"When Johnny Came Marching Home"
Mike Berry
This extraordinary account of John Berry's wartime experiences, vividly recounted by his son, is now available from Amazon's sites in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
'A powerful and moving story from a little known theatre of the war'
Damien Lewis, best selling author: SAS Brothers in Arms
Remembering John Berry
John Berry became one of the 700 Saigon Battalion prisoners sent to work on the Burma Railway in June 1943.
In later years, Radio Merseyside broadcast this interview of John in conversation with his son Mike:
John Berry became one of the 700 Saigon Battalion prisoners sent to work on the Burma Railway in June 1943.
In later years, Radio Merseyside broadcast this interview of John in conversation with his son Mike:
Since that interview, Mike has written some very powerful poetry on the theme of Far East POWs.
The first of the four poems set out below starts with John's early life and goes on to describe his horrific experiences as a POW. The second is a broader description of the FEPOW ordeal that John went through. The third poem (The Mergui Road) documents a separate atrocity, and ends with a fitting tribute to the writer's father. The fourth describes the massacre of Nanking.
WHEN JOHNNY CAME MARCHING HOME
Born in Toxteth the bleak Southend of the bustling port of Liverpool
Where the tough streets, deprivation and poverty were your only real school
A large family struggling to survive weekly on no more than a mere pittance
In a multi cultural tribal area with very little hope and not much of a chance
He grew up always fighting getting in many scuffles, fights and spats
And was so good at it that he was selected to box for St Pats
His playground was right there on the hard cobbled street
Where he roamed and played in his little sore bare feet
His boxing prowess and reputation began to quickly grow
When the travelling circus invited him to join their Show
Last 3 rounds with him in the ring and win some much needed dough
But not many lasted the ordeal and they took many a hard blow
He joined the army as a mere boy to serve his country and the King
Where again he showed his superb boxing skills in the ring
An Army boxing champion he soon became
Even the top brass heard of his growing fame
Off to Scotland at Scapa Flo he was quickly dispatched
Where the embryonic plan for the SAS was initially hatched
After lengthy arduous training in physical combat techniques with his special forces crew
He was now ready for proper
military action and battle in the heat of World War2
But he got involved in a fight with two confrontational Officers in the Mess
Which caused both opponents a lot of pain, punishment and self inflicted distress
Summoned to the CO’s office and asked to formally apologise
He blatantly refused to do so which began his own demise
Although his actions were rightly justified but perhaps a little too crude
He was told to formally apologise or get sent back to his regiment and be RTU’d
So back to his Royal Artillery Unit he was then sent
And then off to the Far East in Singapore is where he then went
This treacherous journey would not be nice for him and he would shed many a tear
Heading to an unimaginable taste of hell was this young tough Bombardier
Manning the heavy ack ack artillery and always alert and ready
The Japanese attacked Singapore and the onslaught was savage vicious and steady
After a bitter battle to see this vital strategic stronghold defended
The Allies parleyed a little and then sadly surrendered
First imprisoned and Ill treated in infamous Changi then taken by the sweaty and filthy hell ship Nisshu Maru to far away Saigon
Where life turned even more ugly and nasty and virtually unbearable for young brave Bombardier John
The Japanese were barbaric, sadistic and dealt out many cruel, brutal and savage knocks
And the two courageous , heroic and desperate escapees Baxter and Cassidy were executed on the Saigon Docks
After many repetitive months of hard Labour in the boiling hot Indochina sun
It was off to the Siam/Burma Railway of Death which would be the end for some
A dirty Cup of filthy water and a small portion of unappetising maggoty rice
Working 7 days a week non stop on the railway was insufferable, punishing and a very heavy price
The inhumane Japanese were brutal, vicious, unfriendly and barbaric
And it mattered not a jot to them if you were fit, weak or deliriously sick
‘Speedo speedo’ they screamed and that was their continuous repetitive shout
And the prisoners toiled and slaved daily till they were all exhausted and worn out
A rifle butt in the ribs or a stinging knuckle smack across the jaw and face
Was the regular calling card of this evil, cowardly and bullying Japanese race
Torture, cruelty and unbearable pain with no hope made many men understandably cry
But even more so when they watched their brave sick and weary comrades one by one slowly die
Every day they had to blast through a thick mountainous tropical jungle area
Even though riddled with beri beri, jaundice, cholera dysentery and debilitating malaria
The Japanese inhumane brutality was nasty , vicious and callously mean
In the worst living conditions and depravity the weary prisoners had ever seen
One day a fight was arranged between an Aussie boxing champ and John
And the Japanese surprisingly allowed the men to set it up and get it on
Round after round encircled by the officers, prisoners and the watching Japanese guards
The two brave scrawny prisoners fought competitively with bruises, cuts and almost no holds barred
When one of them staggered and seemed to be gone
Neither would give in and bravely fought on and on
After 15 rounds of combat sweat blows and blood
The Japanese CO suddenly stopped the fight as only he could
He praised the two prisoners for being so courageous and brave
And told the rest to work much harder or be put in a grave
A day later after receiving a really heavy face slap from a Japanese guard
John retaliated defiantly, fiercely and punched him back on the chin real hard
Just as the Japanese guards were about to bayonet him after beating him enough
The CO stepped in loudly to stop and they immediately backed off
The officer said in the fight he was tough, courageous and very brave
But warned no more disobedience would be tolerated and he must work hard and behave
Eventually the Allies were victorious and the lengthy War was eventually won
And the Japanese torture, punishment and barbarism was thankfully finally over and done
He was sent for a full check up in a POW hospital in Rangoon
Dreaming of getting better and getting back home soon
It was a long sail back to Blighty and a lonely landing at The Pier Head
From where he walked to his home in Upper Stanhope St to find his mother was dead
Life had been very hard for Johnny and full of some very tough knocks
But he soon got a slightly easier job down on the Liverpool Docks!!
I am so proud, honoured and privileged to be the Eldest Son
Of a FEPOW Hero from Liverpool
My brave and lovely Dad John 🙏
BARBARIANS OF JAPAN
Some people say that Japan is a dignified country and full of nice civilised people bowing to their knees
But there are some of us who know their history better and truly abhor the hypocrisy of actions such as these
A warrior race and great fierce fighters is of course true and that we all know
Living by their “ noble” samurai code of honour the so called Bushido
In WW2 their many atrocities were truly barbaric and horrifically inhumane
Torturing their captives brutally and inflicting so much cruel unbearable pain
The Geneva Convention states how armies should conduct themselves and how in war and conflict to behave
Nowhere does it mention using prisoners of war as a labouring animal and put to work as a manual slave
With their banzai attacks and vicious marauding very effective fierce jungle fighting
Cowardly massacring thousands of innocent men, women and babies in The Rape of Nanking
It was truly horrific how they conquered and killed anything that even got in their way
Then using prisoners of war as slave labour on the infamous Siam-Burma Death Railway
Men who took a banana or some extra rice just to try and survive
faced brutal torture and punishment and were very lucky to stay alive
They were savagely battered, slapped, bayoneted, viciously punched and regularly fiercely booted
In some cases like brave heroic escapees Baxter and Cassidy in Saigon they were summarily executed
Treating fellow humans like animals with cruel deprivation and cruel starvation
Is hardly the actions of a so called noble, principled and honourable nation
Brave prisoners who were exhausted, dying and virtually just down to skin and bone
Were shown no mercy by their savage Japanese captors so far away from their home
Thousands were brutally tortured, beaten and many thousands more unfortunately died
All denied at the Tokyo Trials of course where the Cowardly Japanese Officers all timidly lied
Supposed to be a nation of honour, civilised principles and of course their beloved noble Bushido
But abused and mistreated prisoners daily with their incessant screaming cry of “Speedo”
Slave Labour on the Death railway was a draining and brutal long daily ritual
With real tough physical tasks but on minimal nourishment for bodily fuel
In the Red hot tropical Sun and many a filthy bug infested thick dense and wild jungle area
Emaciated slaves working daily suffering with beri beri, cholera, jaundice and debilitating malaria
Bodies full of septic ulcers, diseases and still beaten daily savagely and brutally so black and blue
Feet full of pus filled blisters from the wild jungle floor covered with painfully sharp prickly bamboo
This onerous daily physical labour was punishing, arduous strength sapping, unimaginable, really physical and mentally hard
Whilst doing their best and constantly getting slapped and kicked by every evil, nasty Japanese or Korean guard
So many thousands of poor prisoners died on the Railway carrying out their arduous daily heavy load
And it was even much worse for them on the horrific and difficult construction of the infamous Mergui Road
They took extremely sick men from their hospital camp beds at Nakom Pathom
So they could get their cowardly quick getaway escape route ready and done
Blasting a way through sheer dense bug ridden Jungle and tough challenging mountainous rock
Working their Asian prisoners and POWs brutally who they would constantly abuse and mock
The majority died working through this unimaginable horrific tortuous ordeal
A few hundred survived on just a bit of rice and dirty water for their daily meal
The brutality and inhumane atrocities thankfully finally ended
When the Japanese gave in to the Allies and so ironically surrendered
The survivors returned home with deep psychological scars and many nightmarish memories
But would never ever forget the cruelty and barbarism of their vicious Japanese enemies
So don’t talk to me about Japanese honour, nobility and their Bushido
Just talk to the FEPOWS and their families if you really want to know
Hiding their history in their schools from their new generation
Is not the actions of a noble and proud honourable nation
Hirohito ruled his Japanese Empire and thankfully he is now dead and has gone
But the memories of his barbaric troops inhumanity will still fester and linger on
This barbaric trait may now be currently laid dormant in the Japanese Nation
But always remember it could once again emerge from some future generation.
My Dad survived his lengthy captivity as he was a very mentally strong man
But many of his mates didn’t make it through, thanks to the Barbarians of Japan.
THE MERGUI ROAD
One thousand sick and exhausted prisoners were selected from the hospital camp for this arduous task
And why such cruel inhumanity by the cruel Japanese guards you might all rightfully ask
They needed a road through a mountainous jungle for a quick getaway as escape insurance
But the gaunt, sick and emaciated POWs had very little hope or hardly a slim or even a fair chance
The Japanese were desperate to get the job completed and swiftly done
So they took their slave labour from the POW hospital at Nakhon Pathom
The men were diseased, sick, dying exhausted and very tired, demoralised and weary
But the sadistic Japanese couldn’t care less and made their lives even more punishing and scary
Day after day and hour after hour in the sweaty stifling unbearable punishing and unbearable tropical heat
They laboured like slaves with septic ulcers and deep cuts on their legs and their poor exposed bare feet
The terrain was rough and the work was real hard, tiring and in awful conditions not at all nice
Putting in more than 12 hours a day on a little boiled water and some measly maggoty rice
If a man collapsed because he was exhausted, lacking energy and desperately sick
The cruelJapanese guards would beat him viciously with a rifle butt or sharp bamboo stick
Without a care for their poor prisoner’s discomfort, illness and obvious distraught and pitiful and sorrowful despair
The vicious Japanese guards would just shout “Speedo speedo”and wave their bayonets threateningly in the air
After many exhausting months of slaving and barbaric torture, cruelty and strife
The remaining FEPOWS were incredibly lucky to barely hold on to dear life
The mammoth road was finally finished and hundreds and hundreds of men had sadly not made it and died
The survivors would never forget the savage Japanese brutality as they witnessed the horrors with eyes open wide
The Japanese were delighted and proud of completing this virtually almost impossible task
But was it worth so many brave FEPOW lives you may well once again rightly ask
Japan is today a nation so proud of its heritage of ‘Bushido’ courage and bravery
But what they did to the FEPOWS was cruel, barbaric and far worse than slavery
They may chose to ignore it and omit any mention from the educational curriculum in their schools
But trust me, my generation will never forget your atrocities to our troops so don’t try and take us for fools
Your inhumane treatment of our loved ones was so barbaric, vicious and cruel
So let your young ones now know the real truth and teach it to them in school
Unless you apologise properly and admit your horrific and sadistic inhumane crimes
Your deplorable and despicable barbarity will never be forgotten until the end of times
My dad was a victim of your savage torture and sadism on the railway and also on the Mergui Road losing his friends and shedding many tears
But I will tell my son to tell his son and his son and his to keep the FEPOW flame continuously burning for many many more years and years.
A Tribute to the Mergui Road dead and survivors 🙏💪
THE MASSACRE OF NANKING
War is such a terrible, horrific, brutal and very frightening thing
And a graphic illustration of this is the despicable rape and pillage of Nanking
In order to break the hearts, minds and spirit of the Chinese
General Iwane Matsui commanded the savage destruction of all his Sino enemies
They burnt most of the city and committed atrocities on helpless civilians men, women, babies and children
Killing 50000 male civilians, raping 20000 women and girls and sadistically killing or mutilating most of them
They also butchered 150000 male “war prisoners” during their reign of terror and psychotic rages
Killing so many thousands poor innocent people of each gender, race and all different ages
The Chinese government had sadly and regretfully fled leaving Nanking alone exposed and totally undefended
Allowing the rampaging Japanese force to pillage, loot and rape which their Generals condoned, allowed and intended
Chinese soldiers were summarily executed in violation of all the recognised codes and laws of war
Innocent civilians were killed, raped, mutilated en masse in a ritual of carnage that you can only abhor
This barbaric savagery carried out on defenceless men women and helpless children was totally inhumane
And carried out by An Imperial Prince, Generals, officers and cowardly troops in their Emperors name
The tragic massacre of Nanking was conduct beyond belief and so brutally savage, sickening and sadistic
The actions carried out by the so called military troops and officers was barbaric and beyond animalistic
The innocent Nanking citizens endured this massacre and atrocity for many weeks which was truly appalling
While the Imperial Japanese Army killed, mutilated, raped in the name of their exalted Emperor Hirohito’s calling
Their commanders ordered them to desecrate the city like a veritable marauding barbarian horde
Instructing them to massacre, rape, loot and destroy but the normal rules of warfare to be ignored
The Japanese have still never apologised for this loathsome atrocity, although many have asked, but alas in vain
Believing it was all just a part and parcel of their War and all done in their Emperor Hirohito’s blessed name
Prince Asaka surprisingly escaped justice and was disgracefully granted immunity because of his imperial heritage
While General Matsui was rightly executed by the Allies for his conduct as the commanding Japanese savage
The Japanese will still not accept and some even deny this vicious, sadistic and barbaric war crime
But the history books and descendants will always remember their barbarity till the end of time
They can talk about pride, principles and their beloved Bushido again and again
But the Massacre of Nanking is on their Nation’s history such an awful sick stain
They can always continue to politely ignore it and bow as low and as much as they all want
But their disgusting massacre of Nanking was an inhumane and truly depraved barbaric affront
The first of the four poems set out below starts with John's early life and goes on to describe his horrific experiences as a POW. The second is a broader description of the FEPOW ordeal that John went through. The third poem (The Mergui Road) documents a separate atrocity, and ends with a fitting tribute to the writer's father. The fourth describes the massacre of Nanking.
WHEN JOHNNY CAME MARCHING HOME
Born in Toxteth the bleak Southend of the bustling port of Liverpool
Where the tough streets, deprivation and poverty were your only real school
A large family struggling to survive weekly on no more than a mere pittance
In a multi cultural tribal area with very little hope and not much of a chance
He grew up always fighting getting in many scuffles, fights and spats
And was so good at it that he was selected to box for St Pats
His playground was right there on the hard cobbled street
Where he roamed and played in his little sore bare feet
His boxing prowess and reputation began to quickly grow
When the travelling circus invited him to join their Show
Last 3 rounds with him in the ring and win some much needed dough
But not many lasted the ordeal and they took many a hard blow
He joined the army as a mere boy to serve his country and the King
Where again he showed his superb boxing skills in the ring
An Army boxing champion he soon became
Even the top brass heard of his growing fame
Off to Scotland at Scapa Flo he was quickly dispatched
Where the embryonic plan for the SAS was initially hatched
After lengthy arduous training in physical combat techniques with his special forces crew
He was now ready for proper
military action and battle in the heat of World War2
But he got involved in a fight with two confrontational Officers in the Mess
Which caused both opponents a lot of pain, punishment and self inflicted distress
Summoned to the CO’s office and asked to formally apologise
He blatantly refused to do so which began his own demise
Although his actions were rightly justified but perhaps a little too crude
He was told to formally apologise or get sent back to his regiment and be RTU’d
So back to his Royal Artillery Unit he was then sent
And then off to the Far East in Singapore is where he then went
This treacherous journey would not be nice for him and he would shed many a tear
Heading to an unimaginable taste of hell was this young tough Bombardier
Manning the heavy ack ack artillery and always alert and ready
The Japanese attacked Singapore and the onslaught was savage vicious and steady
After a bitter battle to see this vital strategic stronghold defended
The Allies parleyed a little and then sadly surrendered
First imprisoned and Ill treated in infamous Changi then taken by the sweaty and filthy hell ship Nisshu Maru to far away Saigon
Where life turned even more ugly and nasty and virtually unbearable for young brave Bombardier John
The Japanese were barbaric, sadistic and dealt out many cruel, brutal and savage knocks
And the two courageous , heroic and desperate escapees Baxter and Cassidy were executed on the Saigon Docks
After many repetitive months of hard Labour in the boiling hot Indochina sun
It was off to the Siam/Burma Railway of Death which would be the end for some
A dirty Cup of filthy water and a small portion of unappetising maggoty rice
Working 7 days a week non stop on the railway was insufferable, punishing and a very heavy price
The inhumane Japanese were brutal, vicious, unfriendly and barbaric
And it mattered not a jot to them if you were fit, weak or deliriously sick
‘Speedo speedo’ they screamed and that was their continuous repetitive shout
And the prisoners toiled and slaved daily till they were all exhausted and worn out
A rifle butt in the ribs or a stinging knuckle smack across the jaw and face
Was the regular calling card of this evil, cowardly and bullying Japanese race
Torture, cruelty and unbearable pain with no hope made many men understandably cry
But even more so when they watched their brave sick and weary comrades one by one slowly die
Every day they had to blast through a thick mountainous tropical jungle area
Even though riddled with beri beri, jaundice, cholera dysentery and debilitating malaria
The Japanese inhumane brutality was nasty , vicious and callously mean
In the worst living conditions and depravity the weary prisoners had ever seen
One day a fight was arranged between an Aussie boxing champ and John
And the Japanese surprisingly allowed the men to set it up and get it on
Round after round encircled by the officers, prisoners and the watching Japanese guards
The two brave scrawny prisoners fought competitively with bruises, cuts and almost no holds barred
When one of them staggered and seemed to be gone
Neither would give in and bravely fought on and on
After 15 rounds of combat sweat blows and blood
The Japanese CO suddenly stopped the fight as only he could
He praised the two prisoners for being so courageous and brave
And told the rest to work much harder or be put in a grave
A day later after receiving a really heavy face slap from a Japanese guard
John retaliated defiantly, fiercely and punched him back on the chin real hard
Just as the Japanese guards were about to bayonet him after beating him enough
The CO stepped in loudly to stop and they immediately backed off
The officer said in the fight he was tough, courageous and very brave
But warned no more disobedience would be tolerated and he must work hard and behave
Eventually the Allies were victorious and the lengthy War was eventually won
And the Japanese torture, punishment and barbarism was thankfully finally over and done
He was sent for a full check up in a POW hospital in Rangoon
Dreaming of getting better and getting back home soon
It was a long sail back to Blighty and a lonely landing at The Pier Head
From where he walked to his home in Upper Stanhope St to find his mother was dead
Life had been very hard for Johnny and full of some very tough knocks
But he soon got a slightly easier job down on the Liverpool Docks!!
I am so proud, honoured and privileged to be the Eldest Son
Of a FEPOW Hero from Liverpool
My brave and lovely Dad John 🙏
BARBARIANS OF JAPAN
Some people say that Japan is a dignified country and full of nice civilised people bowing to their knees
But there are some of us who know their history better and truly abhor the hypocrisy of actions such as these
A warrior race and great fierce fighters is of course true and that we all know
Living by their “ noble” samurai code of honour the so called Bushido
In WW2 their many atrocities were truly barbaric and horrifically inhumane
Torturing their captives brutally and inflicting so much cruel unbearable pain
The Geneva Convention states how armies should conduct themselves and how in war and conflict to behave
Nowhere does it mention using prisoners of war as a labouring animal and put to work as a manual slave
With their banzai attacks and vicious marauding very effective fierce jungle fighting
Cowardly massacring thousands of innocent men, women and babies in The Rape of Nanking
It was truly horrific how they conquered and killed anything that even got in their way
Then using prisoners of war as slave labour on the infamous Siam-Burma Death Railway
Men who took a banana or some extra rice just to try and survive
faced brutal torture and punishment and were very lucky to stay alive
They were savagely battered, slapped, bayoneted, viciously punched and regularly fiercely booted
In some cases like brave heroic escapees Baxter and Cassidy in Saigon they were summarily executed
Treating fellow humans like animals with cruel deprivation and cruel starvation
Is hardly the actions of a so called noble, principled and honourable nation
Brave prisoners who were exhausted, dying and virtually just down to skin and bone
Were shown no mercy by their savage Japanese captors so far away from their home
Thousands were brutally tortured, beaten and many thousands more unfortunately died
All denied at the Tokyo Trials of course where the Cowardly Japanese Officers all timidly lied
Supposed to be a nation of honour, civilised principles and of course their beloved noble Bushido
But abused and mistreated prisoners daily with their incessant screaming cry of “Speedo”
Slave Labour on the Death railway was a draining and brutal long daily ritual
With real tough physical tasks but on minimal nourishment for bodily fuel
In the Red hot tropical Sun and many a filthy bug infested thick dense and wild jungle area
Emaciated slaves working daily suffering with beri beri, cholera, jaundice and debilitating malaria
Bodies full of septic ulcers, diseases and still beaten daily savagely and brutally so black and blue
Feet full of pus filled blisters from the wild jungle floor covered with painfully sharp prickly bamboo
This onerous daily physical labour was punishing, arduous strength sapping, unimaginable, really physical and mentally hard
Whilst doing their best and constantly getting slapped and kicked by every evil, nasty Japanese or Korean guard
So many thousands of poor prisoners died on the Railway carrying out their arduous daily heavy load
And it was even much worse for them on the horrific and difficult construction of the infamous Mergui Road
They took extremely sick men from their hospital camp beds at Nakom Pathom
So they could get their cowardly quick getaway escape route ready and done
Blasting a way through sheer dense bug ridden Jungle and tough challenging mountainous rock
Working their Asian prisoners and POWs brutally who they would constantly abuse and mock
The majority died working through this unimaginable horrific tortuous ordeal
A few hundred survived on just a bit of rice and dirty water for their daily meal
The brutality and inhumane atrocities thankfully finally ended
When the Japanese gave in to the Allies and so ironically surrendered
The survivors returned home with deep psychological scars and many nightmarish memories
But would never ever forget the cruelty and barbarism of their vicious Japanese enemies
So don’t talk to me about Japanese honour, nobility and their Bushido
Just talk to the FEPOWS and their families if you really want to know
Hiding their history in their schools from their new generation
Is not the actions of a noble and proud honourable nation
Hirohito ruled his Japanese Empire and thankfully he is now dead and has gone
But the memories of his barbaric troops inhumanity will still fester and linger on
This barbaric trait may now be currently laid dormant in the Japanese Nation
But always remember it could once again emerge from some future generation.
My Dad survived his lengthy captivity as he was a very mentally strong man
But many of his mates didn’t make it through, thanks to the Barbarians of Japan.
THE MERGUI ROAD
One thousand sick and exhausted prisoners were selected from the hospital camp for this arduous task
And why such cruel inhumanity by the cruel Japanese guards you might all rightfully ask
They needed a road through a mountainous jungle for a quick getaway as escape insurance
But the gaunt, sick and emaciated POWs had very little hope or hardly a slim or even a fair chance
The Japanese were desperate to get the job completed and swiftly done
So they took their slave labour from the POW hospital at Nakhon Pathom
The men were diseased, sick, dying exhausted and very tired, demoralised and weary
But the sadistic Japanese couldn’t care less and made their lives even more punishing and scary
Day after day and hour after hour in the sweaty stifling unbearable punishing and unbearable tropical heat
They laboured like slaves with septic ulcers and deep cuts on their legs and their poor exposed bare feet
The terrain was rough and the work was real hard, tiring and in awful conditions not at all nice
Putting in more than 12 hours a day on a little boiled water and some measly maggoty rice
If a man collapsed because he was exhausted, lacking energy and desperately sick
The cruelJapanese guards would beat him viciously with a rifle butt or sharp bamboo stick
Without a care for their poor prisoner’s discomfort, illness and obvious distraught and pitiful and sorrowful despair
The vicious Japanese guards would just shout “Speedo speedo”and wave their bayonets threateningly in the air
After many exhausting months of slaving and barbaric torture, cruelty and strife
The remaining FEPOWS were incredibly lucky to barely hold on to dear life
The mammoth road was finally finished and hundreds and hundreds of men had sadly not made it and died
The survivors would never forget the savage Japanese brutality as they witnessed the horrors with eyes open wide
The Japanese were delighted and proud of completing this virtually almost impossible task
But was it worth so many brave FEPOW lives you may well once again rightly ask
Japan is today a nation so proud of its heritage of ‘Bushido’ courage and bravery
But what they did to the FEPOWS was cruel, barbaric and far worse than slavery
They may chose to ignore it and omit any mention from the educational curriculum in their schools
But trust me, my generation will never forget your atrocities to our troops so don’t try and take us for fools
Your inhumane treatment of our loved ones was so barbaric, vicious and cruel
So let your young ones now know the real truth and teach it to them in school
Unless you apologise properly and admit your horrific and sadistic inhumane crimes
Your deplorable and despicable barbarity will never be forgotten until the end of times
My dad was a victim of your savage torture and sadism on the railway and also on the Mergui Road losing his friends and shedding many tears
But I will tell my son to tell his son and his son and his to keep the FEPOW flame continuously burning for many many more years and years.
A Tribute to the Mergui Road dead and survivors 🙏💪
THE MASSACRE OF NANKING
War is such a terrible, horrific, brutal and very frightening thing
And a graphic illustration of this is the despicable rape and pillage of Nanking
In order to break the hearts, minds and spirit of the Chinese
General Iwane Matsui commanded the savage destruction of all his Sino enemies
They burnt most of the city and committed atrocities on helpless civilians men, women, babies and children
Killing 50000 male civilians, raping 20000 women and girls and sadistically killing or mutilating most of them
They also butchered 150000 male “war prisoners” during their reign of terror and psychotic rages
Killing so many thousands poor innocent people of each gender, race and all different ages
The Chinese government had sadly and regretfully fled leaving Nanking alone exposed and totally undefended
Allowing the rampaging Japanese force to pillage, loot and rape which their Generals condoned, allowed and intended
Chinese soldiers were summarily executed in violation of all the recognised codes and laws of war
Innocent civilians were killed, raped, mutilated en masse in a ritual of carnage that you can only abhor
This barbaric savagery carried out on defenceless men women and helpless children was totally inhumane
And carried out by An Imperial Prince, Generals, officers and cowardly troops in their Emperors name
The tragic massacre of Nanking was conduct beyond belief and so brutally savage, sickening and sadistic
The actions carried out by the so called military troops and officers was barbaric and beyond animalistic
The innocent Nanking citizens endured this massacre and atrocity for many weeks which was truly appalling
While the Imperial Japanese Army killed, mutilated, raped in the name of their exalted Emperor Hirohito’s calling
Their commanders ordered them to desecrate the city like a veritable marauding barbarian horde
Instructing them to massacre, rape, loot and destroy but the normal rules of warfare to be ignored
The Japanese have still never apologised for this loathsome atrocity, although many have asked, but alas in vain
Believing it was all just a part and parcel of their War and all done in their Emperor Hirohito’s blessed name
Prince Asaka surprisingly escaped justice and was disgracefully granted immunity because of his imperial heritage
While General Matsui was rightly executed by the Allies for his conduct as the commanding Japanese savage
The Japanese will still not accept and some even deny this vicious, sadistic and barbaric war crime
But the history books and descendants will always remember their barbarity till the end of time
They can talk about pride, principles and their beloved Bushido again and again
But the Massacre of Nanking is on their Nation’s history such an awful sick stain
They can always continue to politely ignore it and bow as low and as much as they all want
But their disgusting massacre of Nanking was an inhumane and truly depraved barbaric affront