Dear Blogger
VJ Day and THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR
I was so lucky that Tom Jones turned up at my door with his photographs of the Japanese surrenda in Singapore. I think they might be official photos he was able to purchase. It was very special that one of our own was there at this historic moment.
Interestingly, since I have been sending out the Village Home Front articles, I have had an email from Christ Saunders,
My father, Ronald Whittaker from Manchester, was in the Royal Navy in mine sweepers R.N.P.S. throughout the war He was also in Singapore and watched the surrender of General Itagaki and the Japanese . My father took and developed his own photographers of the surrender, these photographs are now in my possession and will be handed down through my family.
My own father had served with the RFA (Royal Fleet Artilliary) from the age of 16 and had been involved in trials for refuelling at sea in the `30s. He also served in the Far East from 1936 so it is not surprising that he was co-opted into the Royal Navy on Rear Admiral Douglas Fisher`s British Fleet Train in the lead up on the final American attack on Japan.
A final reminder of those dark days was when Roger and I went to Yokahama on a business trip and I was able to visit the maritime museum. A magnificent tall ship was in a dry dock next to the museum and a friend and I were given a guided tour and heard the story about this special sailing ship. After the Americans had destroyed the Japanese navy, this was the only vessel which could be used to collect all the servicemen marooned on remote islands around the Pacific.
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Roger and I have met, worked with and enjoyed the company of many delightful Japanese men and women over the years. Sadly, no country seems to be imune to people intent on cruel and wicked activities, as we see these days on social media.
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That is the last posting of my Village Home Front exhibition of 2005. I hope you have enjoyed the story of what it was like to live in a village like Ruyton XI Towns during the six hears of the Second World War. Ask yourself, how would you cope in those circumstances?
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Tomorrow I will send out some pictures of the actual exhibition, see how many people you recognise, still living in the village or passed on to another place.
