The Ient Family: Family History

Journey to the Far East

Wilfred Batty POW – by his son, Adrian Batty

Records show Wilf left for the far east on 9 December 1941, after embarking on the troop carrier HMT Z16, which was formerly the Union Castle Liner ‘Warwick Castle', on 8 December 1941. He was informed he was going to North Africa to invade Tunisia. However, a significant action occurred which had an impact on what was to follow for Wilf, when the Japanese carried out a surprise attack on Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941. In a letter to Doris after being released, Wilf refers to the ‘ill-fated' Friday morning 5 December 1941 at 6 o’clock, when he said cheerio! HMT Z16 left Gourock, Scotland for Malta but the Japanese threat to the Dutch East Indies meant it was diverted and pilots, planes and aircrew were parted. The convoy was reorganized several times but eventually it arrived at Freetown, Sierra Leone, and anchored for 4 days before leaving on Christmas day for Cape Town, South Africa, arriving 5 January 1942, where the men were allowed shore leave. HMT Z16 set sail for the Indian Ocean on 9 January 1942, where one half of the convoy left for Singapore. 

Wilf arrived Tanjung Priok, Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Java on 3 February 1942 and disembarked 4 February, to find Japanese attacks were expected at any time. The Squadron was split up at Batavia, the majority departing for Palembang, Sumatra, 8 February, arriving Oosthaven, Sumatra, by small boat and train and onto Palembang, 9 February, and an airfield known as P1 to find no aircraft or pilots. All RAF personnel were requested to hand over their weapons to the Dutch army, apparently to replace the ones they had lost escaping from Singapore. Wilf said on 13 February 1942 he reported to Wing Commander McCarthy (a doctor) with a painful ear when they looked up to see Japanese parachutes descending. They decided to escape to Palembang as the airfield was under attack. They procured a lorry, Bren gun, rifle and bayonet and went into the jungle with the intention of going into the mountains, but decided not to risk it as the forest around the airfields had swamps, snakes, leaches, etc., and they had no medical supplies.

At this time, Singapore was under attack by the Japanese between 8 - 15 February 1942, with Singapore surrendering on 15 February, releasing more Japanese troops for the attack on Java. The battle for Palembang lasted 2 days and all the Allied troops in Sumatra and Java had surrendered within 2 weeks. The Dutch capitulated to the Japanese with all Allied troops on 8 March 1942.

In a letter written 27 October 1945, on his return home on the Dominion Monarch, Wilf informed Doris that on his return to Java from Palembang he had written her a letter ‘pouring out his heart’. Two days later he was pouring gallons of fuel over thousands of letters and putting a match to it!

Wilf's officers met with the Japanese under a flag of truce and, with the Japanese promising to allow prisoners to study and work in the fields, they surrendered. (Compare this with the execution of POWs in Singapore.) Wilf was taken prisoner 20 March 1942, and it appears the POWs wandered around for a couple of days until they were imprisoned in Boei Glodok, Batavia, 23 March. Wilf’s war was to take a very different direction!

---