Drummer boys brothers Freddie and James Brind . were captured by the Japanese. This is from a researcher specialising in the Gordon Highlanders, the regiment they were a member of, carried out in May 2013.
ENQUIRY REPLY Enquiry Ref: 6501/13 Re - 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders 2890744 Patrick James Brind & 2890780 Frederick George Brind To: Lt Col David Brind Salisbury, Wiltshire. SP2 8EB E-mail david.brind@hotmail.com Dear Colonel Brind, Thank you for contacting the Museum. As I explained earlier, the Museum does not hold the official records of individual soldiers but we do have other records which allow us to piece together a lot about your individual soldier's careers, etc. These consist of the original enlistment books, hand written at the time of engagement and maintained as a brief record of service together with a complete Battalion Roll for the 2nd Battalion, compiled in Singapore around the end of 1940, or early 1941. This was maintained by Sergeant Dick Pallant even during his captivity, at great personal risk to himself as the Japanese were wholly against the maintenance of any records or diaries. The details we have on the Brind brothers are as follows:- I note that, following your reading of "The Forgotten Highlander" by Alistair Urquhart, you were of the impression that the father of the Brind brothers he mentions served in the Gordon Highlanders. This is incorrect but I see where the misunderstanding arises as Alistair clearly states, on page 86 of his book, that he had served for 23 years with the Gordon Highlanders. My information is that he had served with the Wiltshire Regiment and remained in Malaya as a Prison Warder after his service. As you may know, the 1st Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's) served as part of the Dublin garrison during the Irish War of Independence. After the treaty, the 1st Battalion saw service in Egypt in 1930 and Shanghai in 1931. The battalion was then made part of the Singapore garrison in 1932, where it remained for four years. In 1936, the battalion were posted to India. This suggests that Sergeant Brind completed his service in Malaya and stayed on, taking up the post as a Warder. However, it is suggested (see later reference to "Pow Wow") that the boys were born in India so the postings of the 2nd battalion may also be relevant. In 1921, the battalion began nine years as part of Indian Army. The battalion became part of the Shanghai garrison in 1929 before being rotated back to the Home Islands in 1933. The 2nd Battalion was dispatched to join the British Forces policing the Palestinian Mandate. Therefore, how the family came to be in Malaya is not clear cut but the above suggests that the father completed his service with the 2nd Battalion of the Wiltshires but he may have been with the 2nd battalion while in India as the boys dates of birth do fit in with this period. You specifically asked for the full names and dates of birth of the father, and two Brind brothers. I regret that I am only in a position to give information on the boys as they served with the Gordons.
Full Name*	ASN *	Rank *	Date of Birth **	Date of Enlistment **	Next of Kin*
Patrick James Brind	2890744	Private	12th Feb 1926	1st April 1941	Mrs J Brind, 6 St Peter's Road, Brentwood, Essex
Frederick George Brind	2890780	Boy	13th Jan 1928	23rd Jan 1942	Mrs J Brind, 6 St Peter's Road, Brentwood, Essex
* From Battalion Roll held by Gordon Highlanders' Museum, Aberdeen ** From POW Release Questionnaire held at National Archives, Kew
Their father's first name is not known but the custom of the time when the Battalion roll was compiled and in common with other examples in this roll, I suspect that Mrs Brind's initial (J) is not hers but that of her husband (although it is possible they had a first name initial in common. The address given in the UK is probably where the mother and sister were residing after leaving Malaya / Singapore when the situation became dangerous. I have attached a copy of a 1996 edition of "Pow Wow " which was the newsletter of the Scottish Far East POWs association. You will note that was edited by Archie Black, who was a Gordon Highlander while a POW. Archie enlisted as a Boy Soldier in March 1939 and was immediately posted to Singapore before the war in Europe had begun.
He was a Private when captured at Singapore but after the war his health was such that he was no longer physically fit enough to remain in the Infantry. He transferred to the Pay Corps and ended his service with the rank of Major. He probably knew the Brinds quite well, serving with the boys and was, like them, a Regular. You will see that this article does differ in some respects from Alistair's account but I am unable to explain this. I have done a search for the father among the civilian war dead but, contrary to that indicated in ""The Forgotten Highlander" there is no record of him dying in Changi, so whether is correct or not I cannot say. After liberation, I know that Frederick Brind went to live in Brentwood, Essex where he married and had two sons, Stuart (believed born in 1954) & William (believed born in 1958). I trust this gives you sufficient information to pursue your enquiries into the family background. A detailed account of the Gordon Highlanders' time in Singapore, prior to the start of the Pacific War and their time as prisoners of the Japanese is given in my book entitled, "Scattered Under The Rising Sun", published by Pen & Sword Books Ltd.. There is a picture of Frederick Brind in the Appendix. A great deal of information is given about the families, the camps they were in, etc. (This includes more information about Archie Black). Best wishes, Stewart Mitchell Volunteer Researcher, Gordon Highlanders' Museum, Viewfield Road, Aberdeen, AB15 7XH