Gloucester Castle

[Lou Barron]

Hi Jo will be in touch shortly i have not forgot you

[Jo Hughes]

Hi Lou, look forward to it, no hurry. Enjoy your trips.

[Lou Barron]

Hi Jo ask your mother if she can remember going to any pow picnics i am still looking for some photo s of Harold and i keep in touch Regards Lou

[Jo Hughes]

Will do. I will speak with her tomorrow or day after. Best Jo

[TwOBrien]

Just found this site. My uncle was Richard Boland who survived the sinking of the Gloucester Castle and a number of years in Changi gaol

[j.sabourn]

#35 The one time I met Lou Barron was in one of the local hotels in South Island in NZ where he lived . Don’t think he was in Changi but in a camp at the eastern end of Singapore Island ,its name will come to me later as brain hasn’t turned to yet. I used to visit the area quite often as is now or was 20 years ago a seabase for the offshore Industry so he was quite interested , plus of course our social drinking, he had one of his sons with him at the time of the meet up , whether to watch over him or to be his drinking partner I never found out as he paid his round as it came round. That son in particular would be the one to update you on his fathers experiences as a POW. Cheers JS

PS at that particular meet I had previous to this had a prior engagement to meet an old shipmate in North Island where all the hot water geysers are , it’s name also will return as soon as I have sent this, however he got the dates mixed up and didn’t show. I had a duty free 40 ounce bottle of rum and another of whiskey for them . So knew I would have to get rid of before coming home, so proceeded to drink the bottle of whiskey nip by nip on the bus tour around New Zealand , took some doing but did succeed before meeting Lou , couldn’t have faced having to drink the rum as well .However Lou turned up and his bottle promptly disappeared down his trouser leg out of sight , don’t know if his son saw or not. But Lou didn’t broadcast it. I do remember after Lou left it was the same hotel we were staying at during this guided tour of NZ and they put a show on for us for Robbie Burns night , so I had drunk all that whisky a week premature . The reason I had to get rid of them was because I had the similar awaiting for me at Perth airport bought and paid for ,so would of had to pay duty on. JS

[Doc Vernon]

A little Big Man amongst Men , was Lou the best of the best!
And now laid to rest! Alway Remembered!

My Memories of Lou (merchant-navy.net)

He was indeed in Changi JS
Here is his full Story , unfortunately a bit hard to read, but it was put on by Tony Morcom a long time ago!
Cheers

Our Member: Charles Louis Barron (Lou) (merchant-navy.net)