▶Date of birth: 22 July 1896     Place of birth: Hampton Wick, Middlesex

▶Father: Joseph John Smith    Mother: Grace Rose Belcher

▶Spouse(s): Gertrude Annie Anton   Date(s) of marriage: 28 September 1931   Place(s) of marriage: All Saints Church, Cheltenham

▶Occupation: Engineer

▶Lifestory: Raymond joined the RAF in May 1918 as an Aero-Engineer, no. 176127, and served in Egypt from 4 November 1918 until 25 May 1919. In 1921 he travelled to Hong Kong with his father, who was also an Engineer. In 1927 Raymond is listed as a passenger on the ship “Khiva”, again travelling to Hong Kong but may not have gone as his name is crossed through.

When Raymond married Gertrude they both gave their address as 13 Pittville Lawn, Cheltenham which continued to be their address whenever they left or returned from their travels until the early 1950s.

In September 1940, during WW2, Raymond again left Cheltenham for Hong Kong, where his elderly mother, who was blind, was still living. He became part of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force as a Private; he was part of a Field Company of Engineers based in Tai Hang area of the colony, which consisted of 12 officers and 11 men. The colony fell to the Japanese in December 1941, and Raymond and Grace, his mother were taken prisoner. She died in Stanley Camp, Hong Kong, in January 1944. A year before his mother died, Raymond along with 85 other H.K.V.D.C. members were transferred to Hiroshima no. 2 Camp at Innoshima. He was still there when the second atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima just 45 miles away. Liberated in September 1945 Raymond returned to Cheltenham, then in September 1948 he again left for Hong Kong. By the mid to late 1950s Raymond and Gertrude had settled in Prestbury near Cheltenham.

Some further details and images of Raymond in Hong Kong  can be seen here:—https://gwulo.com/node/40672

▶Moved to Pittville from: Hong Kong   Moved from Pittville to: Hong Kong

▶Date of death: 25 August 1976   Place of death: Gloucestershire

▶Date of burial:     Place of burial:

▶Notes: The following details about the POW camp come from a number of POW diaries.

History: (Courtesy of Barnes diary extract)

27 Nov 1942: Established as (Fukuoka) YAHATA Provisional POW CAMP MUKAIJIMA Branch Camp- 100 British POWs from Java- led by Squadron Leader (Major) Eric William "Ricay" Wright

Jan 1943: Renamed FUKUOKA POW CAMP, INNOSHIMA Branch Camp

23 Jan 1943: Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force detail plus 3 Americans arrive

1 Mar 1943: Renamed Fukuoka #12-B

14 Jul 1943: Jurisdictional control transferred to ZENTSUJI POW CAMP 2-B (Hiroshima Command)

10 Dec 1943: Sqn Ldr "Ricay" Wright departs for Zentsuji; WP/O H.A.Pritchard assumes command of POWs (See Bonnes diary notes)

13 April 1945: Established as "Zentsuji sub-camp 2-D", renamed 5-B in August 1945

13 March 1945: Camp heavily strafed by carrier planes. At least 10 Japanese killed; French ship "Le Comte de Lille" very damaged.

28 Jul 1945: Docks heavily strafed; 2 POWS wounded by shrapnel

28 Aug 1945: American B-29 crew arrive that were shot down 8 August; Lt W. Ross, Flt Officer McNeish and medical officer.

30 August 1945: First food drop kills 5 Japanese per Corporal Bonnes Diary [British; diary at IWM File P463]

Sept 1945: Rescue effected

ID: 19234

Contributor(s): David Drinkwater