Comment | Read Comments (1)

Today many claim it to be the "Forgotten War'' but in Southampton, more than half a century ago, the survivors of the cruel, harsh conditions of Korea were welcomed with open arms by those who always remembered.

For the crowds that thronged the city's docksides, in the autumn of 1953, waiting for that first glimpse of a loved one, who had been fighting for freedom in a foreign land that previously many British people had never considered, must have seemed like an eternity.

However, 58 years ago, the country, still carrying the deep scars of the Second World War, had to face up to another conflict when at 4am on June 25, 1950 the Cold War erupted into flames as the North Korean army launched an all-out offensive against the South.

Britain answered the call to arms as once again the British Tommy went into battle in a country far away that for most people, at the time, would be hard to find on a map.

There is still a feeling, especially among those that endured the terrible hardships of Korea, that this conflict has been forgotten and overshadowed by the Second World War.

The Korean War exacted a heavy toll on all sides with the British forces suffering 1,078 killed in action, 2,674 wounded and 1,060 missing or taken prisoner.

America's list of dead added up to 40,000, while the true casualty figures for the north and south Koreans will never be known. It is estimated that 46,000 soldiers were killed and 486,000 injured fighting for the south and in the north the communists lost about 215,000 killed, 303,000 wounded and more than 101,000 captured or missing.

After three years of fierce fighting the conflict came to an end, an armistice had been signed and the soldiers were heading for Southampton for the most emotional and heartfelt reunion of their lives.

Together with the relatives and friends waiting for the arrival of the troopships, 55 years ago, was a Daily Echo photographer who captured the joy, warmth and love of the soldier's home-coming.

With the help of modern technology these images, first recorded on glass-plate negatives, new generations are able to see these remarkable moments frozen in time.

As one by one, the soldiers came down the troopship's gangway their eyes eagerly searched the crowds for the faces of wives, mothers, sisters and girlfriends they had waited for so long to see.

For many of the troops, who were battlefield casualties or had faced the deprivations of prisoner-of-war camps, the welcome was even sweeter as, against all the odds, they had made it home.

Soldiers squeezed through the mass of people to sweep loved ones off their feet, others saw a son or daughter for the first time, while families embraced knowing, at last, they were all together again.

Throughout that October, a steady stream of soldiers arrived in Southampton and as each troopship came alongside the docks the same tender scenes took place.

There were many remarkable stories such as that of 27-year-old Private John Goulding of the King's Regiment who was sent to Korea the day after his wedding only for his new wife to be told, 12 months later, he had been killed in action. Then it was discovered that, in fact, he had only been injured and 24 hours later another telegram arrived saying he was alive, but he would be admitted to the military hospital at Netley.

As the month went on hundreds more servicemen, including many released from prisoner-of-war camps, arrived in the port and on each occasion the mayor of Southampton, Alderman, Mrs Victoria King was there to ensure a civic reception.

The troopships would be met early in the morning by the Red Funnel tug-tender, Calshot, which remains to this day in the city's docks, and soldiers would be ferried back to the Western Docks where their families patiently waited.

Among the hundreds of service who returned on the troopship, Dunera, were three Southampton soldiers who had been captured prisoners-of-war in North Korea.

They were Corporal GS Thomas of 38, Graham Road and Private Gordon Birch of Oxford Avene, who had both seen active service with the Gloucestshire Regiment, which history records fought so bravely during the conflict, and Sergeant John Holberton of 96, Portsmouth Road, Woolston, a member of the 8th Hussars.

Corporal Thomas and Sergeant Holberton had been taken prisoner by the communist forces during the infamous Imjin River battle.

"Our treatment at first was pretty rough, but it improved later one,'' Corporal Thomas told the Daily Echo.

"Perhaps the worst of all was the monotony of the food, which consisted of barley, rice and bread.

"Attendance at camp lectures on communism was compulsory, but most of the chaps took no notice at all.'' For 21-year-old Gordon Birch the arrival in Southampton marked the end of his time as a National Serviceman as his days in the ranks had come to an end.

"There were quite a few Southampton men in the Number 1 camp in North Korea where I was prisoner and we all got along well together,'' said Private Birch.

"I never experienced any ill treatment but we were only given just enough food to survive.''

5:02pm Tuesday 22nd July 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login