Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Lest we FORGET
Every year for Remembrance Day, Vaughan Williams proudly pins poppies to a uniform from his late father’s treasured collection, and remembers how much he endured for his country in the Second World War.
Having served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Private William – or Bill to family and friends – was captured in 1942 by the Japanese. He was held as a prisoner of war in the notorious Changi Prison in Singapore, along with his brother Haydn, until 1945.
The brothers, from Merthyr Tydfil, Mid Glamorgan, managed to survive the terrible conditions because they looked after each other.
But in 1945, Bill’s fiancee, Joan Oakes, got news from the British Red Cross that Bill had cerebral malaria – and he fought through
Bill and Joan on their wedding day that too. Proudly telling his father’s story of survival against the odds, Vaughan says: “My father was a prisoner of war for three-and-a-half years. He was a very quiet man, though, and rarely spoke about it.” The brothers finally made it home, and their picture appeared in the local paper as the town came out to celebrate their return. Vaughan, who is in his mid-60s, says: “It was also a love story of a young couple who went on to marry.”
Sadly Bill passed away, aged only 64, in 1984. Vaughan’s mother, Joan, survived him for many years, until she was 82. “The Royal British Legion were a great help to my late mother, which I’ll always be grateful for,” says Vaughan.
And on the eve of our country’s memorial day to honour those who have given their lives, Vaughan says: “We will remember them.”
Who will you be remembering on Armistice Day this year? Email siobhan.mcnally@mirror.co.uk