A newsletter from the folks at the Commonwealth War Graces Commission.

Welcome to the CWGC’s latest newsletter.

Lance Corporal James Ambrose • “To my daughter, one of the two things worth fighting for” • Onward Together • The Railway Man • CWGC Live: The Battle of Britain

In the run up to the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, a heartbreaking letter from a Liverpudlian soldier to the daughter he never saw grow up was among the moving tributes left on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s newly created Wall of Remembrance.

Valerie Gornell shared the last letter her father, Lance Corporal James Ambrose, wrote to her and her mother from the jungles of Burma (now Myanmar) before departing on a mission behind enemy lines that ultimately cost him his life. She was just 19 months old when the letter was written but would remain unaware of its existence for almost sixty years.

In 2003 Val managed to visit her father’s grave in CWGC’s Rangoon War Cemetery, the final resting place of 1,381 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War. Val said of her visit: “It was wonderful to finally visit his grave and see how beautiful the cemetery is. This year, being able to leave a tribute on the Commission’s Wall of Remembrance means the world. Just a reminder that my family will never forget my father or his comrades.”

To read Val’s full story, click on the link below.

“To my daughter, one of the two things worth fighting for.”

To mark the 75th anniversary of VJ Day, CWGC managed to record Val’s grandson reading his final letter. You can watch this moving tribute by clicking here.

Onward TogetherTo mark VJ Day, we teamed up with The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN), National Army Museum (NAM) and Royal Air Force Museum (RAFM) to create a series of free virtual events for the public to engage with from the safety and comfort of their home. If you missed anything, all the content and videos are available to view via the museums’ individual digital channels.

The Railway ManThe CWGC were delighted to have an opportunity to speak with centenarian Albert “Bert” Warne for the VJ Day anniversary. Bert, a former Far East Prisoner of War, shared his moving stories of working on the infamous Thai-Burma Railway with CWGC’s Senior Public Engagement Coordinator, Megan Maltby. In turn, Megan had a little surprise for Bert.

Our next CWGC Live sees us joined by the RAF Association as we mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The CWGC’s Megan Kelleher will be joined by RAFA representatives to look at their work during this time period and the casualties we commemorate.
Tune into our Facebook page on 20 August at 1pm (UK time) for our live broadcast.