I don’t post on here very often, so apologies for disturbing you all 😀.
My father out in Burma and I have told on here a very little of what he got up, he had a horrendous war, fighting behind the Japanese line of the majority of that time, he reckoned he was lucky, he was not captured. I won’t go into the details, but I will say he had nightmares until the day he died. Anyway the petition is to Establish a national day commemorating the significance of 15th August 1945, which is coincidentally VJ Day.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/236760If anybody feel willing to sign it then please do, if you can advertise it more in any media, feel free, these were extremely brave men and women, some came back, many others didn’t. Thank you, Kerry
Comments
He wasn't very forthcoming beyond telling of time training in India and the scramble for a decent hammock on the troopships.
Reminders of the mistakes of the past and importantly the sacrifices made by previous generations should never be forgotten.
Recommended read is the Naked Island by Russell Braddon tells the story of an Australian gunner who fought and was then taken prisoner by the Japanese on his 21st Birthday.
Was given his service medals (at his request) when they got located a few years back, something I'll never even consider letting go
My father also saw action in Burma.
And certainly should have its own National Day to commemorate
When they run out of food they eat the mules, which upset them terribly as they then had to carry everything, some locals were kind and gave them food and shelter, others were not.
Thanks for all your support, the numbers are slowly rising, be great if this can be spread around social media. It’s also a local thing as a lot from Kent and South East London fought out there.
My dad was in the RAF based in Calcutta.
He was in an aerial reconnaissance unit flying sorties over Burma and Indochina. He was lucky in that he was ground crew, trained to plot the photos onto maps for the bombers.
The reconnaissance crews were incredibly brave in that they flew stripped down Spitfires and Mosquitoes without weaponry, relying solely on speed to evade the Japanese. The planes were stripped down to increase speed and range and also because the cameras were so heavy.
Today many Chinese people like Japan and its people (some are even obsessed with their culture). I'm just the opposite. What I learned when I was around 10 about the WWII and what the Japanese armies did is something I simply can not forget. Japan's right-wing-ish approach and attitude towards WWII even today is part of the reason I'll never ever like this country.
This is a great cause and hope it raises the awareness in the UK. Respect to all those that fought against Japan in the war. True heroes.
I never really understood the hatred until I visited the massacre museum in Nanjing, it's one of those places that really changed my life.
The fact that they still deny it happened and refuse to apologise simply highlights when a twisted messed up nation they are.
My Dad is still with us, and only gave up his season ticket at the valley 2 years ago.
From the age of just 17 he joined the Navy and Scapa flow in the Orkneys was his destination. Being a young Carpenter he helped make targets for Practice and when the USA entered the war he was on a tugboat that moved the target into range.
The Tugboat then went to a safe distance !
Not far enough for the USA navy and their ability for friendly fire mishaps, nearly died from the freezing cold water BUT did get a humungus steak as a peace offering when rescued !
Singapore and the HMS Nelson was Dad's destination and he went to reunions for years until he was the last man standing at Portsmouth. Even about 10 years ago he and my mum went out to Singapore and a reef was thrown in the sea for the fallen.
August 15th is also my Dad's Birthday so VJ day was his 21st birthday !
Sometimes I feel it's really weird. I feel as if I'm the only one that hates Japan and is interested in WWII. I've seen and met too many people that are fond of Japan and Japanese culture. To the extent that I don't even express anything at all against the country in social media as I don't want to upset anyone😂
The university I studied at is in Nanjing and the location of our campus is rumoured to be the place where the famous mass pit of Nanjing Massacre used to be. (to anyone that doesn't know about the massacre, 300 thousand civilians were brutally killed by Japanese soldiers) I was walking alone one night after class and the thought of hundreds of thousands of people had been buried dead or alive right under where I was walking 70 years before was a kind of thought I can't even describe in words.
Strangely I don't recall any serious chat about the Nanjing massacre between my friends or classmates during my four years there.
That's why I always think Koreans are doing so much better than us in this matter.
Sorry if my memory is failing me and the truth is slightly different as you say these were all extremely brave people, my mum used to write to my dad every week, he used to receive bundles of letter (not all of them) every 6 months to a year, one off the first letters he received was to tell him he was a father, he received that 9 months after my brother was born. He had no idea if my mum and his new born son was alive, they were living in Dartford which was very heavily bombed during the war because of the armament factories and the fact it was the German side of London so if the bombers couldn’t reach London, Dartford was targeted, it was also hit badly by doodlebugs later in the war. Actually that reminds me that my families claim to fame is that my brother slept with the world famous Keith Richards yes of the Rolling Stones fame, they were put in the same pram outside the local co op to sleep whilst my and Keith mum worked inside. Sorry @JessieAddick rather drifted off track, but I hope you enjoyed It.