NX26885 - LEONARD, Vincent Joseph Augustus (Vince), Pte. - HQ Company, Transport Platoon
In Japan he had to work in a coal mine. One day his Jap Hancho
tried to force Vince to go under a rock ledge to get clearance of
what was under it. Vince did not want to go. He hit the Hancho right
between the eyes and broke his glasses.
"The Jap waited until they
got top-side, and then Vince was given a belting from other Japs.
Someone called out 'Happy Birthday’ to Vince as he took the
punishment.
NX31783 - LANSDOWNE, Harold Aubrey (Aub), A/S/Sgt. - E
Company, CQMS
NX26885 - LEONARD, Vincent Joseph Augustus (Vince), Pte. -
HQ Company, Transport Platoon
NX30302 - McNAB, James Alistair (Jimmy), L/Cpl. - HQ
Company, Signals Platoon
NX37421 - PLOWES, Stuart Hilton, Pte. - HQ Company, Carrier
Platoon
NX37543 - SKINNER, Oswald Victor (Os), Pte. - D Company,
Coy. HQ
Vince tells, "We reached
Moji, Japan, and were notified that Os. Skinner had just
passed on. On the next day we arrived at Sendu in the
Fuk-e-oka Area", about 40 miles from Nagasaki, whence we
were picked up by the Recovery Teams after the Japanese
Capitulation. On that same day, that we arrived, Stuart
Plowes, Aub Lansdowne and I had to go high up on the
mountain side in the heavy snow to cremate Os: that part
fell to me. We went back with his ashes and learnt that Jim
McNab of the Sig. Platoon had just died, so we had to go
straight back again with his body to cremate it. We felt
terrible, as things usually happen in threes and only Aub,
Stuart and I of the 2/30 Bn. remained."
