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News on Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, Thailand As reported earlier on this page, in 2008 a rockfall occured at Hellfire Pass which made it necessary to close part of the Pass whilst repair work was carried out and a new access stairway intalled. The work has now been completed and the following is an extract from a letter sent to COFEPOW by the Director of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, Office of Australian War Graves describing the current situation. "On 1 September 2009, I wrote to you regarding works at Hellfire Pass to demolish the unsafe concrete access stairway and to restore access along the walking trail after damage caused by a rock fall. The purpose of this letter is to advise you that those works are now essentially complete and the walking trail is once again open. The demolition of the concrete staircase was achieved safely and with no damage to the slope to which it was attached or the rail bed below. The final element of these works will be installation of the bronze dedication plaque for the staircase on the platform at the top of the stairway, along with a panel explaining the historical significance of the stairs. In this way the contribution of those who built the concrete stairway will be recognised into the future. A by-product of the demolition work is that the bridge at the bottom of the new walkway has been replaced with a wider version. This will facilitate the movement of larger groups of visitors and emergency access to the pass as required. The other area of significant work was the erection of new stairs at the rock fall site near Hammer and Tap Cutting. The necessity to place the stairs over the rail bed in this area for safety reasons is regrettable aesthetically. However, every effort was made to minimise the disturbance to the benches built in this area by the POWs. The Office of Australian War Graves is satisfied with the outcome of these works, and the consideration that was taken for the heritage fabric and the environment of the pass. We have not painted the galvanised steel from which the stairs are
made. This decision has been taken so that the steel can mellow over
the next 6 to 12 months to the patina of the steel used elsewhere on
the walking trail in previous years. The stairs should be much less
obvious once this aging has occurred. Currently we are arranging for a detailed geological and heritage based analysis of the Hellfire Pass and the walking trail. These documents will be a reference for future work as required."
FEPOW Memorial unveiled in Filby, Norfolk 19th July 2009 On Sunday 19th July 2009 a memorial to the Far East Prisoners of War was unveiled and dedicated in the village of Filby near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. The memorial, on Filby Village Pound, had been designed and made by villager Tom Green. The siting of the memorial and its surrounds were undertaken by the Filby in Bloom Committee. In a short welcoming speech Filby in Bloom spokesman Adrian Thompson said that the memorial recognised the Far East mission of the 18th East Anglian Infantry Division which included men from the village in the 4th, 5th and 6th Battalions of the Royal Norfolk Regiment. The unveiling was carried out by the Mayor of Great Yarmouth and FEPOW Bert Major. A short dedication service was then held led by COFEPOW member and lay preacher Mrs Pauline Simpson.
Read the COFEPOW Chairman's Report for 2008 Click here
Cenotaph, Whitehall, London - Marchpast 9th November 2008 On 9th November 2008 48 members of COFEPOW took part in the Remembrance Ceremony and Marchpast at the Cenotaph, London. A wreath was laid in memory of all Far East Prisoners of War.
 Sale of Second Hand Books COFEPOW has many second hand books to sell from near new to poor condition, for further information on these please CLICK HERE.
FEPOW Fellowship Reunion - Sherborne, Dorset Over 80 people, including FEPOWs, FEPOW widows, members of COFEPOW, family and friends, attended the reunion organised by the FEPOW Fellowship Section of COFEPOW at Sherborne in Dorset from 17th to 20th October 2008. This was based at the Sherborne Hotel. On Saturday, 18th October, a remembrance service was held in the magnificent setting of Sherborne Abbey conducted by Mrs Pauline Simpson (Lay Chaplain of COFEPOW) and the Rev Canon Eric Woods (Vicar of Sherborne). Local British Legion Standard Bearers attended and wreaths were laid in the Abbey.
The next FEPOW Fellowship Reunion weekend is planned for April 2009 in Blackpool.
Netherlands Field of Honour - Ancol, Java COFEPOW member Brian Gissing recently asked a friend who lives in Indonesia to visit the Netherlands Field of Honour in Java, Brian's Dad is buried there, to check on its status in view of the civil unrest and horrendous weather which has been experienced in the area. The friend reports that the Cemetery continues to be well maintained although the grass throughout is in poor shape due to recent flooding. The local cemetery caretakers are striving to rectify the situation. The photographs below were taken by Brian's friend during his visit to the cemetery.
David Cameron visits the Far East Prisoners of War Memorial Building
Gerry Lewcock, Carol Cooper, David Cameron and Ron
Cooper On the 15th August 2008 the Conservative Party leader, David Cameron visited the National Memorial Arboretum to meet veterans at a ceremony to mark V.J. Day. On arrival he first made a visit to the Chapel for a short Remembrance Service before moving onto the new Armed Forces Memorial where he laid a wreath and spent time walking around this very impressive new memorial. Mr Cameron then moved on to the FEPOW area where he met several FEPOWs at the site of the Thai/Burma Railway and chatted for several minutes before entering the Far East Prisoners of War Memorial Building, which prior to his visit he had specifically asked to see. At the entrance to the Building he was met by Sir Henry Every, Chief Executive of the National Memorial Arboretum,and Mrs Carol Cooper, Chairman/Founder of COFEPOW, the Charity which raised the necessary funds to build the Memorial Building, assisted by a grant from the Millennium Commission. Also present were Mr. Ron Cooper and Mr Gerry Lewcock, member of COFEPOW. Mr Lewcock had met Mr Cameron when he came onto Horse Guards Parade and spoke to the COFEPOW group following the Whitehall Parade on Remembrance Sunday in November 2007. During his tour of the FEPOW Memorial Building, escorted by Sir Henry Every and Carol Cooper, Mr Cameron took great interest in several of the panels, in particular the narrative about the Sandakan Death Marches and the Hellships which it appeared he knew little about until that moment. He also showed interest in the models of the Thai railway and bridges and also the paintings and drawings on display, the work of POW artist Jack Chalker and drawn during the time of his captivity. Carol Cooper showed him the wall onto which are projected the names of all the 55,500 British military personnel sent out to the Far East in 1941/42 and captured by the Japanese. Mr Cameron was quite moved by what he saw and said he would like to come back on a private visit when he would have time to see and read more about the history of the FEPOWs and their 3½ years in captivity. Carol Cooper then presented Mr Cameron with a book based on the Far East, the ill treatment of the POWs and their futile attempts to escape. Mr Cameron then left via the FEPOW gate.
Free Travel in London for Injured War Veterans All war veterans in receipt of a pension under the War Pensions Scheme or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme will be able to travel for free on Transport for London bus,Tube, tram Docklands Light Railway and London Overground services. The scheme is expected to be introduced from 2nd November 2008. For further information see www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=17533
HMS Exeter & HMS Encounter Wrecks Found News has just been released of the discovery of the wreck of the British heavy cruiser HMS Exeter along with one of her two destroyer escorts HMS Encounter. The Exeter and Encounter were sunk on 1st March 1942 in the Java Sea by gunfire and torpedoes of the Japanese Navy. Although the position of the wrecks was discovered in February 2007, this was not made known until the identity of the ships could be confirmed. This was done recently by a survey expedition entitled 'Java Sea Revisited - The HMS Exeter Expedition'. Further information can be found on the following website www.blackdog-studios.com and follow links to 'Marine' then 'HMS Exeter Wreck Found' then 'Press Release' You will need to be able to open a 'pdf' file.
DVD of Kinkaseki Memorial Ceremony 2005 In 2005, the 60th anniversary of liberation, a DVD was produced of the annual Kinkaseki POW Memorial and its sponsorship by the British diplomatic and trade mission to Taiwan. Copies of the DVD are available to Kinkaseki veterans and/or their families in the UK and elsewhere. If you would like a copy of the DVD please contact :-
Thailand/Burma Railway at the National Memorial Arboretum COFEPOW Member Keith Andrews reports Earlier this year, Roger Price, husband of COFEPOW member Una, noticed that the sleepers on the Thai/Burma railway were deteriorating. Without restoration work this Memorial would have rotted away. Roger offered the crew from the Bluebell Railway to work on the project and my role was to liaise with Paul Kennedy, the Ground Manager at NMA. After assessing what materials would be required. Roger asked me to assist with this project and a date was set for September 10th 2006. Sunday September 10th was thankfully a bright sunny day, and when I arrived at the Arboretum a little after 10.00am, the 10-man crew from the Bluebell Railway were already hard at work. The rails had been lifted to one side, sleepers were removed and given a preservation coating. Waterproof material was cut to size to place under each sleeper along with any packing required to level the sleepers. Once that had been completed, the sleepers were re-laid and the rail replaced onto them to metre gauge. The spikes could then be tapped home into pre-drilled holes, this being done to avoid splitting the wood. The rails would also be joined with fishplates. The team now ran into some unexpected problems, a bow in one of the rails, although set to metre gauge, would force part of the rail to be out from that. The sleepers were another issue, whether to use the side with the original spoke holes rather than drill fresh holes The other issue was which side of the sleepers should be used. Could the holes for the spikes that were originally in the sleepers be utilised rather that drill fresh holes. The fishplates sent over with the rails did not fit them, so the team had to improvise using fishplates they had brought with them. The problem with the fishplates, plus a few others were overcome and the only time they stopped was for lunch and by 5.00pm nearly all the work was finished. The Memorial plaque was screwed onto one of the sleepers at the end of the rails. The few remaining sleepers that could not be used due to their condition were arranged in such a way that when ballast was put between them, they could form part of a memorial area where Crosses of Remembrance could be placed. This was left with the NMA to complete. This team of very dedicated unpaid volunteers, with enthusiasm and dedication, worked extremely hard to get the project completed. Paul Kennedy was very pleased with the finished project, as were the team, and it is congratulations to them and Roger for giving up their time to preserve this important Memorial, not only for the FEPOWs but for the COFEPOWs and all who visit the National Memorial Arboretum.
Donation of Books A quantity of brand new books have been donated by the author, Arthur Lane, to COFEPOW for sale in aid of COFEPOW funds. The books are Lesser Gods, Greater Devils and When You Go Home. For further details and how to purchase please click on title below. Lesser
Gods, Greater Devils
Radio Norfolk's Documentary on Carol's Father's Diary You can now hear this on the Radio Norfolk web site via the link below (Realplayer required) http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/08/12/features_vj_day_look_east_feature.shtml
COFEPOW MERCHANDISE
FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000 and the MOD On the 1st January 2005 the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) comes fully into force. This requires public authorities (including the Ministry of Defence (MOD) ), on request, to make available to the general public information they hold in their records and files. The MOD's response to the Act and details of their systems for making the information available are described on their web site www.foi.mod.uk .
SALE OF BOOKS TO AUGMENT COFEPOW BUILDING FUND A number of brand-new copies of the 2nd and last edition of James Bradley's book Towards the Setting Sun have been donated to COFEPOW for sale. This is a much sought-after book. For further information click here :- Books - Towards the Setting Sun.
An article from the Singapore Straits Times 12th December 2003 Don't let Force Z deaths be forgotten This Wednesday marked the 62nd anniversary of the sinking of the British battleship, HMS Prince of Wales, and a battle-cruiser, HMS Repulse, by Japanese bombers. The Prince of Wales - in its time, one of the most powerful warships in Britain's Royal Navy - was sent to the bottom of the sea off Kuantan on Dec 10, 1941, just two days after setting sail from Sembawang Naval Base as part of Force Z. More than 760 British sailors and dozens of Japanese aircrew lost their
lives in that battle. In contrast, sailors who served with Force Z have held memorial services every year since the end of World War II to mark the tragic occasion. Such apathy is unfortunate, as there are many lessons Singaporeans can learn by analysing this ship-versus-plane battle. More importantly, Singaporeans' apparent forgetfulness of how British and Commonwealth forces fought to protect Malaya exposes our relative lack of historical awareness. Though the number of Commonwealth survivors who fought in what was then British Malaya continues to dwindle each year, associations set up by servicemen who served here are a reminder to us not to forget the past. Take Singapore Prison Service's change of heart this October about demolishing Changi Prison. Instead, prison authorities pledged to preserve a small part of the jail for public display. Changi Prison won its dark place in history after British forces surrendered Fortress Singapore to the Japanese Imperial Army on Feb 15, 1942. Some 50,000 people - civilians as well as Allied prisoners of war (POW) - were crammed into the prison and its surrounding area following the surrender. Living conditions were atrocious. Many POWs did not survive their imprisonment or emerged from incarceration in a terribly emaciated state. More than six decades after the end of World War II, many of Changi's former POWs or their surviving families are not about to let Singapore forget the ordeal they suffered. The about-turn by the prison authorities appears to have been triggered by the concerns of historically minded people here and abroad that a vital physical link with World War II would vanish if Changi Prison were razed. As an estimated 15,000 Australian soldiers were held there during the war, it's understandable that Australians are watching the prison's fate with more than just a passing interest. At least half a dozen Australian Cabinet ministers joined the chorus of former Australian POWs asking that Changi Prison be saved, including Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, who reportedly raised the issue with Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a few months ago. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, too, was one of those who urged Singapore to preserve the prison. His father spent three years as a POW in Changi. If it had been improperly handled, the Changi Prison episode could have soured ties between Singapore and Australia. A workable compromise appears to have been struck between the need to modernise the Changi Prison complex, and calls to preserve a link with the prison's notorious past. It is instances like these that demonstrate how a keen sense of historical awareness can alert authorities here as to why a seemingly mundane issue like prison redevelopment can elicit emotional responses in Australia. To be sure, one cannot expect all Singaporeans to be walking encyclopaedias of historical fact. But a keener appreciation of history - especially by institutions overseeing historically significant places here - would help assure friends overseas that Singapore is not about to blot out key buildings or places in the name of urban development. Indeed, a willingness to engage overseas interest groups, like POW associations, could debunk impressions of Singaporeans as an arrogant lot who are insensitive to others. One should also not write off the tourism potential of the vast pool of foreigners who served with British forces here for more than four decades till the British withdrew in 1971. There are many servicemen who fondly remember their days at Royal Air Force airfields in Changi, Seletar, Tengah, or at the vast Royal Navy base at Sembawang. Coming back to Force Z, the hulks of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, which are war graves, are likely to rust away in a decade or so. It would be a fitting tribute to these warships - as well as to their gallant destroyer escorts, HMS Express, Electra, Tenedos and the Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire - if the authorities did something to mark or commemorate their last port of call at what is now the West Wall of Sembawang Shipyard. Nothing of that sort has been done in the past 60 years. Doing so would at least signal that the efforts of Force Z, though in vain, will not be forgotten by Singaporeans.
The National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire With effect from 11th November 2003 the control of the Arboretum is being taken over by the Royal British Legion. From that date there will be no admission charge to enter the Arboretum as the RBL consider that as a place of remembrance it should be freely accessible to all. In every other respect the Arboretum will continue to operate as before with Mrs Jackie Fisher as Site Manager.
COFEPOW Annual Membership Subscriptions As a result of the rising costs of administration COFEPOW subscriptions are being increased to £10.00 per individual or £15.00 per couple with effect from the 1st March 2003. The Trustees regret the necessity for these increases but they are the first since the formation of the Association in 1997.
Message from Tony Banham regarding Hong Kong War Diary Web Site I am pleased to announce that - finally - the first version of :- is finished. It's not perfect by far (the footnotes don't work properly, and much detail is still missing), but the 'Search Garrison' facility allows the current 15,000 short records on individual personnel (of the garrison and the non-Chinese civilian population) to be accessed by relatives and researchers. This message has been sent to the 169 people who have so far shown interest in the project, and I would be grateful if those maintaining websites or email lists relating to the subject would mention it - if you think it appropriate - (the last thing anyone wants is more spam...) Only two or three emails a year will be sent to this list, but if anyone wants to be removed from it, simply reply and tell me. Tony Banham
ARMY RECORDS The address for these has moved to:- Telephone: 01412 243030 (but all requests for records must be in
writing)
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