Ernest John Spooner
Ernest John Spooner | |
---|---|
Second World War | |
Awards | Distinguished Service Order |
Spooner died of exhaustion and malaria after his evacuation vessel was attacked by Japanese aircraft and ran aground on an uninhabited island.
Early career
Educated at
Malaya Campaign
Spooner served in the
By the end of January, the Royal Navy had almost no real fighting strength left in Malaya, and the decision was taken to abandon Singapore in favour of Java. Most naval personnel were evacuated aboard the merchantman Empire Star on 12 February, but Spooner and a few others remained behind to assist in organizing the evacuation of civilians from the island, which was now just days away from surrender. Spooner's wife was one of those who was evacuated.[3]
The evacuations were a dismal affair due to circumstances beyond Spooner's control. The situation had become so dire that anything more than rudimentary coordination was impossible. Furthermore, Japanese naval and air forces operating in the seas around Malaya destroyed many of the ships that left Singapore in the final days before the surrender on 15 February. One of the vessels caught up in the attempted escapes was the ML 310 transporting Spooner, Air Vice Marshal Conway Pulford and some 40 others.[4][5] The vessel was attacked by Japanese aircraft and its passengers became stranded on a small island called Chibia (Tjibia, Tjebia). Chibia was part of the Juju group located north of Bangka Island, and was uninhabited. Even worse, there was almost no fresh water. Despite British search efforts, the stranded refugees remained on the island for two months before disease and starvation forced the survivors to surrender to the Japanese. By that time, both Spooner and Pulford had died of exhaustion and malaria.[1]
Family
In 1926 Spooner married the noted soprano Megan Foster.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d Ernest John Spooner: Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ^ 'This Inglorious Business' from 'Singapore: The Pregnable Fortress' by Peter Elphick, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1995.
- ^ "Megan Spooner: Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives". Archived from the original on 1 March 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2005.
- ^ Gill, G. Hermon (1957). Royal Australian Navy 1939–1942. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy. Vol. 1. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. p. 568.
- ^ Klemen, L. "The Japanese Invasion of Sumatra Island". The Netherlands East Indies 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012.
- ^ "King's Collections : Archive Catalogues : SPOONER, Megan (1898-1987)". King's College London. Retrieved 1 January 2023.