Gloe Gloer Camp - Sumatra

 

On St Patrick’s Day, 17 March 1942 the Japanese arrived in Padang, Sumatra and took over control from the Dutch.  There was to be no fighting as the Dutch had declared Padang an open city.
POWs who had been quartered in the Chinese School at Padang were  permitted to remain a few more days until their transfer to a Dutch Army barracks.  Conditions at this camp were quite good with plenty of room, organised sport and lectures and although the food was rationed it improved when the Dutch took over the cooking duties.
After about 2 weeks at this camp the Japanese made it known that in 2 days, 500 POWs would be departing Padang.  Included in this group was Lt-Col Albert Coates from 10th Australian General Hospital.  On 9 May, Lt-Col Coates was ordered to fall in with this group of British from the three services who called themselves the British Sumatra Battalion.
Moving north to Belawan the Port of Medan on the north east coast of Sumatra they would board the England Maru on 15 May sailing to Burma to work on the rail link to Thailand.
Thankfully Lt-Col Coates was included in this draft as he will be remembered for his work and devotion to duty at Khonkan 55 km Camp in Burma during 1943.

Gloe Gloer Camp – Sumatra 

The POWs were first accommodated in coolie labourer’s huts adjacent to the wharf.  Here they loaded scrap iron and rubber onto ships destined for Japan.  The POWs would later return to the wharves, but on 20 June they were ushered onto railway trucks and transported to their next camp.  A Dutch Army barracks called Gloe Gloer No. 12 Camp which was located about 2 kilometres from Medan.
The POWs were accommodated in 6 long barracks buildings that ran side by side.   These were behind an 8 feet high wall along with a parade ground, sports ground, Japanese Officers’ and guard’s buildings.  They were soon assigned to daily work parties.  Initially the POWs keenly completed their allotted daily quota of work and return to the barracks.  Like all other POW Camps, the men soon realised that the sooner they finished the sooner they would be given additional tasks to complete!
For about 2 months they worked at Socony Oil Depot, filling drums of petrol. The Japanese then discovered the fuel being filled into drums was contaminated.
The next task was excavating a moat around a temple and shrine to honour fallen Japanese soldiers. As at Adam Park, Singapore when the POWs constructed the ‘Fallen Warriors Shrine’ at Bukit Batok, the Japanese prefer to have some form of water channel and bridge crossing approaching their shrines.
On completion of the Shrine, the POWs were given the task of constructing a racecourse! At about this time the Japanese guards were relieved by Koreans who were initially somewhat timid and even nervous. However it did not take the Koreans long to learn their trade of bashing POWs and brutal treatment became commonplace.

 

MELBOURNE CUP
One Sunday, the nearest to Melbourne Cup Day, the Australians decided to run their own cup. Frogs were the contestants. A West Australian, Bluey Semple (WX7532) appeared in jockey’s colours with a riding whip. Nobody knew where they came from. Appropriately his frog won, and he was presented with the cup – half a coconut on a stand.

The above information is from Peter Winstanley’s website

It is the 1946 account by Pte R.F.(Slim) Nelson VX8212
Pte.H.A.(Jonger) Stanton QX23428 both POWs in Sumatra having been captured by the Japanese at Medan on St Patrick’s Day  March 17th 1942.

 

Once the work party of 500 POWs left for Burma (including Albert Coates) there were about 100 Australian POWs remaining at Gloe Gloer.

Atjeh Party

On 7th March 1944, following days of rumours, a work party which included about 50 Australians under the command of Lt. Tranter from 2/29th Battalion were loaded onto trucks and driven to the interior of Sumatra where they would remain for the next seven months. This group included several 2/4th men – George Quinn, Ted Hopson and Arthur Magill.
On the first day they travelled about 308 kilometres to Kota Tjane – located about 10 kilometres north of Laubaleng, in the heartland of Sumatra.   The POWs were billeted in a schoolhouse for two days and then loaded again onto trucks. Surprise can hardly be the word the POWs felt when the trucks turned around and headed back to where they had just left.
The following day on 13 March 1944, the group were back on the road again this time on a 145-kilometre march to an undisclosed destination.
The first night was spent at Gunung, the second at Maloek. On 17 March after four day’s marching, the men arrived at their destination, Blang Kedjeren. They were accommodated in a former Dutch Army barracks known to the POWs as the Hospital Camp.
The sick and those unable to march any further were left here, some never to be seen again.
The next day the men were back on the road marching until they reached their camp at Tenal Gajoe – this was the territory of Atjeh or Achinise natives. Renowned as fierce head-hunters, these people had never been completely subdued during the Dutch colonisation of Sumatra.
There were two camps. One for the British and Australians and the second one for the Dutch. They remained here about 3 weeks as the road they were building progressed north and on 3 May 1944 the POWs moved to Kedjeren.
Ted Hopson had been left at Tenal Gajoe suffering with appendicitis. Because he was also ill with dysentery it was not possible to perform an operation for fear of infection.   Ted died on 26 April 1944.
Ted was popular and well liked amongst the group. He was described as being ‘a good bloke’. His body was brought to Blang Kedjeren where a coffin was constructed. This popular machine gunner was laid to rest about 100 yards from the camp.  Amongst the POWs was a stonemason who cut a headstone, which was placed at the head of Ted’s grave.
The road construction continued to the east in between their current camp and previous camp at Tenal Gajoe. By 6 October 1944 it was time for the POWs to head back to Medan. They set out in three columns as they had done on their journey north. As the columns passed Ted’s grave they all paid their friend a respectful ‘eyes left’.
The group arrived back at a rest camp on the outskirts of Medan on 11 October 1944 5 days after setting out from Blang Kedjeren. After a week’s rest on reduced rations the POWs were given the news that they were again on the move. They marched 3 miles to the railway station and following a short journey; they were detrained and loaded onto trucks.
Using the same route as they had travelled on the way to Medan, they headed back towards Fort de Kock on the west coast of Sumatra. The POWs were billeted 3 days in the old Police Barracks at Bukit Tinggi after which they were loaded back on the train for a lengthy journey to Mocearo, arriving 21 October 1944.
It was here that the POWs were informed they were to build a 3’ 6” gauge railway line between Pakan Baroe and Mocaero.   A distance of 220 kilometres.
In addition to this main line there was a shorter 2’ 5 ½ “ narrow gauge 20 kilometre spur line which branched off the main line at 119 km point!

Harujkiku Maru – SS Van Waerwjick Party

When the above 50 Australian POWs departed Gloe Gloer camp on 8 March 1944 making up Atjeh Party,  49 Australians were amongst the remaining group of POWs – including Roy Semple, ‘Win’ Annear, ‘Squasher’ Squance, Alf Burgess and Harold Smith from 2/4th.
On 24 June they were alerted to be ready to leave for Singapore and the following day trucks arrived at Gloe Gloer camp to transport the POWs to the port of Belawan to board the ship taking them to Singapore.
The ship was SS Van Waerwjick, a 3,040-ton passenger-cargo ship captured by the Japanese on 3 March 1942. As was Japanese custom the ship was renamed Harukiki Maru.
The POWs arrived at the docks around noon and were crammed into the fore and aft hold of the ship. A Japanese corvette was to act as escort to this small convoy that included 2 tankers and 2 transport ships. The Harukijku Maru left Belawan about 1500 hours on 25 June, heading into the Malacca Straits to join the convoy.
The following day, 26 June at 1350 hours two mighty explosions amidships rocked the ship sending it into the depths of the sea. Two torpedoes had been fired from HMS/M Trucelent which was depth charged, causing Harukiku Maru to hit the bottom at 68 feet. There was no loss of life from the 2/4th but tragically 167 POWs went down with the ship.
Following four hours of treading water, the men were rescued by one of Japanese tankers from the convoy. The POWs then continued their voyage on board this tanker to Singapore where they disembarked and were taken to River Valley Road Transit Camp.   Of the four 2/4th men, Annear and Squance would return to Sumatra to work on the Pakan Baroe-Moearo railway. Harold Smith was hospitalised with appendicitis on 21 July and Alf Burgess suffered a head injury from the Harukiku Maru sinking.  Semple also suffered an injury and remained in Singapore.

 

Pakan Baroe-Moearo Railway, Sumatra

Three 2/4th men arrived at Singapore on Java Parties No. 20 and No. 22 between 21 May and 1 July 1944.
Between 7 July and 8 August 1944, these three from Java – McAskil, Booth and Banks along with Annear and Squance were transported to Pakan Baroe to work on the railway. The men would work mainly between Loeboeksakat 23 km point and Logas 140 km point on the railway.
The entire draft of 1,257 POWs who were destined for Pakan Baroe had been split into smaller drafts. They were transported from Singapore directly up the Siak River on an old ferryboat named Elizabeth, otherwise known as the ‘white boat’.
This small ferry unable to carry many passengers transported the POWs in several parties between 7 and 8 August 1944.
Pakan Baroe was a small port about 90 miles along the Siak River from its mouth. The river was sufficiently deep to accommodate ships up to 800 tons all year round.
With Japanese now losing many ships to the Allies it was decided that in event of an Allied attack on Western Sumatra, Japanese reinforcements could be brought in by sea utilising the shelter of the islands between Singapore and Sumatra. Japanese troops would then be brought straight up the Siak River to Pakan Baroe.
At this time there was no railway, however roads connected Pakan Baroe to Padang on the west coast and Oosthaven on the south coast. The Japanese still had sufficient POWs to build this railway.
513 POWs would lose their lives building this railway, as well as the many POWs and Romeshas (Netherlands East Indian conscripts) who would lose their lives when their ship Junyo Maru was torpedoed 18 September 1944 by a British submarine whilst in transit from Java to Sumatra.

 

The full list of POWs at Gloegoer

 

  • Lieut Richardson. G.D. NX35127; 2/18; Old Roslyn Raymond Terrace NSW
  • Lieut Nichols G.F.A. NX40490 ; 2/18; Box 2 Inverell, NSW.
  • Lieut Baeyertz. C.B. (NX58702); 2/20; Moorilya Ilford NSW.
  • Lieut Tranter. A.E. (VX52843); 2/29; Wright St Heathcote Vic
  • 2/Lieut Thompson. D.A. PK13673; (–); C/o Tuttle & Calder 115 Pitt St Sydney NSW (Australian in British Army)
  • 2/Lieut Bode. E. (–); (–); 73 Toorak Rd Hartwell E5 Vic. (Australian in British Army)
  • WO1 Walters. T.J. VX50833; 4th MT; “Sports Oval”, Park St Wst Brunswick Vic
  • A/Sjt Annear. R.W. WX13468; 4th MG; 45 Campbell St Kalgoorlie WA, returned Sumatra Railway from Singapore following sinking of Hirukiku with Squance,  and now accompanied by Java POWs Banks, Booth and McAskil.
  • Cpl Campbell. A. VX51885; 2/29; 194 Peterborough St Christchurch NZ
  • Bdr Cotterell. A.C. QX9931; 2/10 FR; Crosby Rd Albion N2 Brisbane Qld
  • Cpl Extrem. T.J. NX51274; 2/19; Jasper Rd Baulham Hills NSW
  • Cpl Harrington. P.E. NX4572; 2/18; “Glendowie” Vale Rd Bathurst NSW
  • Cpl Hawarth. P. VX42190; 2/29; Thistle St Surrey Hills E10 Vic
  • Cpl Kernan. J. NX42533; 8th Div H.Q.; 50 Bourke St Sydney NSW
  • Cpl Magill. A.M. WX16886; 4 MG; 30 Bumbury St Collie WA – from Atjeh party – sent Railway.
  • Cpl McKay. L.W. VX32820; 2/29; PO Neerim Gippsland Vic
  • Cpl North. G.L. VX30155; A.S.C.; 4 Coria St Sunshine Vic
  • Cpl Parish. W. VX39884; 4 MT; 225 Station St Fairfield Vic
  • Bdr Pointing. A.W. VX36766; 4 A/TK; 6 Langwells Pde Northcote Vic
  • Cpl Richards. J.N. VX43928; 2/29; Morago Boonah Qld
  • Cpl Sime. R.O. NX72029; 2/20; Kintore St Wahroonga NSW
  • Cpl Smith. H.H. NX57018; 2/20; 14 Maple Ave Pennant Hills NSW
  • L/Bdr Shepherd. F.O. NX30659; 2/15 FR; 8 McNamara St Orange NSW
  • Pte Allen. R.L. NX55717; 2/20; 3 Helen St West Ulverston Tas
  • Pte Alderton. J.D. NX44923; 2/18; 33 Hassel St Westmead NSW
  • Pte Badger. A.F. NX53671; 2/20; Old Bar Taree NSW
  • Pte Baldry. F. NX58713; 2/18; 31 Rowe St Roseville NSW
  • Pte Barrett. H.D. NX40985; 2/18; Cooma Narrabri West NSW
  • Pte Budden. J.H. NX73785; 2/29; Brook St Muswellbrook NSW
  • Pte Burnett. R. NX33166; 2/20; 9 Yeo St Neutral Bay NSW
  • Pte Burgess. A. WX15756; 4 MG; 1 Peninsula Rd Maylands WA – remained Singapore (injured) following sinking of Hirukiki
  • Pte Byrne. L.M. NX54057; 2/20; 58 Dunlop St Epping NSW
  • Pte Carmichael. J. VX53475; 2/29; Rocklyn Lake Goldsmith Beaufort Vic
  • Pte Cheal. O.J. NX50482; 2/20; 53 Ivy St Redfern NSW
  • Pte Clancy. J. NX26032; 2/18; 60 Bexhill Rd Lismore NSW
  • Pte Collins. F. NX32561; 2/19; 12 Altona St Abbotsford NSW
  • Pte Curtis. A. NX2139; 2/26; Maitland Rd Cessnock NSW
  • Pte Dasey. A.J. NX14013; 2/18; 62 Brae St Inverell NSW
  • Pte Davidson. J.H. VX35412; 2/29; 406 Glenfernie Rd Hawthorne Vic
  • Pte Davies. W.L. NX48147; 2/18; Dymond St Bargo NSW
  • Pte Deery. J.S. NX12931; 2/20; 10 Oxford St Lidcombe NSW
  • Pte Dwyer. J. NX34396; 2/20; 3 Belmore St Mudgee NSW
  • Pte Elkin. J. NX55641; 2/20; 13 Waterloo Rd Punchbowl NSW
  • Pte Emmerson. W. QX23480; 2/29; Mulgowie via Laidley Q
  • Gnr Evans. J. NX29019; 2/15 FR; Forester St Forbes NSW
  • Pte Fisher. L.J. TX5251; 2/29; Oonah via Burnie Tas
  • Pte Foster. T.A. NX31661; 2/20; 139 Cornwall St Taree NSW
  • Pte Frewin. S.B. NX52142; 2/18; Maidens Brush Rd Gosford NSW
  • Dvr Gall. J.G. NX20256; 2/20; McArthur Rd Elderslie Camden NSW
  • Pte Henderson. A.J. NX34280; 2/20; 23 Mitchell St Stockton NSW
  • Pte Holmes. H.R. NX73073; 2/18; Tomerong Nowra NSW
  • Pte Hopson. E.M. WX9241; 4MG; 9 Vancouver St Albany WA d. 26 Apr 1944 Tenal Gajoe aged 35 years.
  • Pte Incigneri. J.S. VX30764; 2/29; 118 Highett St West Richmond Vic
  • Pte Jackson. S. TX4977; 2/29; Mooreville Rd Burnie Tas
  • Pte Kane, T.M. NX42969; 2/19; 13 Harrington St Millers Point NSW
  • Pte Kenny. J. NX17023; 2/20; 10 Cambridge St Paddington NSW
  • Pte La Hay. J.H. NX53385; 2/20; 111 Northumberland St Liverpool NSW
  • Pte Lowin. R.E. VX44173; 2/29; Main St Drouin Vic
  • Pte Lucas. A. QX23487; 2/29; ‘Woodrow’ Bayview Ave Undercliffe NSW
  • Pte Maughan. E.C. QX24004; 2/29; 81 Praten St Warwick Q
  • Pte McAlister. S.J. NX51422; 2/19; 310 Park Rd Lidcombe NSW
  • Dvr McCooey. H. VX53342; 4/MT Res; Boisdale Gippsland Vic
  • Dvr McDonald. J. TX8234; 2/29; 40 Murray St Hobart Tas
  • Pte McLellan. R. QX22613; A.S.C. Tawak Isis via Childers Q
  • Pte McKenzie. C.M. VX27931; 2/29; Orlando St Hampton Vic.
  • Pte Nelson F.A. NX54038; 2/20; 38 Short St Balmain North NSW
  • Pte Nelson R.F. VX8212; 2/29; 46 Garden St Sydney NSW
  • Pte Nolan J. VX59187; 2/29; Dumosa Vic
  • Pte Norden. F.G. NX33498; 2/20; 87 Sutherland Rd Paddington NSW
  • Pte Nunn,J. VX41048; 2/29; 69 Armstrong St Middle Park Vic
  • Pte O’Donnell. J.C. VX24018; 2/29; 10 Lester St Hawthorne Vic
  • Dvr Oxley. E.N. NX35360; 2/20; Twynam Narrandera NSW
  • Pte Pearson. J.G. NX6591; Mobile Laundry; 29 North St Penrith NSW
  • Pte Quinn. C.G. WX9285; 4MG; Cancanning E Wagin WA- 3rd of 2/4th with Atjeh Party – sent to Railway.
  • Pte Roberts. H. NX35661; 2/19; Farm 140 Leeton NSW
  • Pte Robinson. F.N. TX5812; 2/29; East Wynyard Tas
  • Pte Rodgers. J. VX59411; 2/29; 22 Glass St Richmond Vic
  • Pte Rose. J.D. NX54927; 2/19; 3 Grosvenor St Croydon NSW
  • Gnr Roy. W. VX54285; A/T; Warracknabeal Vic
  • Pte Rush. A.E. NX40942; 2/18; ‘Oklahoma’ Bundarra NSW
  • Pte Rush, I.J. NX40907; 2/18; ‘Oklahoma’ Bundarra NSW
  • Pte Salter. D.B. TX8178; 2/29; 18 Forest Rd Hobart Tas
  • Spr Sargent. R.F. VX30106; 2/10 RAE; 72 Penders St Thornbury Vic
  • Pte Sawyer. F.K. NX39734; 2/18; 5 Short St Mudgee NSW
  • Pte Scott. P.G. VX19648; 2/29; 11 Hotham St South Melbourne Vic
  • Pte Semple. R. WX7532; 4MG; Jandakot via Fremantle WA –  remained injured Singapore following sinking of Hirukiki.
  • Pte Shields. R.F.A. NX49720; 2/18; Aiken Rd West Pennant Hills NSW
  • Pte Simon. R. NX48962; 2/18; Forster Cape Hawk NSW
  • Pte Smith. H.M. WX17448; 4MG; Bradford St Waroona WA – remained injured Singapore following sinking of Hirukiki.
  • Pte Squance. C.D. WX16886; 4MG; Waterhouse Bay PO WA – survived sinking Kirukiki returned to Railway from Singapore with Annear, now joined by Banks, Booth and McAskil.
  • Pte Stanton. H.A. QX23428; 2/29; Cinnabar via Kilkwan Q
  • Pte Stapleton. J.D. NX4521; 2/19; 24 Roslyn St Ashbury NSW
  • Pte Syer. A. VX59251; 13AGH; 95 Hume St Echuca Vic
  • Pte Tangney. R.C. NX73876; 2/20; 7 Paternoster Row Pyrmont NSW
  • Pte Taylor. R.W. VX43250; 2/29; 193 Charmans Rd Cheltenham Vic
  • Pte Ullyett. H. VX34101; 2/10RAE; 706 Burwood Rd Hawthorne Vic
  • Pte Ward. J.A. NX55539; 2/18; ‘Coonamole’ Mowbray St Sylvania NSW
  • Pte Wardrope. G.A.C. NX27620; 2/20; 9 Wattle St West Ryde NSW
  • Pte Williamson. R.J.NX35919; 2/19; Moore St Ganmain NSW
  • Pte Willms. B. QX23493; 2/29; Bollon PO Q
  • Pte Winn. J. VX58652; 4GCS; 69 Brown Ave Richmond Vic

 

Atjeh Sumatra Working Party Left Gloegoer 8-3-44
Tranter, Magill, MacKay, North, Alderton, Badger, Baldry, Barrett, Budden, Burnett, Collins, Davidson, Davies, Dasey, Elkin, Fisher, Frewin, Gall, Holmes, Incigneri, Jackson, Kane, † La Hay (25 May 1944), Lowin, McLellan,  McKenzie (2 Jan 1945), Nelson F.A., Nelson R.F., Nolan, Oxley, Pearson, Quinn, Robinson, Rodgers, Roy, Rush A.E., Rush I.J., Sawyer, Scott, Simon, Shields, Stanton, † Stapleton (29 Dec 1944), Syer, Tangney, Ullyett, Ward, Wardrope, Winn, † Hopson (26 April 1944)
COLLINS – believed to be Frank Collins NX32561 – who sent poem to Hopson’s mother.

 

Left Gloegoer 25-6-44, ship sunk 26-6-44.
(ω…)Richardson, Nichols, Baeyertz, Thompson, Bode, Walters, Annearω…Campbell, Cotterell, Extrem, Harrington, Haworth, ω…Kernan, Parish, Pointing, Smith H.H., Sime, Shepherd,ω…Burgess, Byrne, Carmichael, Cheal, Curtis, ω…Dwyer, Evans, Foster, Henderson, Kenny, McAlister, McCooey, ω…Norden, O’Donnell, Rose, w Semple, ω…Smith H.M., Squance, Taylor,  Williamson,  Richards,  Clancy,  Deery,  Emmerson,  Allen,  Lucas,  Maughan,  McDonald,  Roberts,  Nunn,  Salter, ‡ Sargent,  Williams.

Code: ω… = Not returned to Pakan Baroe;

 = Missing believed dead;

 = Died

NB:  SEMPLE  was not recorded as remaining behind in Singapore with BURGESS and SMITH (on origInal list)
The above lists were obtained from family history tree of  Pte H.A.  (Hilton) Stanton QX23428; 2/29; Cinnabar via Kilkwan Qld.
‘STANTON, Hilton Alfred of Holy Spirit, Carseldine, passed away peacefully on 15th August, 2017, aged 94 years.
 Hilton (known as Hilly to friends and family) was a generous, compassionate and charitable man, known for his high regard for honesty and truth in reporting. Hilton’s mission was to leave a faithful report of the experiences of the 200 Australians in Sumatra, especially on the Atjeh Road and the Forgotten Railway – the Pakenbaroe/ Moeara Railway.’ 
(Unfortunately we have were not able to contact the Family Tree owner in 2020.)

 

ANNEAR AND SQUANCE were joined by Javanese captured 2/4th – BANKS, BOOTH AND McASKIL  to sail from Singapore to Sumatra to work on Railway.
In Sumatra these five joined MAGILL and QUINN = making total of SEVEN 2/4th men working on Sumatra Railway.
MCASKIL d. 28 Mar 1945 and BOOTH d. 15 Apr 1945.

 

 

Location of Gloe Gloer Camp - Sumatra (exact)