THIS Thursday July 27 marks 70 years since the armistice was signed at the end of the Korean War.
The Royal British Legion has invited Korean War veterans and their families to Remembering Korea – 70 years on, a commemorative event in London, to acknowledge the service and sacrifices of this generation.
Veterans from Hampshire will be going to the ceremony at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall.
They include Keith Webb, 92, from St Giles Hill, Winchester.
Keith served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) having been called up for National Service in 1949. He deployed to Korea in November 1952 as a Lieutenant and remained there until the end of the war, returning home in October. “We were so young and excited to go abroad. For us, it was an adventure.”
Keith initially joined the 10 Infantry Workshop, which performed second line repairs such as replacing vehicle and tank engines. He later commanded the 29 Brigade Light Aid Detachment, a smaller unit responsible for first line repairs and vehicle recovery operations for various regiments.
Keith has vivid memories of the campaign. “The conditions in Korea were harsh, with extremely cold winters and monsoon weather in the summers. The noise of constant artillery fire was overwhelming.
"All who served in Korea will tell you of the extremely cold weather in the Winter, with sometimes temperatures of 50 degrees below freezing overnight and in contrast, the monsoon weather in the Summer when rain was followed by sunshine and such extreme humidity, evidenced by the mud roads becoming dusty again, an hour or two after the torrential rain stopped."
The countryside was barren in the winter but the spring brought a riot of colour with purple azaleas everwhere, remembers Keith.
Serving in Korea was a formative experience, as it exposed him to new environments and cultures. While he was fortunate enough to avoid injury, Keith lost comrades, including those he had travelled with on the troop ship and individuals lost during active operations.
After the war Keith developed the family firm Webbs Country Foods and continues to work in property and is President of the Wessex British Korean Veterans Association.
Some 60,000 British soldiers saw active service and 1,100 were killed, the highest death toll of a campaign since World War Two apart from Malaya 1948-60.
Philippa Rawlinson, Director of Remembrance at the Royal British Legion said: "More than 100,000 British and Commonwealth armed forces fought in the Korean War, facing harsh conditions, freezing winters and fierce battles. Many showed great bravery despite, at times, being heavily outnumbered by the enemy. More troops were killed in the Korean War than any other war since World War 2 yet now, 70 years on since the end of the conflict, many feel Korea is the ‘Forgotten War’. It is vital that we all remember and honour those who served in the Korean War and that the sacrifice of the 1,100 British men who lost their lives is never forgotten.”
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