It’s time to honour all our heroes of Burma

OVER the weekend just gone, my wife and I, like thousands of others, watched the VJ Commemorations.

It was quite emotional for me because my oldest cousin lies in Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Myanmar (Burma). He was one of the many thousands who died as a result of brutality and disease contracted while working on the infamous Thai-Burma Railway and in my cousin’s case, also the infamous Bridge about which a book was written from which a film was later made.

In 2016, I was fortunate to be able to undertake a pilgrimage to my cousin’s grave. I wrote a book about that called An Itch I Had To Scratch, subtitled Finding Fred.

In my book there are a lot of factual details supplied to me from official documents about the horrors my cousin and his brothersin-arms, endured.

Fred and his best friend joined up together and after initial training, were sent to different battalions, they were never to see each other again.

Fred’s friend was sent to India, Fred to Singapore. Fred’s friend survived the war, Fred died. Fred’s friend was awarded the Burma Star, Fred the Pacific Star.

Fred’s friend – and later his sons – always felt uncomfortable about Fred not being awarded the Burma Star, after all, he lies in Burmese soil.

Had Fred lived, he could not have gone to meetings of the Burma Star Association with his friend and that bothered Fred’s friend.

Therein lies an anomaly. Many were awarded the Burma Star who never set foot in Burma, they in many ways, contributed to the war effort from India or China or elsewhere whilst thousands like Fred, were awarded the Pacific Star which, as far as I am aware, does not have an association at all. All those awarded the Burma Star deserved it in every way, it is sad though that thousands like Fred, appear to be the forgotten of the forgotten, yet they were every one, just as much a hero as their Burma Star comrades.

I would love to see this anomaly recognised in some way, even 75 years on.

Michael Wyat, Whitefield