VJ Day: We must never forget the heroism of all those who fought - and died - during the war

There is an air of anticipation about the soon to be released ITV drama the Singapore Grip, an adaptation of JG Farrell’s satirical novel of the same name. It is set in Singapore during the surrender of the city to Japanese forces in February 1942.

The collapse of our forces in Malaya and Singapore was the largest ever surrender of British arms, with some 120,000 men being captured. Churchill called it the ‘worst disaster in our military history’.

One action that stands out amongst the shambles is the Victoria Cross (VC) won by Lieutenant Tom Wilkinson RNR.

Tom had served through the First World War in the merchant navy and indeed was torpedoed in 1918.

Between the wars he worked for the Blue Funnel line and then on qualifying as a master in the Far East working for a Hong Kong company. His second command was the Li Wo an upper Yangtse steam passenger ferry of some 700 tons.

With the outbreak of war against Japan 7 December 1941 Li Wo was requisitioned on December 8 as a patrol vessel for the Royal Navy, fitted with an old First World War Japanese gun and two Vickers machine guns and Tom became an Honorary Lieutenant in the RNR.

Shortly before the surrender of Singapore, Li Wo was ordered to head for the safety of Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. Her crew consisted of 84 men, mostly naval reservists, but also included several survivors from the Prince of Wales and Repulse, battleships that had been infamously sunk on 10 December the previous year by Japanese aircraft.

She left Singapore at dawn on February 13, 1942 (the final surrender was on February 15), and was attacked several times from the air, suffering some damage.

The next day, while passing north of the Bangka Strait, HMS Li Wo encountered a convoy of Japanese transport ships accompanied by a squadron of warships, including cruisers, launching ‘Operation L’, the invasion of Sumatra.

Lieutenant Wilkinson, informed his ship's company that he intended to close and attack the enemy, a decision that drew resolute support from the whole ship's crew.

Li Wo altered course towards the leading transport ship of the convoy at full speed, unfurling her battle ensign, and opening fire with her four-inch gun (for which she had only 13 shells).

She scored a number of direct hits on the transport, starting fires aboard, and causing the troops aboard to abandon ship. She then attacked another transport ship with machine gun fire.

Li Wo was then heavily shelled by a Japanese cruiser and two destroyers. Out of ammunition and now sinking, she rammed the first enemy transport, which later sank.

As Li Wo sank Tom ordered everyone still alive to abandon ship but refused to leave going down with his ship. Of the 84 crew, only seven survived to be taken prisoner and only three of those survived the war.

As we approach the commemoration of VJ Day and think of those who fought on the other side of the world and thought themselves forgotten we should remember with pride the bravery of people like Tom Wilkinson and his stalwart crew who sacrificed so much.

By Admiral Lord Alan West, former First Sea Lord.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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