This dreadful image of a Royal Leicestershire soldier typifies the appearance of a FEPOW at the time of liberation in 1945.
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Wednesday 15th February sees the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, an event that is especially relevant to East Anglia, and particularly Cambridgshire. Men of the Suffolks, Royal Norfolks, Beds & Herts, and of course Cambridgeshire regiments were all Territorials who served with the ill-feted 18th (East Anglian) Division, that was thrown into battle against the Japanese in Malaya and Singapore, and in truly awful circumstances was obliged to surrender when “Fortress Singapore” capitulated on 15th February, 1942. The contest was swift, brutal, and decisive, in that the Japanese had the ability to outflank the mainly static British and Empire defenders and were able to take advantage of the fact that our troops had little air cover and no naval ability to offer support. Sadly some 140,000 British, Australian and Indian troops were killed, wounded or captured, whilst the enemy suffered 9,824 casualties in the brief and disastrous campaign.
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