Redditch woman to honour Birmingham dad on VJ Day's 80th anniversary

The daughter of a Birmingham man who was captured and a Japanese prisoner of war (POW) in the Second World War says she didn't find out his full whereabouts during the conflict until after he had died.

Its as events are taking place throughout the country today (15 August) for the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan day which officially marked the end of the Second World War in 1945.

Herbert John Lester, known as 'Bert', was born in 1908 in Birmingham and always lived in the city.

His daughter Christine Broadhurst was also born in Birmingham but now lives in Redditch, Worcestershire after moving there in the 1970s, she says at first his initial records just showed he had joined the RAF on the 27 April 1939, months before the war started.

It then stated he headed to the Far East on the 4 December 1941 and on the 1 February 1943 he was declared missing,

Years later after both her dad and mum had passed away, Christine says the releasing of archive documents which gave more of an insight into where Bert had been allowed them to fully piece together his journey through the war.

They showed after surrendering in Java in March 1942, Bert didn't get caught as a prisoner of war until a while later on the 23 March.

"He never spoke about what happened," Christine said.

"I was always told that he was captured off the boat of Singapore and on the Burma railway and it wasn't until after she died my mum died we found these records which luckily dad had filled out a liberation questionnaire and it said which camps he had been in and where.

"When VE day happened though they didn't even know the war had ended in Europe and a lot of them still died."

After being captured, Bert was moved to a camp called Sockiboeni, before spending time in various camps on Java until May 1944 when he was sent over to Sumatra on the Chuka Maru to work on the railway there.

Victory in Europe day took place a year later on 8 May 1945 which signalled the end of the war in Europe.

It wasn't until 15 August that year Victory over Japan was declared after Japan surrendered.

Christine says her dad returned to their home following his release but died a couple of years later when she was only 13.

On the impact the war had on him, she said: "I can remember when I was about seven I lying in the bed with my mum and he was pacing up and down worried they (Japanese) were coming to get him.

"My dad was a very gentle man and I remember him being a wonderful father, he spoilt me.

"I think he wanted a boy actually because he used to take me to Edgbaston and he bought me a train set, he was lovely gentleman."

Following on from finding her dad's records, Christine is also a part two groups which were set up for families who had relatives captured in Japan during the conflict.

She joined the Java 42 Club and the Birmingham Far East Prisoner of War Association and in 2012 visited places where her dad had been.

One place was the Tijmahi Hospital where Bert was admitted to on the 24 December 1942 according to his records, and also visited areas where he was also held in various camps.

As part of the VJ day events, Christine is also set to lay down wreaths on behalf of groups and the British Legion, with commemorations also happening tomorrow on the Saturday 16 August.