CARLISLE Castle is gearing up for two exciting days of bringing history to life marking Cumbria's Military Festival 2022.
The celebration of Cumbria's military heritage on June 3 - 4 will be held at the Museum of Military Life, and hopes to shed light on many of the forgotten stories of Cumbrian soldiers.
There are a number of author talks including Ian Wilson, who is talking about his book, 'The White Gurkhas', which is the the story of the Cumbrian soldiers who fought in Burma in the Second World War with the 9th Battalion Border Regiment.
Ian's book came together following a successful appeal in the Cumberland News in 1984, gathering ex-service men to get together for a reunion to share their Burma war experiences.
"Although my father (Sam Wilson) served with 9th Border, the book and my talk are not about him; it’s about the men he served with in the battalion," Ian said.
"This is a forgotten story; a forgotten Second World War conflict that many Cumberland and Westmorland soldiers fought and died in.
"Our local regiment the Border Regiment had three battalions fighting in Burma, 2nd Battalion 4th Battalion and the 9th Battalion the Border Regiment."
Ian said his book and talk are a 'memorial' to those that served - and it is a story that should be heard and shared.
"My talk has no military jargon, no maps, no strategies, no presentation with slides that mean nothing. These men weren’t interested in the grand plans from they Generals, it was day-to-day survival.
"It is the story about their struggles with the heat, monsoon rains, diseases and an enemy that never surrendered," he said.
The 9th Border Regiment, which was raised in Workington in October 1940, continued fighting at great cost, losing many lives, much of it through hard-fought hand–to-hand battles, leaving many more wounded in its wake until the Japanese surrender in August 1945.
"It is a story of sons and fathers, civilians who were called up to fight Nazi Germany, only to find they were fighting the Japanese in a forgotten conflict.
"They called themselves 'The Forgotten Army'; this was a phrase that originally came from the 9th Battalion the Border Regiment," he said.
Ian himself would go on to Vietnam during the ‘Tet Offensive’ as a merchant seamen, helping to deliver jet petroleum for the US army before eventually becoming the landlord of The Kings Arms Inn in Bowness-on-Solway.
As well as Ian Wilson speaking, there's Alan Mallinson, who is very high profile in military history circles, and talks from Rob Griffith, Keith Matthews and Alan Whitworth - plus the vehicles, weapons and soldier displays on the Friday will make-up for a fascinating spectacle - with tickets available to be purchased on Cumbria's Museum of Military Life website.
READ MORE: Consultation to be held on £3 million plans for Longtown
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here