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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by CSV/´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Nottingham on behalf of William Hall with his permission. The Author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

George Robert Heath was born at 4, Sunnyside, Westhorpe, Southwell. He was my school pal; we did everything together since we attended the Holy Trinity Infants School on Moss Road.

He worked at Jack Leek’s Greengrocer’s shop on King Street; I went to work at Bilsthorpe Pit. George joined the Army in 1936 as a Regular soldier and was posted to Singapore in 1938. George and I used to write to each other ‘PS — you’ll be a pal until Hell freezes over’.

When I went into the Army in 1940 I lost touch with him. I was told that he was captured in 1942 at Repulse Bay where he was awarded the highest honour in the Army — the Military Medal. He would have won the VC but he threatened to shoot a Canadian Officer. There was a film made about him also two books — ‘The Japanese Prisoners of War’ and ‘The Fall of Hong Kong’ that are in the Libraries.

What happened in Repulse Bay is this: His Commanding Officer told him to take charge of the Ramill, which he did. He held the Japanese troops at bay whilst the last boat left Repulse Bay with 150 children and teachers and then he was taken prisoner for over 2½ years. I then lost touch with him.

He came back to England after the War and married a Scottish girl from Bigger, where they grew strawberries. Then he went to live in Australia near Perth. He died in 1981. He went blind and he’s buried at the Red Dog Cemetery. He had two sisters and one brother. His elder sister worked at the Southwell Workhouse on the Upton Road. She left and went to live at Blaby in Leicestershire where she became Baroness Sutcliffe. She died aged 89. His brother was in the RAF. His Mother died of consumption.

A TRUE PAL — TILL HELL FREEZES OVER.

God Bless you, R.I.P.

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