Warfare in News

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the day Singapore fell to the Japanese during the Second World War and thousands of British soldiers were taken prisoner.

Carol Cooper, the daughter of Lance Corporal William Smith of the Royal Norfolk Regiment, who was captured by Japanese troops and taken to Changi Prison in eastern Singapore along with many other British prisoners (and later died of malnutrition, dysentry, malaria and a cardiac condition), set up the Children of the Far East Prisoner of War charity.

Mrs Cooper was motivated by a desire to educate people about the Far East prisoners' experiences. Her father's experience had not been discussed in the family and she knew very little of his experiences until his diaries were found in 1994.

The COFEPOW charity will hold a remembrance service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire later today in honour of all the POWs who suffered and died in Asia.

For a further account of serving in 1942 in Singapore, see that of Fergus Anckorn in Warfare issue 4.

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the day Singapore fell to the Japanese during the Second World War and thousands of British soldiers were taken prisoner. Carol Cooper, the daughter of Lance Corporal William Smith of the Royal Norfolk Regiment, who was captured by Japanese troops and taken to Changi Prison in eastern Singapore along with many other British prisoners (and later died of malnutrition, dysentry, malaria and a cardiac condition), set up the Children of the Far East Prisoner of War charity. Mrs Cooper was motivated by a desire to educate people about the Far East prisoners' experiences. Her father's experience had not been discussed in the family and she knew very little of his experiences until his diaries were found in 1994. The [url="http://www.cofepow.org.uk/"]COFEPOW[/url] charity will hold a remembrance service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire later today in honour of all the POWs who suffered and died in Asia. For a further account of serving in 1942 in Singapore, see that of Fergus Anckorn in [url="http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=&refresh=Bk8061yD1X7j&EID=6d805012-e513-4fbb-8018-628cfeece36a&skip="]Warfare issue 4[/url].