Dad's Letter Christmas 1952

 June 29, 2021

 Sent back home by my 19yrs old fighting in the Korean War in 1952. Now I have grandchildren this age and understand better just how very young he truly was and to be enduring this horror.

 Page 1...

From Korea

" Dear Family,

Well Christmas is here but I never thought I('d) be in a place like this. We're still in the line & will be for the New Year we pull out on Jan 4th:- so by the time you get this we should be out.

I've just received your second parcel & thanks very much family it's OK. We(ve) not had a proper dinner, our Christmas dinner comes on the 4th Jan. You should have seen the lads when I opened it HA HA + the Christmas(cake?) & cards very nice & thanks for the candles HA HA & 20 Woodbines.

The Daily Mail gave us a bottle of beer 20 Capstan and a bar of chocolate, not bad for a thank you. I also got the (news)papers & thanks for putting in the Daily Herald.

I am very sorry about Doreen(SIL), I just don't know what to say, it was such a shock to me, I only hope she soon gets well again & I know she will. When you go to see her give her my love Alan or Mam when you go, ask her if she remembers last Christmas Eve HA HA

Thanks Mrs Winters very much for putting something in for me, I've not forgotten her.

Page 2

We was woke up this morning with a cup of tea, I wish they would do it every morning then I might sign on HA HA.

We've just got a new draft come to us. I've one sleeping in with me. Every time he hears a bang or sees a flash off a gun he's always asking me what it is but being an old sweat, Dad, I tell him HA HA. It's a shame for him, he's 19 but he looks about 15. they make me sick back home sending blokes like him out. You should see the difference between the new blokes and us HA HA

The Chinks have been putting Christmas card(s) and presents on the wires and playing carols across the valley to us, very nice of them but the RAF didn't think so HA

Well I'll close now as teas up, Spam and cheese HA HA. Thanks once again sorry I couldn't be there & thank Auntie Maggie and Betty for the parcels. I'll try and drop them a line. Hope you got my card.

Your Loving son

Jack

xxxx

xxxx

xxxx

Dad passed away on January 18th this year at the nursing home and is much missed, This is his last Christmas, 68 years later...

ANZAC Day 2014 and Elizabeth's Portrait of Dad

Mostly photos today, they can tell the story better than me! This year's ANZAC Day parade was made extra special because we had four generations there...

We had a lovely buffet lunch at the RSL Hall and then went back to Mum and Dad's house for Dad's big surprise. Elizabeth has had this photo of her granddad taken in Japan in 1953 after his stint in the Korean War...as her skills improve she has been keen to take a black and white photograph and paint it in colour. This is the one she chose...

This is how it turned out...she even looks like her granddad!

Dad was quite over-come by her painting which now hangs with pride over the fireplace.

Family...nothing quite like it is there?

Love from Sue
xxx

My Nana's Fan and Elizabeth's Baby Dress

Carrying on from my Korean stories I dug out the fan that my Dad brought home from Korea in the early fifties for his mother. When we left England in 1967 to live in Australia my Nana gave the fan to me and I have taken great care of it ever since.....

After having two baby boys I was more than ready for a daughter in my life and optimistically knit this dress and matching cardigan in 1982....what joy when Elizabeth was born!

And last but certainly not least here is my Mum last week at a function in Korea, she's wearing the traditional gown and looking very fetching indeed. (Who is that humming "Three Little Maids"?)

We're expecting some stormy weather in the next few days, it's still warm though.
Hooroo
Sue
xox

A Trip To Korea

Dad was still only 16yrs of age when the Korean War began on June 25th 1950. It was still raging after he'd turned 18yrs and as such he was eligible to be drafted to serve in the British Armed Forces. Call-up came the following year and he spent his 19th birthday on the ship sailing to the Far East. Dad survived this awful time and came home a much older man, both in years and outlook.
Last year he became aware of an offer by the Seoul Government for ex-servicemen and women to attend Memorial Services in South Korea as a gesture to thank them for their time there. Each former service person can take their spouse or friend/child and the relatives of people who lost their lives in the war are invited too. The Seoul Govt pays about 50% of the air fares and covers the cost of the 6 night stay(5 star hotel, no less) as well as transport around the country to various important sites. This is the organisation to approach if you are interested in taking up this offer http://www.bkva.co.uk/membership.htm

 There were over 200 people in Dad and Mum's group from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and they were treated like royalty. Most were humbled by the high value placed on their service by the charming people of South Korea who are now prospering as opposed to the troubles in North Korea under the communist regime.

Here we have a taste of Mum's photographs, Dad looking very chipper and dignified(he isn't always lol)

Highlights were a 7 course dinner at the British Embassy, travelling on the this train to Busan in the south of the beautiful country to attend the ANZAC Dawn Service(Mum said "It was pouring, the water and mud were up to my ankles, it must have been like being in the trenches!(She travelled home in her slippers as she couldn;t get her shoes dry!!), the wonderful care given to them by the young students who accompanied them on trips and took such pleasure in their task, the waving crowds as the buses went through busy towns with their Korean War Veterans banners on the sides and just the genuine gratitude expressed by every single Korean they met during the week.

Here is a link to an article written by the UK correspondent who travelled with the Veterans...her story begins 12 minutes into the recording, it is very moving and very accurately tells the story of the trip to Busan....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01jwd5w/From_Our_Own_Correspondent_16_06_2012/ 

Thank you for coming here to read my blog, as stated my main aim is to preserve our family's stories for my grandchildren.
Have a wonderful week,
Love from Sue
xxx

Added April 24th 2020
I found this on Wikipedia, it's their account of the King's Regiment(Liverpool) in Korea

"The battalion was ordered to Korea in June 1952. By then, the Korean War had entered a period of stalemate, with trench warfare prevailing.^[163] At Liverpool, the King's embarked aboard the troopship Devonshire for Hong Kong, where it underwent training before landing at Pusan, Korea, in September. Replacing the 1st Royal Norfolk Regiment in the 29th Infantry Brigade, 1st Commonwealth Division,^[164] the 1st King's took up defensive positions on moving to the frontline, about 45 miles (72 km) from Seoul.^[165]

While much of the battalion's time at the front proved uneventful, its night patrols often clashed with Chinese troops.^[165] In 1953, the battalion withdrew to reserve for three months. A tactically important feature known as "The Hook", a crescent shaped ridge, was the scene of intense fighting between Commonwealth forces and the Chinese in May. On the night of 20 May, Chinese forces commenced a sustained bombardment of the Hook, defended by the Duke of Wellington's Regiment. Two days later, a company from the King's conducted a nighttime diversionary raid on Chinese positions known as "Pheasant". During the raid, Second-Lieutenant Caws' 5 Platoon, intended to execute the actual attack, inadvertently stumbled upon an uncharted minefield, suffering 10 wounded from a strength of 16.^[166] The attack had to be abandoned, forcing the company to withdraw with its wounded back to British lines under the protection of artillery.^[167]

A Kingsman cleaning his .30 cal Browning machine gun in a trench, 2 December 1952.

The King's moved to the right sector of the Hook on 27 May, excepting "D" Company's 10 Platoon and "B" Company (as reserve), which became attached to the Dukes. At 1953 hours, on 28 May, the battle began when a heavy artillery barrage targeted the Dukes' positions.^[166] Within minutes, the first of four successive Chinese waves attacked. Two King's platoons had to be moved forward to reinforce the Point 121 position, which soon after came under attack by two infantry companies. After the attack was repulsed with the assistance of Commonwealth artillery, the Chinese directed their attention to the King's on Point 146. As their troops assembled at Pheasant at around 2305, 1st King's Lieutenant-Colonel A.J. Snodgrass called in artillery, Centurion tank, and machine-gun fire that effectively destroyed the battalion-sized formation.^[168] Fighting continued until the British cleared the remaining troops from the Hook at approximately 0330. British casualties numbered 149, including 28 killed, while Chinese losses were estimated to be 250 killed and 800 wounded.^[169]

The 1st King's left Korea for Hong Kong in October, by which time the battalion had suffered 28 dead and 200 wounded. Of some 1,500 men that served with the King's in Korea, 350 were regular soldiers, the rest being conscripts on national service.^[166] The King's moved to Britain in 1955, were posted to West Germany the following year, and made its final return home in May 1958.^[146]

Estimated Time of Arrival

In the olden days, when I was a teenager(19yrs old to be precise) and we were expecting Auntie Jessie'sflight from from London I was sent up the road to Blay Place with a 10cent piece to phone Perth Airport and listen to the pre-recorded message telling me that the flight was on time. Then the four of us piled into our Volkswagon sedan and headed off for an hour's drive to the airport. It was much like this one without the red bits!



At that time both International and Domestic flights used what is now the Domestic Terminal, we have a posh new International Airport too now. In front of the old terminal was an Australian mini zoo where new arrivals could admire several tame kangaroos and black swans.
This pic was taken around 1970 and you can see how open and pleasant the airport was in those days...you could wander around unchallenged and enjoy watching the runways from an open air balcony!



Now this morning I have 2 VIP's flying home from Korea via Sydney and I will simply check on-line to see if their flight is on-time before driving up to collect them. Mum and Dad have been all the way to Seoul this last week to commemorate ANZAC Day with other members of British and Australian Armed Forces....Dad is a Korean War Veteran and the South Korean Govt has paid for their accommodation, meals and tours this week as well as half the cost of their flights as a thank you to Dad for his service there in the early 1950s Hopefully I'll have lots of photos to share tomorrow. Here is Dad on leave in Tokyo around 1953, bottom right...

And on ANZAC Day 2010 ready to go in the march at Pace Road,

2011, second from right at the Memorial in Pace Rd...this was when he first heard of the Korean Govt's generous offer..

His blazer ready with the new badge, a beret, tie and various other badges came from Uncle Alan in Lancaster...they were taken to him by 2 of Dad's former Mates in the King's Regiment(Liverpool).

Can't wait to see them, they've been much missed and I'm excited to hear of their trip.

Bye bye for now,
Love from Sue
xxx

ANZAC Day in Korea

The story below is of a Korean War veteran who returned to Korea last year in April to commemorate his part in the war of the early 1950s.This link explains Australia's involvement in the conflict

 http://korean-war.commemoration.gov.au/cold-war-crisis-in-korea/

JOHN Laughton is set for a trip of a lifetime, a trip for remembrance.

A Navy man for 12 years, he will join more than 200 United Nations servicemen in South Korea to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong.

The battle is regarded as one of Australia’s key military engagements during the Korean War.

“It’s going to be an extremely emotional trip,” the Dandenong Cranbourne RSL vice-president said. “It’s always been an ambition of mine to get back there and it’s not too many times you get an opportunity like this.”

As a guest of the South Korean government he will attend a dawn service in Seoul as well as visit the north-south demarcation line and a war cemetery in the southern coastal city of Busan.

Despite visiting more than 60 countries, including China and Japan, Mr Laughton hasn’t been back to South Korea since 1954.

He served on the aircraft carrier Sydney III after the Korean War ceasefire and later on the Gladstone, Bataan and Swan.

Mr Laughton has been pivotal in organising Anzac Day services at the Pillars of Freedom for the past 22 years. “My dedication to the RSL is part of my desire to make sure we remember the fallen comrades,” he said.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard will lead the commemoration in Seoul as part of an eight-day tour that includes Japan and China.