Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies has joined forces with the son of a Prisoner of War held by Japan in World War II to encourage people to mark the 75th anniversary of VJ Day on August 15th.
On May 8th, despite being in lockdown, people throughout the country held events in their homes and gardens to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day, which marked the end of World War II in Europe, and James is keen that people carry out similar celebrations for VJ (Victory over Japan) Day, which marks the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, which in effect, brought the war to an end.
James recently met up with Eric Ward of Rhuddlan, whose father Russell Ward was a Prisoner of War (POW) in Taiwan.
Mr Ward said:
“Although VE Day is quite rightly commemorated for the wonderful day it was and in remembrance of the many thousands who died and suffered to achieve it, it is a sad fact that VJ Day is not as widely remembered by many.
“My father was a Lance Bombardier in the Royal Artillery of the 5th Field Regiment. When Singapore fell in 1942 he, with thousands of others, was taken prisoner and confined in Changi Jail. It was hard there with instances of brutality on a daily basis and a severe shortage of food; even so, there was no indication of the horrors and atrocities that lay ahead.
“During October 1942 hundreds of POWs, my father among them, began a three week horrifying voyage to Taiwan, where he was taken to Camp Taihoku and later to Kinkaseki Camp, the infamous copper mine camp where the Prisoners of War were semi starved and brutally beaten with hammers if they did not mine the required quota of copper every day.“On arrival at the camp, my father saw a young POW of about 20 years of age. On his hat he had written the words ‘Sunny Rhyl’ and my father discovered Eifion Roberts was a native of Rhuddlan. Two young men from a small Welsh village meeting on the other side of the world in the hell that was Kinkaseki. They remained lifelong friends.
“My father didn’t return home until the beginning of 1946, as he had to go to Manila in the Philippines, and then to Australia to recuperate. I was five at the time and it was the first time I met him.
“He’d always been a very fit man prior to his time in Taiwan, He was an amateur boxer for the army and played all types of sport. But when he left Taiwan he was about six stone and suffered a chronic chest condition for the rest of his life.
“He didn’t talk a lot about his experience as a Prisoner of War and I’ve always regretted that I didn’t ask enough questions.
“My wife and myself went to Taiwan six years ago in 2014 and were taken around the camps. It was an incredibly emotional trip. We happened to be there on Remembrance Sunday and the ceremonies they had were incredible. We met a whole group of other people whose family members had been Prisoners of War like my father and now we meet up regularly.
“Had it not been for the pandemic, we would have all be in London at St Martin in the Fields to mark the anniversary, but sadly this can’t happen now.
“Instead I hope to mark the anniversary with my family, with my son and his family who live locally and hopefully my sons who live away will also be able to join us.
“My father sadly died in 1992 and Eifion in 2012. It is vitally important that we all mark VJ Day. The act of remembrance is for the thousands who suffered and who have often been forgotten.”
James said:
“It was a real privilege to meet Eric and I thank him for sharing his story. It must have been very difficult for him to visit Taiwan and to learn more about the horrific suffering that his father and thousands of other POWs were forced to ensure.
“Sadly many events to mark VJ Day have had to be cancelled because of the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all pay tribute to the tens of thousands of service personnel from across the UK and the Commonwealth who fought and died in the war against Japan, including all those who were held Prisoners of War by the Japanese.
“I therefore urge people to replicate the fantastic events they held at home with friends and family for VE day, to ensure that the 75th anniversary of VJ Day is commemorated in the way in which it deserves to be.”
