HAYNES Harold George

Appears on the Army casualties list for Worcestershire.

Harold Haynes was a prisoner of war.  He was captured by the Japanese on 25th December 1941 during the fall of Hong Kong.  He was one of 1,816 Allied prisoners of war who were being transferred for work purposes on the Japanese steamship Lisbon Maru. The ship sailed from Hong Kong bound for Shanghai on 27th September 1942. T hese prisoner transports were unmarked (a contravention of the Geneva agreement) and were targeted by Allied aircraft and submarines.

On 2nd October 1942, the Lisbon Maru was attacked by the American submarine, Grouper.  Attacks on the submarine by enemy aircraft and patrol boats ensured the Grouper was unable to do further damage to the ship and with no knowledge of the POWs existence, made her escape.  The Japanese soldiers eventually abandoned the stricken ship after securing the hatches over the holds containing the POWs, leaving them trapped in dire conditions.  The ship was taken into tow heading for Shanghai but sank off the China coast.  Several hundred of the prisoners managed to escape by cutting through the ropes holding down the hatches, the remaining were lost, presumed drowned.

A letter from Reverend James G. McNought, St George’s Vicarage, dated 19th May 1950 can be found within war records held at Worcestershire Archives requesting that Harold Haynes be added to the county roll of honour.

The following information has been researched by Steve Denton:
Harold Haynes served with the Royal Artillery before transferring to the Royal Engineers in 1935.