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VJ veterans pay tribute to fallen
by
Terri Judd
Independent, The (London), Aug 22, 2005
.....They promised
they would never forget and yesterday, more than six decades later, they kept
their word. Hundreds of veterans of the Burma campaign gathered at the Cenotaph
for the last commemoration service in a summer of events marking the 60th anniversary
of the end of the Second World War.
.....Yesterday it was the turn of the 'Forgotten
Army', those who continued to endure the cruelties of the Far East front long
after Europe was celebrating peace.
.....Despite valiant attempts to maintain a chirpy tone, 81-year-old Reg Tully's
eyes welled up as he talked of fellow servicemen who lost their lives, their
health and their sanity in the jungles of Burma. Alongside his 83- year-old
brother Bernard, he served in the 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment, which
helped to capture Mandalay. 'There are not many of us left now but we still
talk about the boys that didn't come back,' Reg said. 'Some were only 19.'
.....The veterans stood for more than an hour on the sunny day, as they listened
to the Last Post. Several collapsed rather than request a chair. As Big Ben
chimed midday, a solemn procession including the Prince of Wales, Deputy Prime
Minister John Prescott and the chiefs of staff laid wreaths.
.....John Baxter, 86, who served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers,
laid a wreath of white Singapore lilies on behalf of the Far East Prisoners
of War Association.
©
The Independent. Reproduced with permission
Ptes. Reginald and Bernard Tully