New memorial to remember
STONE TABLET IN CITY PARK IS POIGNANT REMINDER OF THEIR SACRIFICE
WITH war raging in Europe and the Luftwaffe bringing it even closer to home, British soldiers on the frontline in the Far East during the Second World War were dubbed the “Forgotten Army”.
Even when the war in Europe ended among scenes of jubilation in Britain in May 1945, those tasked with fighting the Japanese endured another three months of fierce fighting.
Sunday was the 76th anniversary of VJ Day, commemmorating Victory over Japan.
Last week a memorial stone dedicated to those who fought, were imprisoned and died in the Far East was unveiled in the city, and immediately stirred up memories of one of these brave soldiers for resident Tom Murtha.
On hearing of Leicester City Council’s memorial at Victoria Park, his first thought was of his Uncle Sam.
“It was good to see there is a memorial now for those people in Leicester, and just to remember that my uncle was one of many who sadly became a prisoner of war during the Second World War,” Tom said.
HORRORS OF WAR
Private Sam Poulton was born and grew up in Leicester.
Aged 28, he was sent to serve in Malaya (now Peninsular Malaysia) in 1941. He was later captured, and spent three years as a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp.
He was forced to work as slave labour on the construction of the Burma Railway, alongside some 60,000 Allied prisoners.
Allied PoWs endured torture, hard labour and starvation under the Japanese, and tens of thousands of allied prisoners of war died in the construction of the railway.
Many prisoners died under appalling conditions during its construction and the line became known as the Death Railway. It was immortalised in David Lean’s 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai, which focuses on the bridge across the Kwae Yai river.
Tom, who also grew up in Leicester, said: “I remember my mother telling me stories about the fact he was a PoW in the Second World War after he was captured by the Japanese Army.
“The thing I remember most was that he was involved in building the Burma Railway. The people who were building the railway suffered terribly and many died because of the conditions.
“I know my uncle was a skeleton when he was liberated from the camp (by US soldiers in 1945).
“One of the stories my mother used to tell was that he was taken on a US boat back to England from Burma and during that voyage he had to undergo a fattening up process.”
Tom remembered Uncle Sam as a “quiet and unassuming man who
usually had a smile on his face”.
He returned from the war to his family – his wife and two children – but his years as a prisoner took their toll both mentally and physically.
Uncle Sam suffered health issues as a result of his imprisonment and
required regular visits to the hospital. When he died in 1971, in his late 50s, the family believed these longterm effects of the war were the cause.
Tom said: “My mum always said he died of some ill-health issues he picked up when he was a prisoner of war.
“Living in a tropical jungle without proper medical treatment, simple things like dysentery became quite serious and long-term stomach complaints. And just with the effects of hard labour and malnutrition, I know there were a number of illnesses.”
For all that he lived through, his uncle never told stories of the war.
“He just never talked about it,” said Tom. “I think it was something of that generation. They never glorified it, never talked about it, they just wanted to forget it. A lot of people suffered really badly.”
For Tom, the new memorial in Peace Walk is an important act of remembrance.
He said: “The people who fought in Burma are often regarded as the forgotten army, there were thousands of British troops who went over to the Far East, and lots of Indian troops and Commonwealth troops as well.
“That’s something else we forget, it wasn’t just the white English troops fighting in the Far East, Indian troops fought there, Pakistani troops, Sikh troops and obviously in Leicester that’s quite important because there’s a big community in Leicester now.
“My uncle was one of many... he was not special, he was just one of many who was imprisoned as a prisoner of war, and it’s just good to know that they will be remembered for what they did.”
The memorial stone on Peace Walk was dedicated to those Far East troops last Tuesday.
Evington ward councillor, Deepak Bajaj said: “The Second World War affected many thousands of lives, both among the armed forces and among the civilian community, but the hardship and suffering endured by those in the Far East is often overlooked.
“Families were destroyed and many of those returning from the Far East were permanently scarred by their experiences.
“This memorial stone provides the opportunity for us to remember their sacrifices and will hopefully bring some comfort to their families that they are not forgotten.”