On the 80th anniversary, the memory of my father's VE Day in a POW camp is sharp: we owe VJ Day the same honour
6 May 2025, 11:38 | Updated: 6 May 2025, 12:07
On May 8th, 1945 – the day we now celebrate as VE Day – my father, Sergeant Cliff Martin, was a prisoner of war.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
He wasn't in Europe; he was thousands of miles away in the mountains outside Tokyo, enduring hell in the Mitushima POW camp. Starving, sick, and brutalised after years of captivity, he didn't even know the war in Europe was over.
For him, and countless others like him, liberation was still four months away.
While VE Day marks the crucial defeat of fascism in Europe, it's vital we remember the war didn't end there. My father's story highlights this often-overlooked truth.
Stationed in Malaya, he was captured during the fall of Singapore after a desperate fighting retreat.
His captivity was a relentless nightmare. From the notorious Changi camp, he was sent deep into the jungle to labour on the "Death Railway," where starvation, disease, and brutality were daily realities.
He miraculously survived, only to be shipped to Japan in the squalid hold of a "Hell Ship" for further slave labour.
My dad was part of the "Forgotten Army" – the British and Commonwealth forces in the Far East whose immense sacrifices often fade behind the European narrative.
It would be a tragedy if, amidst the rightful celebrations of VE Day's 80th Anniversary, their prolonged ordeal was once again overshadowed.
To honour my father's resilience and that of his comrades, I wrote "From Stepney to Hell…and Back." Their experiences demand our attention.
Let's ensure our VE Day commemorations are inclusive.
As we celebrate victory in Europe, let's also remember the Forgotten Army, honour their sacrifice, and give VJ Day the equal recognition it has long deserved.
________________
Geoff Martin is an author based in Hastings
LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.
The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.
To contact us email opinion@lbc.co.uk
