Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Leading Aircraftsman M. W. Pigott, Royal Air Force, who was captured and taken Prisoner of War by the Japanese in Java on 8 March 1942, and was held captive as part of the ‘Haruku Draft’ in the Spice Islands

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Pacific Star; War Medal 1939-45, with Air Council enclosure and rank/number slip, in named card box of issue, addressed to ‘M. W .Pigott, Esq., 5 Renishaw Avenue, Rotherham, Yorkshire’, extremely fine (4) £100-£140

Maurice Winston Pigott was born at Clowne, Derbyshire, on 12 September 1908, and joined the Royal Air Force in April 1941. After his initial training he was posted to 84 Squadron in the Middle East, mustering as an Aircraftsman Second Class. At the time, the Squadron was equipped with Blenheim Mk.I’s and was assigned to the Desert Air Force. Throughout 1941, it had been active in several regional theatres, including the campaigns in Greece, Iraq, Syria and Persia. On the 3rd January, 1942, the Squadron was temporarily withdrawn from active service to re-equip with Blenheim Mk.IV-F’s, during the course of which, it received orders for urgent transfer to the Far East. The Squadron flew its new Blenheims to Palembang, Sumatra, in the Dutch East Indies, and from there, commenced its attacking role upon Japanese targets. During the ensuing operations, it was compelled to move to Batavia, and thence, to Java, where, on 8 March 1942, it was surrounded and forced to surrender following the Japanese invasion of the island.

Over the ensuing three and a half years, Pigott suffered the privations common to all Far East Prisoners of War, but on 4 May 1943, he had the misfortune to be sent to one of the worst places for prisoner treatment - Haruku, in the Spice Islands. Transferred to a forced labour party of just over 2,000 men for construction of an airstrip at Haruku, Molucca Islands, through deprivation, disease, and routine Japanese brutality, less than half of the workforce of the ‘Haruku Draft’ survived the ordeal. Pigott was finally liberated on 2 September 1945

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