It was just before Christmas that we sadly lost another very fine WWII veteran when our dear friend Fred Field went to sleep, aged 92.

Collection Success

In September we once again completed a 2-day collection at a local ASDA store. We are extremely grateful to the store management for their kind support as well as to the customers. Over the Friday and Saturday, we collected £1,414.

We certainly do appreciate our group of loyal and dedicated veteran members who donated their time to stand outside the store for an entire day each, from 10am to 5pm collecting. Sincere thanks to each and every one of you for your support.

 

Poor is the nation who has no heroes; Shameful is the nation that, having heroes, forgets them.

Such is our honoured and respected saying, and it is certainly embraced by one of our recent new members, who despite her own troubles during the war, is determined not to forget others who served.

Alma was born in Balleymena, in the Republic of Ireland. As a young girl, she moved to Edgware in Nth London, where she still lives. She is one of 18 children, and has 9 children herself.

During WWII in 1939 she was a sergeant serving in The Queen Alexandra Royal Army Nursing Corps and later served in the 14^th Army Nursing Corps in Burma. She was a Lieutenant when Singapore was overrun by the Japanese in the invasion of 1942. She was just 25 yrs old.

In her charge were 12 young trainee nurses, all of whom were imprisoned in the infamous Changi Prison, a prison that became an international by-word for death, torture and brutality.

She boldly told the Japanese commandant that as well as the prison inmates, her nurses would treat him and his troops with medical attention anytime they needed it if they were unmolested. As medical aid was non-existent (due to a massacre by the Japanese), the Japanese commandant agreed.

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