Peter Batten writes......
I have been doing some Family tree research and eventually got a round to trying to document my Fathers Career.
ERIC JOHN BATTEN 1907-1982
He worked for the Admiralty in the Naval Base at Singapore and had 3 tours of duty in there:-
1937-1942
1946-1950
1956-1959
So he was there and got out from Singapore when the invasion and fall occurred.
I don't have much information , like many he was rather reticent about talking through events . though he did say he escaped through the jungle and managed to get a ship, which I think was a Destroyer, he used to play the piano and I believe he did some entertaining to keep spirits up on the journey out. Though where that was to I dont know. He also remembered the huge cranes being toppled into the docks to deny them to the Japs
His retirement record shows detached duty in Hong Kong, Bombay, Java, Columbo and Sarawak though again don`t know what this involved.
He was an Engineering Design Draughtsman and went on to be involved in Torpedo Tube design for the rest of the war then to Hamburg and Kiel German Naval Dockyards after VE day to research what ever could be found!.
Thats just a bit of background , having seen your site after a few idle searches I thought I would ask if you might have any suggestions or indeed knowledge of where and what I should be looking for to give me some more insight into those chaotic last days.
I have been doing some Family tree research and eventually got a round to trying to document my Fathers Career.
ERIC JOHN BATTEN 1907-1982
He worked for the Admiralty in the Naval Base at Singapore and had 3 tours of duty in there:-
1937-1942
1946-1950
1956-1959
So he was there and got out from Singapore when the invasion and fall occurred.
I don't have much information , like many he was rather reticent about talking through events . though he did say he escaped through the jungle and managed to get a ship, which I think was a Destroyer, he used to play the piano and I believe he did some entertaining to keep spirits up on the journey out. Though where that was to I dont know. He also remembered the huge cranes being toppled into the docks to deny them to the Japs
His retirement record shows detached duty in Hong Kong, Bombay, Java, Columbo and Sarawak though again don`t know what this involved.
He was an Engineering Design Draughtsman and went on to be involved in Torpedo Tube design for the rest of the war then to Hamburg and Kiel German Naval Dockyards after VE day to research what ever could be found!.
Thats just a bit of background , having seen your site after a few idle searches I thought I would ask if you might have any suggestions or indeed knowledge of where and what I should be looking for to give me some more insight into those chaotic last days.
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