Veteran tells of trauma as prisoner of war in Burma

Nov 8 2008 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

A 90-YEAR-OLD war veteran last night spoke of his horrific experience as a Japanese prisoner of war.

William Troughton, who was born in Shildon, County Durham, spent more than three years in a Burmese labour camp during the Second World War.

He was captured in early 1942 after his commanding officer deserted him and the rest of the West Yorkshire Regiment as they toured Pegu, just outside Rangoon, in Burma.

After enduring a host of illnesses, the loss of his comrades and years of back-breaking work, he was set free.

His weight dropped to just 6st and the experience left him traumatised.

The father-of-four said: “This has caused me to have nightmares over many years and, no doubt, did the same to the rest of the party.

“We were in rooms which were meant for 20 people but they put more like 40 of us in there. We were sleeping on the floor and wooden bunk beds. We got up before light and were given a plate of rice. We worked all day and didn’t get back until after dark.

“No-one knew we were in this prison camp. No-one knew we had been taken.”

When allied troops gained a stranglehold on Burma, Mr Troughton and his fellow soldiers were marched through Thailand as the Japanese soldiers attempted to retreat to their own territory.

They were peppered by fire from machine guns mounted on planes flying overhead who mistook them for Japanese soldiers.

Eventually they were picked up by American troops and taken to Chittagong, Bangladesh, before they boarded a plane to travel to the island of Akyab.

During his flight to the island the plane’s engine blew-out and he was left clinging to metal straps that held the plane together. Mr Troughton, who now lives in Silsden, Yorkshire, with his wife, Lorna, 67, said: “God was there with me. I put my arm back and clung for my life to stop myself being sucked out the door. We managed to land on one engine.

“We got offered cigarettes or pipes and I just smoked anything. We went to Poona, in western India, where we were fattened up.”

Mr Troughton’s two sons, Michael, 38, and Robert, 35, both live in the North East of England.

He wrote the 64-page book, called Surviving the Red Chapatti, at the suggestion of his doctor, to help him come to terms with the experience.

The book is available from Combat Stress by calling Kelita Groom on (01372) 841 616. It is on sale for a minimum donation of £5.

It is also available online at www.3biz.co.uk/pow/ where people can make a donation.