Greater Love Hath No Man?
Children's Story
During World War II, a number of British regiments from this part of East Anglia were sent to the Far East. Many young men were taken prisoner by the Japanese, and were incarcerated in Japanese prisoner of war camps.
Their treatment in these camps was brutal, and many lost their lives. Those who survived until the end of the War emerged emaciated, beaten, traumatised and often cowed.
Their treatment in these camps was brutal. Most were tortured, and many lost their lives. Those who survived until the end of the War emerged emaciated, beaten, traumatised and often cowed.
The story is told of some of these men who had been working on the notorious Burma railway. The labour was so horrendous and the food so poor and scarce, that there was a daily toll of prisoners who died.
On one occasion, after the prisoners returned from a long and heavy day's hard labour on the railway, they were lined up in the prison camp by a prison guard. He began to shout and shriek and scream at the prisoners, because when the tools were counted at the end of the day, a shovel was missing.
The guard cocked his rifle and aimed it at the prisoners. He demanded to know who had stolen the shovel. The prisoners, half fainting from lack of food and the day's long hours in the blazing sun, stood silent.
The guard continued to rant and rave. Then he levelled his rifle, and threatened to execute all of them unless the guilty man owned up.
At that, one of the men calmly stepped forward and faced the guard. "I took the shovel," he said. "I hid it, hoping to use it later to aid my escape."
The guard poured a torrent of abuse over the man, then began to beat him round the head with the rifle butt. When the man fell to the ground, the guard to proceeded to kick him viciously. When the man was a bloody pulp and barely conscious, the guard shot him through the head.
Then the rest of the men were allowed back to their quarters.
Later that night, when the tools were counted again, nothing was missing.The full complement of tools, including shovels, was there.
Their treatment in these camps was brutal, and many lost their lives. Those who survived until the end of the War emerged emaciated, beaten, traumatised and often cowed.
Their treatment in these camps was brutal. Most were tortured, and many lost their lives. Those who survived until the end of the War emerged emaciated, beaten, traumatised and often cowed.
The story is told of some of these men who had been working on the notorious Burma railway. The labour was so horrendous and the food so poor and scarce, that there was a daily toll of prisoners who died.
On one occasion, after the prisoners returned from a long and heavy day's hard labour on the railway, they were lined up in the prison camp by a prison guard. He began to shout and shriek and scream at the prisoners, because when the tools were counted at the end of the day, a shovel was missing.
The guard cocked his rifle and aimed it at the prisoners. He demanded to know who had stolen the shovel. The prisoners, half fainting from lack of food and the day's long hours in the blazing sun, stood silent.
The guard continued to rant and rave. Then he levelled his rifle, and threatened to execute all of them unless the guilty man owned up.
At that, one of the men calmly stepped forward and faced the guard. "I took the shovel," he said. "I hid it, hoping to use it later to aid my escape."
The guard poured a torrent of abuse over the man, then began to beat him round the head with the rifle butt. When the man fell to the ground, the guard to proceeded to kick him viciously. When the man was a bloody pulp and barely conscious, the guard shot him through the head.
Then the rest of the men were allowed back to their quarters.
Later that night, when the tools were counted again, nothing was missing.The full complement of tools, including shovels, was there.
