Our unsung heroes
IN 1964, Sir David Trench, the governor of Hong Kong, received a pleasant surprise while inspecting a guard of honour in the former British Colony.
He discovered in the ranks someone familiar — a Fijian soldier.
The soldier was Pte J. Kucuve of Rukua, Beqa, who served with the South Wales Borderers, a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence in England since 1689.
Sir David knew some Fijian words and was able to converse with Pte Kucuve in Fijian.
Sir David was governor of Hong Kong from 1964 to 1971. Previously, he served as Britain’s High Commissioner for the Western Pacific and as deputy colonial cecretary.
He was awarded the British Military Cross and the United States Legion of Merit for his exploits behind enemy lines in the Solomon Islands during World War II.
Writing to the Governor of Fiji, Sir Derek Jakeway, about the incident , Sir David said, “It was quite a surprise to see a Fijian soldier in the ranks of the South Wales Borderers who were providing the Government House guard”.
Sir David’s encounter with Pte Kucuve was published in The Fiji Times of August 11, 1964.
“I managed to dredge up the three or four words of Fijian I know and I was rewarded with a broad smile.
“Apparently, they were the first Fijian words Pte Kucuve had heard for a very long time.”
More than 200 Fijian men and women joined the British Armed Forces in 1961.
Since then, they have fought alongside the British against the Japanese in World War II and are sometimes referred to as the “unsung heroes of the British Army”.