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« on: Monday 16 July 12 14:09 BST (UK) »
Hello, I have been researching my Father's war history. He was on board HMS Anking when it was sunk. He was one of two to four New Zealanders who survived the sinking. The Royal New Zealand Naval Museum has` provided me with a list of the 61 survivors which I can provide to anyone who wishes to obtain a copy. These survivors were picked up by "Sawali" and landed in Colombo.
My understanding is that my Father was sunk two or three times but I am having difficulty establishing the actual facts. He is shown as being with HMS Sultan from 22nd July 1941 but may well have been assigned to another ship whilst in Singapore. My recall is that he told me a long time ago that he was sunk off the Malaysian Penninsular and had to move through Japanese lines to return to Singapore. There are no records of what ship he may have been on. He also told me that he was evacuated from hospital in Singapore and that, his hospital ship was sunk despite there being appropriate red cross signage. Again I don't know any details of the ship. I guess he must have been picked up by "Anking" only to be sunk again.
Any additional information that can be provided about this episode would be much appreciated. Any information I can provide, please let me know.