VJ Day You are Not the Forgotten Army

Discussion in 'All Anniversaries' started by Enigma1003, Aug 14, 2015.

  1. Enigma1003

    Enigma1003 Member

    Heres hoping all who are attending the VJ events in London, and indeed any other local events, have a memorable time and are able to witness that it is not The Forgotten Army.

    Church service at St Martin-in-the-Field , followed by Drumhead Service, followed by The Cenotaph and Horse Guards Parade.

    Coverage on BBC1 from 10.30 on Saturday.

    Lest we forget …….. Keep the candle burning.
     
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  2. Shiny 9th

    Shiny 9th Member

    Totally agree, its the most publicity I have ever seen of the contribution made by The Forgotten Army.
    "They Gave Their Tomorrow For Our Today"
     
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  3. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    VJ Day: Veteran of the Forgotten Army - "We are still forgotten today"

    [​IMG]

    A BURMA veteran who served with a crack unit during the Second World War says the lack of events in East Yorkshire to mark the 70th anniversary of VJ Day shows he is still a member of the "Forgotten Army".
    Events are being held across the country tomorrow (Saturday) to mark victory over Japan, with the Queen, the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister David Cameron expected to join thousands of veterans and guests in Westminster.
    However, when asked by the Mail for details of Hull's tribute to those who fought and died during the final months of the war, the city council confirmed no event had been organised.
    East Riding Council said it was sending its vice-chairman, John Dennis, to a church service[​IMG] in Snaith, near Goole, on Sunday.
    Other enquiries made by the Mail, including to Beverley Town Council, also revealed no planned events.
    Geoffrey Rawlings, 97, a former president of the Burma Star Association, said: "When we returned to Hull in 1945, we felt like the Forgotten Army, because victory had been declared in Europe several months earlier.
    "We were still fighting the Japanese when people were celebrating VE Day. It seems to me we are still forgotten today. It is very upsetting to veterans."
    Mr Rawlings, who hung up the association's standard at Holy Trinity Church in July 2012, fought with the little-known Chindits – officially known as the 3rd Infantry Division.
    He spent months behind enemy lines in Burma, using guerilla warfare tactics against the Japanese, while relying on handouts from villagers when monsoons ruled out resupply from the air.
    Ken Simmonds, secretary of the Hull branch of the Royal British Legion, is a veteran of the 1950s Malaya campaign, and described the lack of events as a "poor show".
    "It stinks of penny-pinching to me," he said. "This anniversary should have been recognised with a service at the war memorial in Ferensway, which is owned by the council."
    St Laurence Priory Church, in Snaith, will hold its VJ Day service on Sunday at 10.45am.



    Read more: http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/VJ-Day-Veteran-Forgotten-Army-8211-forgotten/story-27603704-detail/story.html#ixzz3isrx8Sms



     
  4. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

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  5. Lotus7

    Lotus7 Well-Known Member

    Took time out to day to watch the VJ Day 70. On the BBC. This afternoon very emotional, a great tribute to all who served.
    Nice to see at the end some veterans enjoying themselves.


    David
     
  6. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

  7. slick

    slick Junior Member

    I`m always amazed at how resilient those gents and ladies were, considering the circumstances. Interesting that more than one mentioned being told not to talk about their experiences on their return. Having to live with those memories for decades must have been excruciatingly painful.
     
  8. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Yes very truthful
    the chap left behind and still with him after all theses years also the other gentleman who had the terrible task of shooting his colleague.
     
  9. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    In general, returning POW's from the Far East were instructed not to talk about their experiences with their loved ones. Some were fortunate enough to live close by to a Burma Star Association or Far East POW club and could express themselves amongst like-minded comrades.

    On the flip side, some wonderful therapeutic, psychological and medical work was done for these men by the staff at places like the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton. But this did not begin until many years after their return.
     
  10. zahonado

    zahonado Well-Known Member

    Yes I think it's true that they were told not to talk about it, and the psychological effects were terrible. Interesting that in published studies of three brigades after evacuation in1944 did not appear to recognise what we would now call ptsd, though other mental illnesses were recognized...ie those not caused by what these men went through. HOw their families coped with the trauma afterwards is another matter. A whole generation had to cope with the uncopable.
     

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