There are only a couple of people here who've briefly mentioned VJ day - thank you. What people don't remember or don't know is that the war did not end with VE Day. There were so many British, Australian and Dutch prisoners of war, for example, still stuck in camps in the likes of Singapore, Burma and Japan.
The basic story is that, once the Japanese surrendered on August 15th, 1945 and our men who had been imprisoned under horrendous conditions were "free", they didn't set out for home until September, October or even later. They were told not to make a fuss on arrival and were sent home by sea the long way round so that they had time to fatten up their emaciated bodies and not shock the happy population at home who had recently celebrated VE Day.
My own father who, like so many others, was there at the fall of Singapore and spent 3 1/2 years in captivity, was shipped out via the United States into California, then cross-country on a train into Canada, then by boat again into Liverpool and by train back home to Aberdeen. For gallant soldiers who were all so ill, this was ridiculous treatment when they could have been flown home directly.
But they were basically told, Don't rain on their parade (those at home elated at the end of the war in Europe), don't speak about the horrors in the PoW camps and on Death Railway, nor were they were given help in finding jobs or being treated for PTSD or the numerous tropical diseases many of them were still suffering from.
Churchill made errors in his tactical strategy against the Japanese and these, coupled with the treatment of those who survived to come home, have led me to despise him. He's not the big war hero he's been painted, people like my father were.
I am procrastinating and need to stop!
