'Determined' POWs remembered on VJ Day anniversary

Sgt John Henson (left) with a group of Leicestershire soldiers

The families of Japanese prisoners of war from Leicestershire have told their stories of brutal conditions, tough labour and illness on the anniversary of VJ Day.

Monday marks 77 years since Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, marking the end of World War Two.

Many soldiers from the 1st Battalion the Leicestershire Regiment were captured after the fall of Singapore.

Despite tough conditions, many survived and returned back to the county.

Ken Hewitt, whose father was imprisoned by the Japanese, has written a book about the Leicestershire regiment called Tigers in Captivity.

Ken Hewitt has written Tigers in Captivity about the prisoners of war

His dad, Colour Sgt John Hewitt, was initially held captive in Changi, Singapore, before being moved further east.

"The Japanese started moving these men up to Thailand to build the railway," he said.

"It was during this period that 600 of the first Leicester's men went up to Thailand.

"They were determined men. To survive three-and-a-half years of captivity under those conditions was very, very difficult."

Colour Sgt Hewitt was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Singapore

Sgt John Henson was also captured during the fall of Singapore and sent pre-printed postcards back to his family during the war.

His daughter, Diane Rushton from Leicester, said: "I know he suffered a lot from malaria, dysentery as I'm sure lots of them did.

"But, my dad always maintained that because he was a carpenter by trade, he had skills that the Japanese needed, so he insisted he had slightly better treatment."

Many soldiers were used as labourers to build infrastructure for the Japanese army including railways, roads and detainment camps.

Cpl Thomas Sansome

Mike Sansome, from Hinckley, said his father Cpl Thomas Sansome was forced to help build an airfield while being held in Thailand.

He said: "They were building an airstrip and he did say, towards the final days of the war, that they were forced to dig trenches they suspected were to be their graves."

His father survived however, and returned to Leicestershire where he lived to be 100 years old.