February 1942 was a time of sadness and dismay to many families in Tring when it was announced that Singapore/Malaya and Hong Kong had fallen to the Japanese forces. Many of our local soldiers were serving in an East Anglian Division, which went into captivity at Singapore. The Japanese Army moved the prisoners to Siam (now Thailand) where they were put to work building a railway through the jungles towards Burma.
They laboured under dreadful conditions, with little food or medical care available. They were treated brutally by their guards, and many died from sickness, malnutrition and brutality. Although the majority of soldiers involved were British and Australian, Dutch soldiers were also imprisoned and suffered much the same. Six men from Tring died between 1942 and 1945. Many more survived and returned after the war, but most never really recovered from the privations received in the camps. It is said that during March 1942, an extra allocation of rations were made available in Tring as a bolster to moral.
During the war years, thirty four men gave their lives for our freedom and their names can be seen on the upper tablets on our War Memorial and are also in the Book of Remembrance displayed in the Parish Church.
I cannot comment on the celebrations when the war came to an end because I was serving in the Royal Engineers in Belgium. We were repairing Belgian railway engines in Antwerp, Brussels and Mechelen.
In conclusion we must not forget that it was not all work and effort, entertainment was well catered for. There were two cinemas in Tring, The Regal, in Western Road and The Gaiety, in Akeman Street. Programmes were changed twice weekly, with a special programme on Sunday. The children were not forgotten, for they had a special Saturday morning session. There was usually a dance held in the Victoria Hall each Saturday, or one could travel to Aylesbury or Berkhamsted to dance. The Forces stationed hereabouts, could go to the Y.M.C.A. in Tabernacle Yard, where they could get refreshments and write home. They could even get their socks darned by the Volunteer Ladies who tended to mother them. I hope you can conjure up a picture of life during the war. There are many more aspects that can be studied. I hope that you can use this as a base to start your studies.
