December 1941, South Siam (Thailand)

On the morning of 9th December 1941, at Ronpibon, South Siam (now Thailand), a group of courageous, mainly British volunteers and Special Operation Executives, took part in an operation to sabotage Tin Mines and Railroads as the onslaught of the Japanese was imminent. This was just two days after their attack on Pearl Harbour. The exact details of their plan, codenamed "Operation Dickens", are still vague, but it resulted in the death of at least six men and others interned as Prisoners of War until their release in 1945.

One report was given in September 1945 by SOE agent Robert Leslie Orton who was interned in Bangkok. He wrote that the situation at Ronpibon, South Siam, at 4 a.m. 9th Dec. 1941: All personnel engaged in above operation had been under guard by Siamese Police and home guard at Orton's bungalow, at Ronpibon. Six members of the party are now missing: Gordon, Regan, Wright, Bird, Billinghurst and Powell. Powell is said to have broke out to the north west through jungle. Rod Gordon reported executed by Japs at Yala. Several others thought to be killed in running fight at Tungsong, but no definite information from any source.

This website is dedicated to these brave men and I hope to unravel as much as possible about this incident.

It is a "work in progress", best viewed in Chrome or Edge. It may not display correctly in other browsers.

Killed  Captured  Other Casualties  Links  Books  Maps  Acknowledgements 

Killed

Surname First Names Details
Billinghurst Charles William
Born:  About April 1913, Grangetown, Cardiff, Wales.
Parents:  Ernest Walter and Eva BILLINGHURST, of Ely, Cardiff.
Killed:  Between 10 Dec 1941 to 15 Feb 1942, Thailand. Aged 28.
Memorial:  Kranji War Memorial, Singapore.
CWGC:  Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Military:  Federated Malay States Volunteer Force, 1st Perak battalion.
Number - Rank:  Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2614 - "Quilp".
Occupation at death:  Miner at Tronoh Tin Mines, Malaya
Bird William "Billo" Edward John
Born:  19 Feb 1911, Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales.
Parents:  John and Elizabeth Sophia BIRD.
Killed:  Between 10 Dec 1941 to 15 Feb 1942, Thailand. Aged 30.
Memorial:  Kranji War Memorial, Singapore.
CWGC:  Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Military:  Royal Navy - Enlisted at Devonport, 19 Feb 1929 for 12 years.
Due for Discharge:  18 Feb 1941.
Number - Rank:  JX 129684 - Special Operations Executive
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2615 - "Grimwig".
Occupation at death:  Miner at Tronoh Tin Mines, Malaya
Butler-Jones Frank
Born:  1 Dec 1891, Handsworth, Birmingham, West Midlands.
Parents:  George Butler and Mary JONES.
Wife (separated):  Mabel Jessie MOSES.
Killed:  13 Dec 1941, Kampong Toh, Yala, Thailand.
Obituary:  Northern Mine Research Society.
Occupation:  Minerals and Chemical Specialist.
Military:  Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2700 - "Walter".
Notes:  
Donnelly Thomas James Bernard
Born:  About 1908, New South Wales, Australia.
Parents:  Thomas Bernard and Ellen "Nellie" Florence DONNELLY.
Killed:  13 Dec 1941, Kampong Toh, Yala, Thailand. (See Notes)
CWGC:  Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Obituary:  Northern Mine Research Society.
Occupation:  Mining Engineer / Superintendant (Pinyok).
Military:  Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2701 - "Rob".
Notes:  Donnelly was recorded as killed at Kampong Toh, but it is also claimed that he survived in the jungle for two years before dying from disease.
Gordon Roderick
Born:  16 Oct 1905, Otago, New Zealand.
Parents:  John and Ruth GORDON of Manuherikia, Otago, New Zealand.
Executed:  16 December 1941, Songkhla beach, Thailand. Aged 36.
Memorial:  Kanchanaburi, Thailand.
CWGC:  Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Military:  British Special Forces.
Number - Rank:  Captain
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2602 - "Dombey".
Occupation at death:  Miner at Anglo Oriental Tin Ltd., Ronpibon, Thailand.
Jeavons Mrs. Elizabeth "Elsa" Fanny
(nee PATTERSON)
Born:  Abt. December 1889, Birmingham, Warwickshire.
Parents:  Alfred Woollard PATTERSON and Gertrude Evans TURNER.
Husband:  Leslie Ballard Jeavons.
Killed:  13 December 1941, Kampong Toh, Yala, Thailand.
Occupation:  Shorthand typist.
Notes:  Said to be in a relationship with Frank Butler-Jones. Her estate was left to Frank's brother, George Arthur Jones.
Kitts Charles Gerald
Born:  22 May 1913, Richmond, Surrey.
Parents:  Charles Seconde KITTS and Rhoda Margaret WINDRUM.
Killed:  13 December 1941, Kampong Toh, Yala, Thailand.
CWGC:  Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Occupation:  Mechanic, Shift Engineer at Kampong Toh, Yala, Thailand.
Notes:  Charles was born into a family of noted actors. His father died 1928 in Singapore. His mother died 1952 at Bournemouth, Dorset.
Laub George Christians Haae
Born:  14 Sep 1886, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Parents:  Soren Johan Hase and Angeliea Emilie LAUB.
Killed:  13 Dec 1941, Kampong Toh, Yala, Thailand.
Memorial:  Kranji War Memorial, Singapore, Column 399.
CWGC:  Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Occupation:  Chemist, Owner of Rubber Factory
Military:  Captain in Johore Volunteer Engineers.
Military:  Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2704 - "Scott".
Notes:  Missing in Siam (Thailand).
Magness Kenneth Bernard
Born:  Abt. 1894, Penang, Malaya.
Parents:  James Richardson MAGNESS and Jane Josephine Lydia STEWART.
Killed:  13 Dec 1941, Kampong Toh, Yala, Thailand.
Occupation:  Assayer at Pinyok Mine, Yala, Thailand
Notes:  
Magness Mrs Ivy Geralda
formerly LESSLAR, nee PESTANA.
Born:  17 Jan 1899, Malaya.
Parents:  Francis Anthony PESTANA and Adeline Blanche WOODFORD.
Killed:  13 Dec 1941, Kampong Toh, Yala, Thailand.
Occupation:  
Notes:  
Powell George
Born:  12 Jul 1911, Battersea, London.
Parents:  Lnc.Cpl. Charles Bellenden and Henrietta Olive POWELL. (both deceased).
Wife:  Margaret Mary Ann nee NOLAN(divorce in process).
Intended Wife:  Lavinia Florence Coates.
Killed:  Between 10 Dec 1941 to 15 Feb 1942, Thailand. Aged 30.
Memorial:  Kranji War Memorial, Singapore.
CWGC:  Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Military:  Royal Navy - Enlisted at Chatham, 12 Jul 1929 for 12 years.
Due for Discharge:  11 Jul 1941.
Number - Rank:  JX 128980 - Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2650 - "Conrad".
Occupation at death:  Miner at Taiping Tin Mines, Malaya.
Regan Daniel

Note: There is much confusion as it appears that two men named Regan were killed in Thailand in December 1941; Thomas and Daniel Regan. It also appears that Thomas and Daniel are the same person. I have listed them as two individuals until proven otherwise. Private Daniel Regan is named on the same panel as C.W. Billinghurst, at Singapore, but the memorials of Gordon, Regan and Wright are side by side, in Thailand.

To add to the confusion, some of the letters from the Colonial Office to Thomas' mother refer to her son as Mr. D. Regan of Petaling Tin Ltd, Selangor. The letters appear to prove that he was from Sevenoaks, son of Thomas and Ethel, but the CWGC entry shows his mother as Mrs K. Regan, appearing to show his parents were Cornelius and Kate.

Born:  16 Jul 1911, Schull, County Cork, Ireland.
Parents:  Cornelius and Kate REGAN.
Killed:  Between 10 Dec 1941 to 15 Feb 1942, Thailand. Aged 30.
Memorial (Capt. E.):  Kanchanaburi, Thailand.
Memorial (Prvt Daniel.):  Kranji War Memorial, Singapore.
CWGC:  Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Military:  British Special Forces.
Number - Rank:  Private or Captain - Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2609 - "Chuckster".
Occupation at death:  Miner at Petaling Tin Ltd., Selangor, Malaya.
Regan Thomas
a.k.a. Daniel
Born:  12 Aug 1910, Crockham Hill, Sevenoaks, Kent.
Parents:  Thomas and Edith "Ethel" REGAN.
Killed:  Between 10 Dec 1941 to 15 Feb 1942, Thailand. Aged 31.
Memorial:  No records for Thomas Regan
CWGC:  No records for Thomas Regan
Military:  Royal Navy - Enlisted at Chatham, 12 Aug 1928 for 12 years.
Due for Discharge:  11 Aug 1940.
Number - Rank:  JX 125379 - Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2609 - "Chuckster".
Occupation at death:  Miner at Petaling Tin Ltd., Selangor, Malaya.
Thomas Harding John
Born:  1902, Llandeilofawr, Carmarthenshire, Wales.
Parents:  Thomas and Alice THOMAS.
Wife:  Iris Marie nee MONTGOMERY.
Killed:  13 Dec 1941, Kampong Toh, Thailand.
Occupation:  Drapery Salesman, Miner.
Military:  Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2705 - "Durward".
Notes:  Married in Kuala Lumpur.
Van der Straaten Mrs. Doris
(nee Dulcima Louise Grace BUDD)
Born:  31 May 1904, Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Parents:  Ralph Simon BUDD and Pauline Alexandrovna JORDAN.
Husband (div.):  Frederick Richard WALL, m. Sep 1925, Adelaide, South Australia.
Husband:  Philip George VAN DER STRAATEN, m. abt 1939, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.
Killed:  About 31 August 1943, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.
Occupation:  Hairdresser / Housewife.
Captured:  Doris and Peters gave themselves up after 5 1/2 months on the run.
Notes:  Doris miraculously escaped the massacre at Kampong Toh, along with E.V. Peters. They were both on the run for several months before handing themselves in, near Taiping. She was then placed in a hospital but taken by a Japanese officer as his "comfort wife". The two were later accused of spying. During her interrogation, she is said to have shouted at the "gestapo" torturer and slapped him in the face. In a rage, he then threw her out of the window, head first, to her death. At a later trial, he was found Not Guilty, claiming she committed suicide.
(see book Here)
Wright Herbert Charles
Born:  10 Jan 1915, Edmonton, London.
Parents:  Richard Thomas Herbert and Florence Louisa WRIGHT, of Portchester, Hampshire.
Executed:  16 December 1941, Songkhla beach, Thailand. Aged 26.
Memorial:  Kanchanaburi, Thailand.
CWGC:  Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Military:  British Special Forces
Number - Rank:  Captain
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2620 - "Brownlow".
Occupation at death:  Miner at Malayan Tin Dredging Ltd.

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Captured

Surname First Names Details
Belcher Horace Reginald
Born:  About December 1909, Blaenavon, Monmouthshire, Wales.
Mother:  Lily BELCHER.
Wife:  Margaret Ellen nee Walpole
Died:  About September 1964, Eton, Buckinghamshire.
Occupation:  Tin Miner
Military:  
Number - Rank:  
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2630 - "Scrooge".
Captured:  December 1941, Thailand.
P.o.W. Camps:  Bangkok, Thailand.
Repatriated:  October 1945 Rangoon to Liverpool.
Notes:  
Collins Terence
a.k.a. Terence Coyne
Born:  
Died:  
Occupation:  
Military:  
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2612 - "Doyle".
Captured:  
P.o.W. Camps:  
Notes:  No info but included with the photos of Belcher, Bird, Powell, Regan, ES Wright and HC Wright. The dead have R.I.P. on reverse so it is assumed he survived.
Cummins Horace Travers
Born:  8 Feb 1911, Auckland, New Zealand.
Parents:  Horace Cecil CUMMINS and Annie HOLLINGWORTH.
1st wife:  m.1933 Beryl Petrie CUMMING 1907-1990.
2nd wife:  m.1948 Diana Elizabeth Gossett MAYALL 1913-.
Died:  1995, Australia?
Occupation:  Rubber planter, Yala, Thailand
Military:  Special Operations Executive.
Captured:  Aloh Star, Malaya.
P.o.W. Camps:  Aloh Star and Changi, Singapore.
Notes:  Horace escaped from the massacre at Kampong Toh, with a bayonet wound in his foot, but gave himself up on arrival at Aloh Star. His grandfather, Maj.-Gen. James Turner Travers Cummins, CB, DSO, was Aide-de-Camp to the first governor of Malaya.
Gentry A.A.
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive (Bangkok).
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2000.
Captured:  Dec 1941 - Feb 1942, Thailand.
P.o.W. Camps:  Bangkok, Thailand.
Notes:  .
Hempson R.D.
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive (Bangkok).
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2006.
Captured:  Dec 1941 - Feb 1942, Thailand.
P.o.W. Camps:  Bangkok, Thailand.
Notes:  .
Jones Lloyd Samuel
Born:  6 Feb 1917, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
Parents:  Frank Henry and Robina JONES.
Wife:  Marjorie Violet nee STEPHEN.
Died:  26 Aug 2005, Wellington, New Zealand
Occupation:  Mine Inspector
Captured:  27 Dec 1941, Thailand.
P.o.W. Camps:  Changi, Singapore.
Notes:  Lloyd spent most of his captivity at Changi, Singapore. In 1999, he donated some of his prison artefacts to the National Army Museum at Waiouru, New Zealand here. He also wrote a detailed account of the massacre at Kampong Toh, probably related to him by his fellow inmate, Reginald Arthur Stratford, who survived the ordeal.
Macfarlane Malcolm Harold
Born:  20 Feb 1902, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Parents:  George Thomas MACFARLANE and Edith Jessie KING.
Wife:  Marian Greta CLARKE.
Died:  23 Nov 1980, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Occupation:  Accountant.
Captured:  December 1941, Thailand.
P.o.W. Camps:  Bangkok, Thailand.
Notes:  Malcolm was one of the few survivors who miraculously escaped from the massacre at Kampong Toh, Yala, Thailand.
Magness Maureen Joy Margaret
Born:  Abt. 1923,Penang or Butterworth, Malaya.
Parents:  Kenneth Bernard and Ivy Geralda MAGNESS.
Captured:  13 Dec 1941, Kampong Toh, Yala, Thailand.
P.o.W. Camps:  Bangkok, Thailand.
Occupation:  Typist & Stenographer.
Notes:  One of the few survivors of the massacre at Kampong Toh. She gave evidence in 1946 and named the Siamese Police officer who murdered her parents.
Magness Ulric
Born:  1920-1940,Penang or Butterworth, Malaya.
Parents:  Kenneth Bernard and Ivy Geralda MAGNESS.
Captured:  Malaya.
P.o.W. Camps:  Malaya.
Occupation:  Thought to have become a monk, after the war.
Notes:  Named as one of several supporters of Britain at the trial of Carline Da Silva of Penang. She was tried in 1946 as an informant for the Japanese secret police, between 1943-44.
Moore Harry
Born:  Scotland.
Parents:  
Captured:  April 1942, Taiping, Malaya.
P.o.W. Camps:  Changi, Singapore.
Occupation:  Shift engineer at Kumang mine, Yala, Thailand.
Notes:  Moore survived the massacre at Kampong Toh and was on the run with Reg Stratford. They finally became too weak and gave themselves up at Taiping. He was living at Mosman, Australia, in 1946, where he made a claim against the Thai government.
Omay James Watson
Born:  15 Sep 1907, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia?
Parents:  Ernest Watson and Irene Mary O'MAY.
Wife:  Nizza Laura SARRELL OBE.
Died:  30 Jan 1966, Karrakatta, Nedlands City, Western Australia.
Occupation:  Manager of Huey Moot Tin Mine, Thailand
Military:  
Number - Rank:  Special Operations Executive
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2610 - "Watson".
Captured:  Between 13 Jan and 2nd Feb 1942 at Phuket Island, Thailand.
P.o.W. Camps:  Tha Prikand, Bangkok, Thailand.
Notes:  James returned to Australia and married Nizza in 1948. She was a sister of Richard Guy Sarrell, who was interned at Bangkok with James. Nizza was awarded an OBE in 1972 for services to the community. She was previously married to Wilfred E. Campion, son of Sir William R. Campion, Governor of Western Australia.
Orton Robert Leslie
Born:  17 Dec 1891, California Gully, Victoria, Australia.
Parents:  James and May Fulton ORTON.
Died:  21 Jun 1961, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia.
Occupation 1916:  Pottery worker
Occupation 1941:  Tin Miner/Winchman, Nawng Pet Tin Ltd, Ronpibon, Thailand
Military:  2nd Cyclist Corp., 8th Div. Enlisted 29 Nov 1916 at Bendigo.
Number - Rank:  58426.
Military:  7th battalion
Number - Rank:  7986? - Private. Special Operations Executive Officer in Charge of "Operation Dickens"
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2601 - "Rudge".
Captured:  Between 13 Jan and 2nd Feb 1942 at Phuket Island, Thailand.
P.o.W. Camps:  Tha Prikand, Bangkok, Thailand.
Repatriated:  6 Oct 1945. Singapore to Sydney, Australia.
Pattullo A.C.
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  Tin Miner - Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2606 - "Weller".
Captured:  Between December 1941 and February 1942.
P.o.W. Camps:  Tha Prikand, Bangkok, Thailand.
Notes:  .
Peters Edward Valentine
Born:  15 Nov 1890, Jubbulpore, India.
Parents:  Col. Edward Nicholls and Elizabeth Ellen PETERS.
Died:  3 Jul 1944, P.o.W. camp, Malaya.
Cause of death:  Preliminary vaccination for sheep-pox (fever).
Occupation:  1925 - Manager of Bundi Mines and Freda Tin Mines, Trengganu, Kedah, Siam
Occupation:  1941 - Manager of Thailand Tin Mines, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya
Military:  Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2703 - "Quentin".
Captured:  Probably December 1941.
Notes:  Edward was first reported to have been killed by the Japanese in December 1941, but a later report by the Colonial Office, dated 27 Apr 1945, states that he died in a civilian internment camp in Malaya.
Pfordten P.B.
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive (Bangkok).
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2005.
Captured:  Dec 1941 - Feb 1942, Thailand.
P.o.W. Camps:  Bangkok, Thailand.
Notes:  .
Redford A.R.
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  Tin Miner - Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2603 - "Peggotty".
Captured:  Between December 1941 and February 1942.
P.o.W. Camps:  Tha Prikand, Bangkok, Thailand.
Notes:  .
Sarrell Richard Guy
Born:  24 Apr 1912, Perth, Western Australia?
Parents:  William Francis and Grace Ermengarde SARRELL.
Wife:  Enid Grindrod nee HUNTER.
Died:  15 May 1951, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
Occupation:  Mining engineer.
Military:  
Number - Rank:  Special Operations Executive
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2611 - "Sherlock".
Captured:  Between 13 Jan and 2nd Feb 1942 at Phuket Island, Thailand.
P.o.W. Camps:  Tha Prikand, Bangkok, Thailand.
Notes:  Richard married Enid in 1939 on the island of Penang, Malaya, where he was probably recruited and trained as an SOE agent. He was captured and interned with James Omay, who later married Richard's sister. In 1951, aged 39, Richard was killed in a mining accident, when a 10lb boulder fell into a mine shaft as he was ascending. It hit the roof of his lift, knocking it onto his helmet.
Stratford Reginald Arthur
Born:  About 1907, Australia?
Parents:  .
Wife:  Maree Patience nee BISHOP, formerly Stockton.
Died:  19 Feb 1972, Nambour, Queensland, Australia.
Occupation:  Mining engineer.
Captured:  25 Mar 1942 Malaya.
P.o.W. Camps:  Changi, Singapore.
Notes:  Reginald is one of only a few people who survived the massacre at Kampong Toh, 13 Dec 1940. In 1946, he revealed the horrors of that night to several Australian newspapers.
Turner R. Keith
Born:  
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  Mining engineer.
Military:  
Number - Rank:  Special Operations Executive
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2604 - "Dorritt".
Captured:  Between December 1941 and February 1942.
P.o.W. Camps:  Tha Prikand, Bangkok, Thailand.
Notes:  .
Van der Straaten Philip George
Born:  5 Sep 1901 (probably Colombo, Ceylon)
Parents:  Philip Everard VAN DER STRAATEN and Meta Maria NEWMAN.
Wife:  Dulcima "Doris" Louise Grace nee BUDD (formerly WALL, JACOB & HEATH).
Died:  24 Sep 1966, Southampton, Hampshire UK.
Occupation:  Mining engineer / electrical.
Captured:  Between December 1941 and February 1942.
P.o.W. Camps:  Bangkok, Thailand.
Notes:  Philip was a member of the High Society Van der Straaten family of Dutch ancestry. He and his wife separately escaped from the massacre at Kampong Toh, 13 Dec 1941, each believing the other had been killed. He gave himself up and was interned at Bangkok.
In Feb 1942, his sister, Wilhelmina, her two year old daughter and other family members escaped from the sinking HMS Kuala, but were then interned for the remainder of the war. In 1989, Wilhelmina's daughter gave a 75 minute interview to the Imperial War Museum giving a chilling account of their escape, interment and family history. An audio recording can be found here.
Windred George Loftus
Born:  21 Apr 1906, Balmain, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia
Parents:  Augustus Loftus and Nellie Gertrude WINDRED.
Wife:  Gwendoline Maude Graham.
Died:  2 Apr 1964, Liphook, Hampshire, UK.
Occupation:  Biologist, Scientist, Actor?
Military Rank - Number:  Captain Inteligence Corps - 183201.
Military:  Special Operations Executive
SOE Number - Codename:  0.211
Captured:  12 Dec 1941, Bangkok.
P.o.W. Camps:  Tha Prikand, Bangkok, Thailand.
Notes:  .
Wright Ezra "Jock" Stevenson
Born:  13 Sep 1913, Cardenden, Fife, Scotland
Parents:  Andrew and Esther WRIGHT
Died:  Abt. Oct 1985, Llanelli, Dyfed, Wales
Wife:  Tessybell nee Harwood.
Occupation 1941:  "Tin Miner"
Military:  Royal Corp Signals
Number - Rank:  Sergeant - Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2605 - "Heep".
Captured:  Between 13 Jan and 2nd Feb 1942 at Phuket Island, Thailand.
P.o.W. Camps:  Tha Prikand, Bangkok, Thailand.
Repatriated:  1946
Notes:  Ezra's wife was told that he was killed in December 1941. She only discoverd the truth when he arrived home in 1946. He was awardwd the Burma Star in 1983.

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Other S.O.E. Casualty Miners

Surname First Names Details
Brauchman Emil Franz
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2608 - "Twist".
Notes:  Missing in Siam (Thailand).
Bryce-Smith R.B.
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive (Bangkok).SCS India
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2009.
Notes:  Escaped. Missing in Siam (Thailand).
Byles D.V.
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive (Bangkok).
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2010.
Notes:  Escaped. Missing in Siam (Thailand).
Cumyn A.L.
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive (Bangkok).
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2001.
Notes:  Missing in Siam (Thailand).
Davy E. Raymond
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive (Bangkok).
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2004.
Notes:  Missing in Siam (Thailand).
Matthews J.V.
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive (Bangkok).
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2011.
Notes:  Missing in Siam (Thailand).
Parsons Warren Jonathan
Born:  15 Sep 1905, Balwyn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Parents:  Dr. Warren and Ada Rubina PARSONS.
Died:  1 Dec 1991, Frankston, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive (Bangkok).
SOE Number - Codename:  
Notes:  .
Ravenwood George Albert
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive.
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2702 - "Roy".
Notes:  Missing in Siam (Thailand).
Richardson W.A.
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive (Bangkok).
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2005.
Notes:  Missing in Siam (Thailand).
Small H.
Born:  .
Parents:  .
Died:  .
Occupation:  
Military:  Special Operations Executive (Bangkok).
SOE Number - Codename:  0.2008.
Notes:  Escaped (Lost sight of).

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  Other Websites

Apakhabar edition 34   Newsletter from MVG (below). This edition has news of Operation Dickens. Scroll to page 9.
Malayan Volunteers Group   Dedicated to keeping alive the memories and history of British veterans and families from Malaya.
Facebook - Malayan Volunteers Group   Facebook version of above.
WW2 Talk - Forum   Details of the deaths of Gordon, Regan & Wright.
WW2 Talk - Forum   Details of the names of Powell and Bird added to Kranje memorial, Singapore.
Asia War Graves   Includes clear photos of memorials for George Powell and William Bird, plus Gordon, Regan, Wright and others.
P.o.W. Camps   Details of the Prisoner of War Camps along the Death Railway. From the FEPOW Website
The Diggings   Website and Interactive Map showing Tin Mines in Malaya and Thailand
Doris Van Der Straaten   Details of Doris Van Der Straaten, who escaped the Kampong Toh massacre with Edward V. Peters, but whose freedom was far from secure.
National Archives   Details of S.O.E. records at the National Archives (UK).
National Archives of Australia   Search for records held at the National Archives of Australia.
Trove   Search for records, maps, books, newspapers, photos etc. held at the National Library of Australia and partners.
National Archives of Singapore   Search for records held at the National Archives of Singapore.
Singapore Newspapers   Search newspaper archives at the National Library Board, Singapore.

  Related Books
Lavinia's War  -  Claire Gartrell   Follows the career of Lavinia Florence Coates as a nurse in Malaya 1941 and her romance with George Powell, before he was killed in the operation above.
Operation Cleeves  -  Kathleen Reid-Smith.   SOE's Forgotten Wartime Tragedy in Thailand 1941. The story of how a handful of European Tin Miners fought against the onslaught of the the Japanese invasion, using declassified documents and previously undiscovered documents.
Moon over Malaya  -  Jonathan Moffatt and Audrey Holmes McCormick   The 2nd Argylls and Plymouth Argyll Royal Marines in Malaya and Singapore.
Doris Van Der Straaten  -  Andrew Barber   Story of Doris Van Der Straaten, who escaped the Kampong Toh massacre with Edward V. Peters, but whose freedom was far from over.

  Acknowledgements
Claire Gartrell   For providing the inspiration that led to this website, through her book "Lavinia's War".
Jonathan Moffatt   For his invaluable assistance and research.
Peter and Helen Williams   Photos and information re William Edward John Bird.
Steve Wright   Photos and information re Harding John Thomas.

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