大象传媒

My elder Brother leslie started his School days in September 1920.
On his first day in school he was told to sit next to another new starter, his name was Maurice Prew and lived just 3miles from Banbury in Oxfordshire in a village called Great Bourton.
The two of them quickly became firm friends and not only spent thier school days together but most of thier holidays as well.
they left school together in 1934 and got jobs together in the local Aluminium Factory, producing metal from which aeroplanes were built,
the two of them was called up to serve in the army
in 1940 both going into the same Regiment,
The Welsh regiment, on completing their training
they was sent to the Far East, on the same troop ship.
they was later both captured by the Japanese, and put to work on the infamous Railway of death.
My Brother Leslie Died on March 24th 1944 my Prarents getting the Official telegram to notify them of this, the very next day Maurices Widowed Mother got her telegram to say Maurice had died a day later on March 25th 1944, apart from a few personal belongings (lighter /cigarette case etc)
together with a official letter nothing further was heard of either of the friends.As all of this had happend so many thousands of miles away on the other side of the world nobody would ever know where they were or in fact if they had graves!
My Name is Michael Thompson and i served in HM Royal Marines, i was posted to Singapore in the mid 1950s to join the crew of H M S Newcastle a County Class Cruiser, which was doing a double tour of the Far Eastern Waters, during 1957 the ship had orders to go dowmn to Hong Kong to pick up 8 Officers of the 3 Armed Forces,and from there to take them to Rangoon in Burma, for the opening of a very large cemetery dedicating 27,000 graves of Servicemen from all quarters of the World, who had perished in the Far East,there was australians canadians south africans new zealanders, and of course many many british men.
During our journey to Burma The Captain of HMS Newcastle, Captain Gordon-Lennox (later to become a Equery to H M The Queen )sent for me to come to the bridge, and gave me the overwhelming news that i was to be Wreath- Bearer for Lord Louis Mountbatten who at that time was the First Sea Lord,
Due to the very hot climate the Official Ceremony Of the opening of the Cemetery was carried out very early in the Morning, after that event my Skipper made available to me the Ships photographer, and the jeep and driver, he also had arranged for two wreaths in case i should find either Leslies or Maurices Graves, and if not i was to lay them on the memorial to the Unknown Soldier.
Bearing in mind that there was so many graves in this Cemetery, and also numerous other Burial Sites in Burma, i never in my wildest dreams thought i was likely to find the graves that meant so much to two very ordinary families in the UK.these graves were all looked after by young Burmese Girls and every one of them was immaculate.
At the Gatehouse of the Cemetery there was 2 Burmese Guards each of them able to speak good English, there was row after row of large black ledgers containing details of those buried there
I gave him Leslies name rank and Regiment he took down the ledger containing all the names starting with the letter T and to my shock but also my delight he told me that my Brother was buried in row G grave number 27, in my haste to find that spot i was some distance away when the ships Photographer said what was Maurices Surname,
I new straight away what he meant and on the off chance, and the unlikely hood of finding his grave as well, i did return and asked after him and could not beleive my ears when told that Maurice was buried in Row H Grave Number 27,
both laid to rest less than a yard apart.
Ilaid one wreath on each grave, photos were took (Blck&White of course ), Sea Mail took six months to reach the UK, but despite that i wrote letters to my family and to Mrs Prew who i knew was alive when i left England, and enclosed a photo in each
a further six months on making a Year in all i got replys to my letters, and on reading the one from Maurices Mother it was clear as she wrote her tears mixed with the ink.
By the time i got back to the UK she had passed away,but know that she would have been very grateful that two such great and lifetime friends were still together.

Michaels Story