Eric Roberts was conscripted in 1939 into the 1/5 Sherwood
Foresters. After service in France and evacuation from Brest in
1940, the Battalion were sent to the Far East arriving in Singapore
three weeks before the surrender. Eric became a prisoner of the
Japanese and was sent to the Burma-Thai Railway. His Commanding
Officer was Lieutenant Colonel Lilly who was later to become the
inspiration for Colonel Nicholson in the film Bridge on the River
Kwai. Eric's fianc e, Eunice Lowe, learnt of his capture by chance
from a friend. Amidst speculation that Eric had escaped, Eunice
began a campaign to learn the truth but it was not until 26 May
1943 that she received confirmation that he was a POW. From 1942 to
1945, while suffering extreme hardship and abuse from his captors,
Eric was permitted to send just three postcards. Despite Eunice
writing every week, only a handful were received by him in late
1944\. After liberation, Eric returned home and married Eunice in
1946. Fortunately, Eric wrote a graphic memoir of his captivity in
the post-war years and Eunice's correspondence has been preserved.
The two combined make for an unusual and moving record of a young
couple's testing yet very different experiences.
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