Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Private

Unit:

British Battalion, 15th Indian Infantry Brigade, 11th Indian Infantry Division, British Indian Army

Awarded on:

January 4th, 1946

"Ptes SMITH and BROWN were both captured with the rest of their unit at the fall of Singapore, confined in CHANGI P.W. Camp and employed on fatigue duties until March '43. They were then sent with a detachment of 600 British P.W. to work on the Burma-Siam Railway.
They both suffered from many of the diseases prevalent among the P.W. working under the terrible conditions on the railway, namely Malaria, jungle Sores, Dysentery and Beri-beri, and suffered considerable maltreatment at the hands of their Japanese and Korean guards.
Weakened as they all were by ill-health, malnutrition, and extremely hard work, and believing the Thai civilians to be hostiles, most P.W. considered escape impossible. Pte. BROWN, however, felt convinced that the Thais were friendly and determined to escape at the first opportunity. He found a ready supporter of his plan in Pts. SMITH who was already imbued with the same idea, and together they attempted to persuade other P.W. to make the attempt with them. In every case they met with a flat refusal.
In December '44 both BROWN and SMITH were in HNONG PLADUK camp and one day a false air-raid alarm provided them with the opportunity they had been seeing. The camp was already in a very disorganized state after a genuine raid the day before and they found no difficulty in joining on in the rear of a working party moving into a deserted part of the camp.
As soon as they felt they were unobserved they broke off from the rest of the party and escaped into the jungle.
Pte. BROWN's conviction that the Thais would prove friendly was speedily proved to be true and their escape from them on was comparatively easy.
Ptes. BROWN and SMITH brought back considerable information of Value, and in view of this and of the spirit and initiative displayed by them in face of great discouragement and in spite of both being weakened by disease, it is considered they should both be award a Mention in Despatches."