THE TEWKESBURY DIRECTORY | LOCAL HISTORY
Tewkesbury’s Forgotten Heroes The author, John Dixon, is the President of the Tewkesbury Historical Society. Tewkesbury Historical Society was founded in 1991 with the intention of providing meetings for the public and stimulating research about Tewkesbury and district. I suspect service men find this word over-used: most, I am sure, would point out that they were merely doing their job. However, most would also accept the honour for those who lose their lives doing their duty and whose names are remembered in perpetuity on war memorials. Those who actually survive wars are rarely publicly commemorated and “fade” back in to ‘civvie life’, coping with the long -term effects of their experiences and trying to live ‘normal’ lives.
Jack approaching his 80th birthday in April 2011
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Before the recent and excellent recall of the Battle of the Imjin River, I suspect many people knew little of this war and, indeed, I had no indication that anyone from Tewkesbury had either lost their lives or been captured fighting with the “Glorious Glosters”. My ignorance was repaired after an insert in a newspaper inspired a phone call that a P.O.W. was alive and living in Tewkesbury: a day later I enjoyed a lesson in living history from Jack Chambers. In 1951 when the war suddenly broke out Jack was doing his National Service at a time when all 18-year-old men were conscripted for service in the armed forces. He immediately volunteered to be a regular soldier so he could serve in that war about which few knew why it was being fought. In April 1951 he found himself
Jack aged 22 after being freed from captivity and being welcomed home
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