麻豆约拍

Tony spent his VE Day sailing down the Welsh coast heading towards the Far East where the Japanese troops were in India. At this point, the Japanese were yet to surrender and still posed a threat to the Western allies.

Tony joined the Second World War in 1940 and was in the 23rd Advanced Airfield Construction Group.

By the end of 1944, the Western allies and the Red Army were advancing into Germany. Adolf Hitler was beginning to get desperate and was trying to persuade allies to join him in his fight against Russia.

In January 1945, Tony was sent home as it became apparent that Germany were weakening and were becoming less of a threat. He was a little confused by this request but didn鈥檛 ask any questions and just did as he was told.

He then went through six weeks of intensive training in Northern Ireland before heading to the Far East to tackle Japan.

Along with Italy; Japan had joined an alliance with Germany during the Second World War. Japan was a very powerful enemy and at times were fighting their own war without their allies.

鈥淭he Japanese were cruel people and a human life meant nothing to them,鈥� remarked Tony.

Adolph Hitler committed suicide on 30 April 1945, which almost signalled Germany鈥檚 defeat. However, as Tony recalls, Germany may have surrendered but the war was not over because Japan had not yet given up.

On VE Day itself, Tony was on the Irish Sea, making his way to the Far East. Tony heard rockets being fired and thought there was another air raid. It wasn鈥檛 until a couple of weeks later that he found out that those were let off as part of the VE Day celebrations.

Tony was making his way to Bombay (now Mumbai) where there were Japanese troops fighting

Tony arrived back home in late 1946, having developed ulcers, tuberculosis, malaria and stress.

Image: VE Day celebrations in Birmingham on the junction of Oldbury Road and St Paul鈥檚 Road

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