80 years ago the British stronghold of Singapore surrendered to the Japanese Army. The greatest disaster in British military history, the surrender resulted in 80,000 British and Empire troops falling into the hands of the Japanese, where they went on to endure unimaginable hardship and miss-treatment. Many never returned.
Cambs Instructors Commemorate The Fall of Singapore
Cpt Collinge lays the wreath. Pic: SMI Moody
The prisoners included the men of 1st and 2nd Battalion, Cambridgeshire Regiment. Including those killed in the fighting before the surrender, some 784 Cambs Regiment men did not return, most of them killed through neglect or abuse by their captors. Many died through brutal working conditions building airfields and the notorious Burma Railway.
Capt Collinge pays his respects. Pic: SMI Moody
On 10th March, 1 Coy 2ic, Capt David Collinge and SMI Vince Moody, Professional Support Staff member for 1 Coy, laid a wreath at Peterborough Cenotaph honouring the men of The Cambridgeshire Regt who lost their lives in The Fall of Singapore during Spring 1942 or in subsequent Japanese captivity.
The Cambs ACF wreath. Pic: SMI Moody
Cambs ACF County Public Relations Officer SI Doug Stuart said: ‘Our organisation is committed to Remembrance. Its vitally important that all those who fought for our freedom are honoured, none more so than the many men of the Cambridgeshire Regiment who endured such appalling brutality. An important part of our role as a youth organisation is to ensure the next generation understands the importance of these sacrifices and never forgets those who made them.’
