1st glosters in korea

Discussion in 'Korea' started by rachel-E, Apr 10, 2011.

  1. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

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  2. Guy Hudson

    Guy Hudson Looker-upper

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    He originally enlisted in the Essex Regiment, did he remain with them throughout the war?
    When he was called up from the Reserves he was posted to the 1st Glosters?
     
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  3. Shel

    Shel New Member

    Hello there. Thanks for replying and for the information. Yes he was enlisted in the Essex Regiment ( he was from the Chelmsford area ). I have always assumed you stay with your first regiment but of that I cannot be sure. When he returned from France he said they, the seven of them, just managed to get on the last boat home and he slept on the foredeck for 17 hours waking up in Southampton Water. He was then sent to guard the dams in Wales, Elan Valley. It was then that he volunteered himself and two of his best mates ( without their knowledge ) for The Chindits. He did two expeditions with them and then went for training for the invasion of Japan, practising night drops up the Brahmaputra when they got the news of the two bombs on Japan, met with disbelief. His two mates survived unscathed and lived long and fruitful lives in Essex. My dad got a job at Marconi ( he had been a radio operator ) He got his call-up for Korea early doors. My mother was already pregnant with me and I was born full term 07/07/51. Of course he was already a POW then but for some time he was listed as MIA due to the confusion on that peninsular. The Gloster POWs were handed over to the North Koreans who were pretty inept by all accounts and found it hard to deal with these POWs. So they herded them against a roadside clearing and began setting up three large machine guns on tripods in order to shoot them. Fortunately a large column of Chinese troops and armour came along at that moment. The Chinese officers leapt from their vehicles and slapped and chastised the Korean officers on their knees before taking the POWs off them and taking them away back towards the front. They eventually were marched by the Chinese back up north to relative safety and after that my dad said they were treated "Fairly". I suppose McArthur, who was in trouble at that point, only needed a story of POW war heroes massacred after Imjin to allow him to use his favourite weapon again. Those Chinese officers sounded like they were on the ball, eh?
     
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