| "There’s no way [I could forgive]. It was brutal. There was no need for it. If they felt fit they laid into you and that was it." | | Adam Gordon (Jock) |
Adam Gordon, aka Jock, was with the Royal Army Ordinance Corps. In December 1941 he was all kitted out ready to be deployed with his unit to the Middle East, but at the last minute his ship was diverted to Singapore. The ship landed on the 5th Feb 1942, where they were told to defend the city, but before he could fire a shot, he heard that the unit had surrendered. In June 1942, he was taken from his unit, put on cattle truck and sent to Thailand, where he spent three years working on the railway as a prisoner of war. Jock says, when he first learned of his fate, “We just thought how long is it going to be? When are we going to get released? We just didn’t know what to expect from the Japanese.” When he and his fellow prisoners of war reached Thailand, their job was to clear thick jungle to make way for a railway. He says about the work, “The hours started getting longer. The workforce got shorter because there were men falling sick left, right and centre…
 | | Adam Gordon during WWII |
“If you were slow at doing anything you got a stick and they laid into you… I think back and wonder how did I make it?” After all this time, despite the horror Jock endured, some would argue it was time to forgive but not for him he says, “For those of my age group, I have no time for any of them…” “There’s no way [I could forgive]. It was brutal. There was no need for it. If they felt fit they laid into you and that was it.” Jock returned home after the war weighing only seven stone and slightly jaundiced. Despite this he says, “In myself I was alright.” Rarely has Jock spoken about his experiences, even to his family. If you’d like to listen to the full interview click on the click below.
The BBC are creating an archive of people's stories of World War 2. We'd really like to hear from you if you've got an experience of your own or a family story to share. A story can be as little as a few lines up to 3000 words. We're looking for any memory, from those on the homefront to the people who fought on the frontline, memories of childhood in the war, everyone has a story to tell and we want to hear them.
It's easy to do and our Actionline have got all the details just give them a call 0115 9348484. | 
