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James Jacobs

JAMES JACOBS

born 8th May 1932 at West Ashling, West Sussex

Parents:

William Edward Alexander (Ted) Jacobs

Rosina May Ings (Cis)

Siblings:

Aileen

Children:

Robert
Carol

Submitted by Jim, 15 April 2011

After school I did not really do much before I was called for National Service. After basic
training I was bored at plotting aircraft from early radar tracking to 'on target 'for Anti-aircraft guns, all theoretic of course. When the Korean War broke out in June 1950 I saw my escape route from boredom, and in March 1951 I found myself in a mortar battery attached to the Belgian Capital Battalion on the Imjin River. After the battle at the river position, and various other actions, I retrurned home to find myself disillusioned with the boring Fareham scene, so I re-enlisted on a Regular Army engagement, requesting a return to my unit in Korea. 
I served in Korea for another year, the first year of a three year six month posting to the Far East. Then followed five months in Malaya at Batu Pahat, base of 1st Fiji Infantry Regiment, where I was part of a team training 1st Singapore Regiment in the use of the 4.2-inch mortar. 
After Malaya I was posted to Hong Kong where my unit was support for 2nd/6th (Queen
Elizabeth's Own) Gurkha Rifles, maintaining peace in the colony, while on continuous alert in the event that China decided to take Hong Kong back before the due date of 30 June 1997.
After leaving the Army for good in 1957, three years was spent in a MoD weapons establishment in Gosport. In 1960 I married Sheila, shortly after which we emigrated to Australia. In Australia I worked for various companies, including Qantas and International Computers (Australia) Pty. Ltd, finally returning to England in 1982 where I joined Plessey Aerospace as Shipping & Distribution Manager, the position I held until being retrenched short of my sixtieth birthday. I now enjoy retirement after a life that was full of interest, albeit now without my legs that were handed over to the surgeons in February 2009.

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Bosham, 1934, aged 20 months

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Jim aged 5

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About to leave for National Service, 1950

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In Korea 1951 with one of our 4.2 inch mortars

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Hong Kong 1954 serving with
26 Gurkha Brigade

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The Chinese in Korea used to fix various propaganda leaflets on our barbed wire defences. They would creep up under cover of the dark. This shows both sides of the 'Christmas card ' I picked up at Xmas 51, which is printed on very thin rice paper, so thin you can read the printing on the reverse. These had small packets of 5 cigarettes called 'Peace' left with them, all part of their attempt at brainwashing. I am not sure if anyone smoked the cigs.

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A UN leaflet sent over to the Chinese advising them to surrender. It shows Joe Stalin pushing Mao Tse Tung (Mao Ze-dong in modern Chinese) pushing an ordinary Chinese soldier into the flames to do Joe's dirty work. Sept 1951.

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The Ambassador For Peace certificate and medal, presented to Jim in April 1996 on an all expenses paid revisit to Korea, April 1996 .

Prisoner No:14. Not really. This was on my ID card in Japan. I was the fourteenth man to be sent on an advanced wireless course at a training unit, Hiro, Japan, July 1951.

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Click here to view the letter that Jim received from the South Korean Embassy while he was in hospital, February 2009. It shows how well Korean War veterans are regarded by the Korean people.

After presentation by the Korean Ambassador to the UK, July 2010, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean war.

The 60th anniversary of the Imjin River battle, in which we took 1,078 casualties was in April 2011.

For a chart showing Jim’s descendants, click here

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