Barry soldiers' war stories told at VJ Day museum event

The Barry Museum & Heritage Centre held a special open day on August 15, commemorating Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) and the end of the Second World War.

One story shared was that of Private Ernest Lewis, told by his granddaughter, Deborah Boyle.

Private Lewis was a member of the 1st South Staffordshire Regiment who glided behind enemy lines in March 1944.

He was shot by a Japanese sniper and rescued by a Gurkha.

Ms Boyle said: "My grampy was the kindest man I’ve ever known.

"Despite the horrors he saw and went through, I’m immensely proud of him.

"He sadly passed in 2007, aged 87, and is still greatly missed.

"He was part of the ‘forgotten army’."

There are 449 Barry and Vale service personnel buried or commemorated in the Far East campaign.

The Asia-Pacific battles involved the Fourteenth Army in the Burma campaign, the largest army group of nearly 1.3 million men and women ever assembled by the British Commonwealth and its allies.

John Buxton, chairperson of the Barry War Museum & Heritage Centre CIC, said: "The museum celebrates the stories of ‘ordinary’ local people thrust into extraordinary times.

"We remember the contribution of all Commonwealth and Allied Forces, without whom victory and the freedoms and way of life we enjoy today would not have been possible."

The Barry War Museum & Heritage Centre at Barry Island Station educates visitors about Barry’s wartime story and fight against fascism.

It features an original Second World War Anderson shelter, a 1940s kitchen, and a First World War trench.

The museum runs a school visit programme offering an ‘evacuee experience’, telling the story of how children escaped the Nazi bombing of their homes.

The museum, which has a Trip Advisor rating of 5.0, offers a programme of free historical talks on local and military history.

For more information, or if interested in volunteering at the museum, email bawmsocialmedia@gmail.com or visit the museum's website.