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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: theprophetess on Monday 15 September 14 13:39 BST (UK)

Title: How to find a civilian death in Singapore in 1941
Post by: theprophetess on Monday 15 September 14 13:39 BST (UK)
My ancestor was a Civil Engineer in Singapore in 1941 and then nothing more is heard of him. Is there any way of finding out when he died? Thank you for any help!
Title: Re: How to find a civilian death in Singapore in 1941
Post by: dawnsh on Monday 15 September 14 14:00 BST (UK)
Hi

FindMyPast have the GRO British Nationals died overseas index 1818-2005 but that only has deaths registered with the British Consulates overseas.

If he died during the war, then there may not be any records to find. I don't know how good the Japanese were at keeping POW records

Hare you tried civilian deaths on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site?

Dawn
Title: Re: How to find a civilian death in Singapore in 1941
Post by: jorose on Monday 15 September 14 14:17 BST (UK)
Not 100% percent of the civilian deaths will be at www.cwgc.org but worth checking as a first stop.

The Changi Museum also has a database of civilian internees:
http://www.changimuseum.sg/civilian-internees-database/

If he did make it out during the evacuation there might be an arrival somewhere like Australia and perhaps also a death there before he was able to send word back to family?
Title: Re: How to find a civilian death in Singapore in 1941
Post by: theprophetess on Monday 15 September 14 14:56 BST (UK)
Thank you, that's very helpful advice. Nothing on CWGC or Changi so I will look into arrivals in Australia - perhaps he got out before the invasion.
Title: Re: How to find a civilian death in Singapore in 1941
Post by: daisy1942 on Tuesday 23 September 14 08:58 BST (UK)
........ so I will look into arrivals in Australia - perhaps he got out before the invasion.

Australian archive have an accessible list of passenger names for some of the ships involved in the evacuation  http://www.naa.gov.au/  on particular ship that might be of use is SS Zaandam as it has the largest passenger list I have seen, some 600 names.