Colin's Diary

Who Are They?

These photographs were taken on board the Asturias in November 1948, by Pat Piggott. His wife Irene (Rene) and son Michael are pictured with other passengers. If you can identify them, please let us know.

Five hundred and thirty British soldiers, most of them from the Gloucesters, stepped ashore in the dregs of a rainstorm here this morning at the end of the long ride home from the prison camps in North Korea.

They began their shortened lives again at 9am today in shed 107 of Southern Region railway docks. A joyful crowd had come to meet them, and a hundred private festivals were celebrated every minute as sunburned, happy soldiers crowded down the gangways from the transport Asturias. Children in their Sunday best were hoisted high into the air, admired, embraced and deposited among kitbags, while all the news of the 30 months came tumbling out at once. The long moment of welcome, the sum of the personal rejoicing of five hundred happy families, made slightly ludicrous the Army's stiff but well-meant attempts to be informal and the dark preoccupation of the press with the prisoners' politics. Brigadiers with nervous smiles wandered unsaluted through the throng.

As for the Communists, real or alleged, the general opinion among the prisoners who would talk seemed to be that their main reason for co-operating with the Chinese was to improve their lot in camp. In particular they got permission to send news of their survival to relatives. "But some of them" said a tall judicious corporal (who had spent a year in a punishment camp), would sell their county for a tailor-made fag.The welcoming began long before the Asturias' lines were fast. Families began to recognise their men - or to think that they had recognised them - at impossible ranges in the rain. The shouts were addressed to individuals dimly seen through the rain, individuals who maddeningly failed to recognise the recognisers until all breath was spent.

Half an hour later, with the ship secured, the recognition process was repeated. Soldiers, their eyes searching the four corners of the shed, wandered distractedly through the crowd. Then came the embraces and happy, silent meetings, all the remarks that are made for the sake of saying something - "Hasn't he grown?" and "I got your telegram all right".

"How well you look" could be heard most often, and the former prisoners did. Most of them, notably the Gloucesters, were in their thirties and were spare and agile and supremely cheerful. A strong contingent from the regiment had come to Southampton to meet their comrades missing since their famous action on the Imjin river in April 1951.

Source: The Guardian, 17 September 1953

On September 16th, 1953, Asturias arrived at Southampton, carrying 530 British soldiers, returning from Korea where they had been held in prison camps.

Joyful dockside reunions can be seen in the wonderful film clip at the British Pathe website:

Provided courtesy of Mr Roger Griffiths, UK
(Double-click on book to view larger image)

"Since the truce talks opened in Korea there have been discussions among the crews of ships on transport duty as to which would have the luck to be on turn when the first released British prisoners had to be brought home. The privilege, as the crews regarded it, fell to the Asturias..."

Excerpt from article by Frank C Bowen.
Source: British National Archives [Piece MT40/142]