Fred Hockley
Fred Hockley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1923 Littleport, Ely , Cambridgeshire |
| Died | 15 August 1945 (aged 22) Japan |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service | Fleet Air Arm |
| Rank | Sub-Lieutenant |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
Sub-Lieutenant Frederick (Fred) Hockley RNVR (1923–1945) was a English Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot, notable for taking part in the last combat mission flown by British aircraft in World War II and his execution in captivity without a trial by Japanese soldiers.
Early life
Hockley was born in Littleport near Ely in Cambridgeshire and his father was a foreman for the water board and church bellringer. He attended Soham Grammar School and was a keen swimmer.
Mission over Japan
Hockley was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and was posted to the aircraft carrier HMS Indefatigable as a Supermarine Seafire fighter pilot with 24 Wing of the Fleet Air Arm. On 15th August 1945 he took off from the carrier on a mission to defend Fairey Firefly and Grumman Avenger fighter bombers attacking airfields in the Tokyo Bay area of Japan. His radio was not functioning and he bailed out of his aircraft after it was attacked by Mitsubishi Zero fighters and parachuted to the ground near the village of Higashimura.
Surrender, captivity and execution
Hockley surrendered to an air raid warden who took him to the local civil defence HQ and the commander then handed him over to the 426th Infantry Regiment stationed nearby. At regimental headquarters the commanding officer Colonel Tamura Teiichi having heard Emperor Hirohito announce the Japanese Surrender at 12 noon, called divisional headquarters for advice on what to do with the prisoner and the the 147th division Intelligence officer Major Hirano Nobou responded with words to the effect that he was to 'shochi-se' (finish him) in the mountains that night, despite the fact that he had no authority to do so. Tamura claimed he was shocked by the order which he felt to be 'unkind', but could not ignore an order from divisional command. He therefore ordered his adjutant Captain Fujino Masazo that Hockley had to be executed, adding that he should do it so that no one could see it. Fujino then ordered Sergeant Major Hitomi Tadao to move Hockley to regimental headquarters where he was ordered by another officer to take six soldiers into the mountains to dig a grave with pickaxes and shovels. At about 21:00, nine hours after the emperor had announced the surrender, Hockley was taken to the grave site blindfolded, his hands were tied and he was told to stand with his back to the hole. He was then shot twice and rolled into the hole where Fujino stabbed him in the back with a sword to ensure that he was dead. His body was later exhumed and cremated after Colonel Tamura feared that the body might be found.
Investigation and trial
Hockley's fate was revealed when United States occupation forces investigated and Fujino told the truth about what had happened, despite being implored by Tamura not to do so. Tamura, Hirano and Fujino were transferred to British custody and put on trial as war criminals in Hong Kong between 30 May and 13 June 1947. Tamura and Fujino cited superior orders in their defence and Hirano maintained that he had ordered that Hockley be dealt with in accordance with intelligence service regulations and claimed that he did not antipate that he would be killed. Following differing accounts of the precise wording of the orders Timara and Hirano were convicted, sentenced to death and hanged on 16 September 1947 and Fujino was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. The case haunted Major Murray Ormsby (1919-2013) who was the young Britsih military prosecutor at the trial and from 1995 he started placing an 'in memorium' notice in the Daily Telegraph on 15 August each year on the anniversary of Hockley’s death. [1][2] [3]