‘Forgotten Army’
“The same thing didn’t happen with the Japanese war criminals. After the war the US began to regard the Communists in China as a growing threat. The US wanted the Japanese on side. A big sticking point to that cooperation were the war crime trials which had carried on into 1949. It was four years after the end of the war and they wanted them concluded.
“A detailed report about the Suez Maru atrocity was sent to the British. The Secretary of State for War, Emmanuel Shinwell. sent it to Cabinet colleagues but ultimately they decided against going ahead with a war trial. He said: ‘Either way, as I see it, we must be prepared to face criticism. If we started a new trial now, we would be open to attack for waiting more than four years after the end of the war to deal with a crime committed six years ago. And in the contrary event, the relatives of the murdered prisoners of war might well cause questions to be asked if they heard that those responsible would never be brought to justice’.
“It was a very deliberate concealment on behalf of the British Government, to not only know it was controversial, and morally wrong not prosecute, but also to conceal this from the families of the men who died, and know those families would be devastated - and carry on anyway.
“My family simply had a letter about Jack’s death which said: ‘I deeply regret to inform you that a report has been received from the Japanese Government that your Son has died as a result of the sinking of a Japanese transport vessel on which he, together with others was being transferred from Java to another Prisoner of War camp, location not stated, on the 29. November. 43. The official notification of death is enclosed herewith. Please accept my deepest sympathy for you in your sad loss.’
“My Grandad passed away in 1982 and he never knew what happened to his brother. He never even knew the name Suez Maru. The rest of his life he had wanted to know but he never found out.”
Jacquelyn, 48, is an archaeologist, who specialises in medieval metallurgical collections.
The mum-of-one, whose son is six years old, grew up in Walton in Liverpool before moving to Southport when she was 10-years-old.
She said: “We used to come to Southport on holiday when I was younger. We used to love coming here and walking down Lord Street.
“Sometimes people who have always lived here forget just how special Southport is.”
The past 10 years of her life have been dedicated to discovering the remarkable truth behind her Great Uncle’s life.
The book was finally published on July 30 and it is a story that demands to be heard.
Ten years of research and inspiration for the book took place in libraries and records offices, and first on a trip to Kanchanaburi, later on a journey to Java and Ambon in 2012 with the Java 1942 Club.
Jacquelyn said: “Walking in my great uncle Jack’s footsteps, standing on the airstrip he had been forced to build with his brothers in arms, imagining the hellish nightmare laid upon these men, on what was, and is a beautiful paradise island, is something that will stay with me, and in my heart, forever.
“It has been a long journey from the River Kwai to building the Suez Maru Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum, by way of Java and the island of Ambon, where I’d wound a poppy around a tree branch.
“It is great that the book is actually here. Actually having a copy in my hand feels quite spine tingling. It has been on a computer screen for 10 years. I am excited about it but take a pause to think about the very special person behind it.”
Its publication is timely. August 15 this year marks the 75th anniversary since VJ Day.
While VE Day was celebrated extensively this year, and always has been, the families of those who served, fought and died in places like India, Burma, Singapore and elsewhere in the Far East regard their relatives as ‘The Forgotten Army’.
A growing campaign wants to see that change.
Jacquelyn said: “Last year on VJ Day I went to Southport War Memorial on August 15 and I was the only person standing there. I laid the only wreath on the Monument. There was nobody else around.”
Jacquelyn became tearful as she said: “I think that was absolutely tragic that they had all been forgotten. It’s emotional just thinking about it.”
Jacquelyn is not looking for VJ Day to be given any special treatment over VE Day, just for those who died in the brutal conflict to be remembered with similar thought and respect.
She has enlisted the support of her local MP, Southport’s Damien Moore, who is backing her appeal.
She said: “The motivation behind the day is to remember, to give thanks for our freedom, and to remember their sacrifice.
“During the war those who fought in Europe, in North Africa, in the Far East, they were all brothers in arms, no matter where they were.
“It is not one or the other. We should be remembering them alongside each other because their sacrifice was the same. It is the same war, but different theatres.
“It is like saying you can support the England rugby team but you can’t support the England football team. They were all our chaps.
“I know the celebrations will have to be different this year because of the coronavirus outbreak, and people have to remain safe. But there should be some show of support.
“This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Japanese surrender at the end of World War Two.
“Not another year should pass without some formal recognition of their sacrifice, their courage and what they did and what they went through.”
To find out more about Jacquelyn’s book, please visit unwrittenletterstospringstreet.co.uk
Unwritten Letters To Spring Street is available via Amazon now.