT BRAYBROOK this was a thing which was to play on his mind for the rest of his life. By the 17th February HENRY was a prisioner of war and the troops were ordered to march to Changi Jail. A list of men of the 6th Bat. Royal Norfolks was kept by a Major Ling on examination of this list there was a DENNIS SCOTTER also in the camp he was a close relation of HENRY he had at one time lived in Norwich but had moved to Cumbria. Also in the camp was LEONARD SCOTTOW he to came from Norwich but if they ever new of each other will never be known. HENRY spent all his time slaving on Changi Airfield. After 3 1/2 years in captivity Henry returned home on the 24th October 1945. The experiences he suffered in those years were to haunt him for the rest of his life. Constant flashbacks ,dreams,and bad health were with him till the day he died. HENRY died in June 1980 aged 70yrs. He never forgot his comrades . After the war he became a member of the British Legion and attended meetings of the Far East Prisoner of War Association. HENRY NEVER FORGOT AND CERTAINLY NEVER FORGAVE THOSE THAT TORTURED AND ENSLAVED HIM AND HIS MATES FOR ALL THOSE YEARS. LEONARD SCOTTOW BORN 1919. LEONARD SCOTTOW was born in Norwich Norfolk England in 1919 the son of JOHN & MARY SCOTTOW. By trade an Electrician LEONARD served with the Royal Engineers during the 2nd World War and was taken prisoner at the fall of Singapore in 1942. As far as we know LEONARD was held in the notorious CHANGI JAIL for the duration of the war. During his stay there he suffered from Maleria no less than seven times. Diphtheritic Ulceration was also treated in Roberts Hospital during these years. LEONARD like many others never spoke of his time as a prisoner which was hardly surprising bearing in mind the things which went on there, Beatings, Beheadings, Starvation to name but a few. Despite all this he survived and returned to Norwich where he returned to normal life. LEONARD died in 1972.