Book shares the memories of Korean war veterans

Dr Stephen F. Kelly, Visiting Professor in Media at the University, is the author of a new book, The Korean War: Memories of Forgotten British Heroes published by The History Press. It is available to buy here in paperback and on Kindle. 

Between 1950 and 1953 more than 100,000 British troops fought in Korea with more than 1,000 losing their lives and over 1,000 captured and held as prisoners in appalling conditions by the Chinese and North Koreans. At least half of these troops died in the prison camps. More than 70 per cent of the British troops who served were teenagers during their national Service and were poorly trained and ill-equipped for the dreadfully cold winters of Korea where temperatures plummeted to minus 30 degrees.

The Korean War: Memories of Forgotten British Heroes tells the story of these men in their own words. Most of the veterans are now in their nineties and there is a need for them to share their recollections.  

Stephen discusses how, happening so soon after the Second World War, this was a conflict Britain did not need, but the country remained steadfastly by the side of the Americans, fighting more than 6,000 miles away in a country barely anyone could point to on a map. It has become the forgotten war.

Stephen, from Birkenhead, is the best-selling author of more than 25 books, many about sport and sporting personalities as well as oral histories. He was for many years a producer with Granada Television and prior to that was a political journalist in London. He has written for most newspapers and magazines.   

Stephen said: “So many soldiers lost their lives in this war and while we remember those conflicts in the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan, the Korean War remains largely forgotten. 

“It was important to capture and share the memories and experiences of these men so that future generations can understand what they endured during this war. Theirs is a terrifying story of what war can be like.”