It had been many years since Adam’s mother had taken a flight in an airplane. Adam remembered many family holidays on the Costa Brava in Spain, in Brittany and on one occasion Florida, but that was before he and his sisters were married and when his father was still alive. But since her husband’s death, Jen had rarely travelled abroad, preferring holidays consisting of two weeks in a caravan in one of the seaside towns on the east coast of England or on a Saga coach tour with a group of widows that she was friendly with.
With the money from Joe’s old bank account, which she had received just a few weeks before, she had arranged for the whole family to travel to South Korea to see where her brother had been laid to rest and to lay flowers on his grave.
But this was for another day.
April was the month when the battle for the Imjin River was celebrated. Adam suggested to his mother that she wait until next year to visit South Korea, which would be the fiftieth year since this famous battle, and no doubt would be a special celebration.
“But Adam, I might not be here next year,” she replied.
Jen was seventy-five years old but was in relatively good health. She had a few minor ailments but nothing serious, and she had no difficulty walking.
Helen had accepted Adam’s invitation to dinner and Adam had made a reservation for the two of them at the most exclusive restaurant in Cardiff. The evening was extremely enjoyable for both of them and they each accepted their own foibles and imperfections that had led to the divorce; both agreed these had been trivial and petty and, in short, they decided to ‘try again’. That same night Adam stayed at Helen’s house and the following week moved back on a permanent basis. Of course, no one was happier than Paul.
They had flown into Incheon Airport, Seoul, and Adam and Sian had each rented a car at the airport. The plan was to stay a few a days in Seoul and then take a leisurely drive through South Korea to Changwon in order to visit Joe’s grave.
Today they were at the bottom of ‘The Hill’, hill 235, and Adam, Helen, Sian, Rachel, Jack, Lewis and Paul and all seven had decided to walk to the top. Jen, they decided, should travel in a jeep driven by a young South Korean soldier despite her objections; she wanted to walk to the top with her family.
During the walk, they passed several elderly former soldiers proudly wearing their berets and displaying their medals on their chests, determination etched on their faces as they strode purposefully to the summit.
When they reached the top, it seemed that nothing had changed in almost fifty years; there were still slit trenches, now occupied by young South Korean soldiers, overlooking the Imjin River, which sparkled in the morning sunlight; beyond that lay the ‘Demilitarised Zone’ separating the communist north from the capitalist south.
The atmosphere was solemn and was picked up by the boys, Paul, Jack, and Lewis, who stood together in quiet reverence, understanding what had happened here forty-nine years ago – Adam had, by now, told them the story of the Battle of Imjin River.
There were many groups assembled on the summit. Some were British dignitaries and businessmen; others were obviously army veterans, including American, Korean, British and others. Adam could see in front of him a man, wearing the distinctive beret of The Gloucestershire Regiment, looking out over the river to the north. He walked towards him and as he approached Adam inadvertently disturbed the man’s silent reverie; the old soldier turned to see who was approaching and as he did so Adam could see he was openly crying. His skin was creased with wrinkles, his brow deeply furrowed and his eyes had a faraway look. The man wore a black blazer with two medals on the left breast pocket, the same two medals that Joe had left in the ornate Korean box, The Korean War medal and The United Nations Service Medal for Korea.
“I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Adam said, feeling awkward at interrupting the man’s silent meditation.
“No, no, young man, it’s perfectly alright,” the old soldier said as he pulled an immaculate white handkerchief from the breast pocket of his blazer and gently wiped his eyes.
“I have been coming here for fifty years and it never gets any easier,” he continued, “so many of my friends lost here for this bloody hill, and I was already on a ship to Japan when this battle took place. I was shot in the leg just south of here in the first hill assault by the Glosters,” he stated, slapping his left thigh.
Adam felt goose pimples form on the back of his neck.
It couldn’t be, could it? he thought to himself.
The old soldier then fell silent again, until Adam asked him a question.
“I was wondering sir if you might remember my uncle? He fought here with the Glosters,” Adam asked.
“I picked up your Welsh accent, young man, you are not referring to Sergeant Taffy Howells, are you?” he said.
“Actually, he was my uncle’s platoon leader. No, my uncle was Joe… sorry, Jackie Gee,” Adam continued.
The old soldier looked at Adam quizzically for a moment and then answered.
“Are you joking? Jackie Gee was your uncle?”
“Yes, sir, he was,” Adam answered.
“He was a fine soldier and a fine man. Everybody in the regiment liked ‘Cockney Jackie’, and I’m proud to say he was my friend,” he continued. “I tried to track him down for five years after the war but nobody knew what had happened to him. I heard that after the war everybody was getting shipped back to England and he just disappeared one day with his friend, the Korean interpreter. What was his name? We presumed he had been captured and taken prisoner by the North Koreans, or the Chinese more likely,” he corrected himself. “When, eventually, the UN and the Chinese agreed to a prisoner exchange, his name was never on any of the lists, nor was the interpreter’s, for that matter. It was all very strange.”
“Lim,” Adam said.
“I’m sorry,” the old soldier said.
“The interpreter’s name was Mr Lim,” Adam answered.
“That’s right, it was Lim, but how did you know that?” he asked.
“Because I met him, actually just a few months ago,” Adam answered.
“He’s still alive? He wasn’t taken by the Chinese?” he asked.
“Yes, he’s still alive and living in Changwon. He wasn’t captured by the Chinese, and neither was Jackie Gee,” Adam said.
“Well, I’ll be…” he whispered.
“And Jackie? Is he still alive?” he asked.
“No, Jackie died in nineteen fifty-five, here in Korea,” Adam said.
“Well, I’ll be…” he whispered again. “My name is John Gillard, by the way, Private Johnny Gillard, and Jackie Gee probably saved my life!” John Gillard offered his hand, which Adam shook. The old soldier’s grip was strong, Adam noticed.
“Yes, John, I know he did, on hill 375, wasn’t it? John, I would like to introduce you to my mother, Jackie’s sister. Would you mind?” Adam asked.
“No, of course not. I would be delighted. I have been waiting almost fifty years to meet the family of Jackie Gee,” John Gillard replied.
Adam ushered the old soldier over to where his mother was talking with Sian, Rachel, and Helen.
“Mum,” Adam said, “this is John Gillard, a friend of Jackie’s.” Adam emphasised the name, Jackie, so that his mother would realise he had not disclosed his uncle’s real name to the veteran soldier.
“Hello, madam! I’m very pleased to meet the sister of Jackie. He was a very good man, well-liked by everybody,” he said.
Adam’s mother suddenly became very emotional and began to cry and the old soldier put his arms around her and hugged her gently until her sobbing stopped. Johnny Gillard then took a box from his blazer pocket and handed it to Adam’s mother.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Open it and you will see,” Johnny Gillard answered.
Jen opened the small, lined box and inside was a medal in the form of a cross with a white and purple ribbon. Queen Elizabeth’s Royal Cipher, ER, could be seen written on the medal.
“It belongs to you. It was given to Jackie and, for some reason, maybe for safekeeping, Jackie sent it to me. I have been coming here for fifty years, praying that one year somebody from Jackie’s family would turn up so I could give it to the rightful owner. This year my prayers have been answered. If you are not familiar with the medals of the British army, you probably won’t recognise it, but I’m sure that you all have heard of the ‘Military Medal’, given in only extreme cases of gallantry.”
There was a discernible intake of breath from everybody in our family group.
“Uncle Joe won the ‘Military Medal’!” Rachel said, more loudly than she had intended, and John Gillard immediately picked it up.
“Excuse me, but that’s the second time I’ve heard you people refer to Jackie as Joe. Is there something you are not telling me?” Johnny asked.
“Yes, Johnny, there is, but not here. Can we invite you to dinner tonight? It’s quite a story, I promise you!” Adam said to the confused ex-Gloucestershire Regiment Bren gunner.
“Indeed you can, and I can assure you I will be all ears,” he replied enthusiastically.
The family walked back down the hill with Uncle Joe’s old friend, John Gillard, and this time Jen insisted on walking with the family rather than riding in a South Korean army jeep.
Jen and John Gillard walked down the hill together arm in arm, supporting each other. When they reached the bottom, John Gillard went back to his own hotel in the limousine provided by the South Korea government but not before he had turned Adam’s invitation, insisting that he bought them all dinner at his hotel.
Joe’s family returned to their hotel to change their clothes and freshen up for dinner and, later, they all assembled in the hotel lobby and made the short walk to Johnny Gillard’s hotel. This hotel, unlike theirs, was expensive, and not what Adam and Jen had expected, considering John Gillard was a war veteran who, they presumed, survived on an army pension and state pension.
The evening turned out to be extremely pleasant and John Gillard was the perfect host. He first told them how he had fared after being discharged from the army: after recuperating at an army hospital in Japan he had returned to England and his father’s farm in Gloucestershire; he had been surprised to receive the Military Medal, by regular mail, in nineteen fifty-three, and was determined to give it to Jackie’s family. He told them that he had spent a lot of time trying to track down ‘Jackie Gee’ after the Korean War but, not surprisingly, without any success. The address that Jackie had given to the recruiting officer when he had enlisted was in London and it had been destroyed during the Second World War.
‘Jackie’ had told him he had a sister in Wales, but that was all he knew. Today was the first time he had heard that her name was Jennifer.
John Gillard had never married and, after the death of his mother and father some years ago, had inherited the family farm. With no children of his own and no immediate family and with the coming of old age, he was forced to sell the extremely successful farm which, in turn, had made John Gillard very comfortably off and which explained the very expensive hotel that he chose to stay in on his annual visit to Seoul, as well as the fine meal and wine which Adam and his family were now enjoying.
He then told them that this would be his last visit to Seoul. Now that he had been able to find the family of his friend and give them his Military Medal, he could now rest in peace.
It was then Adam’s turn to tell the story of his Uncle Joe Watts, a man who had truly left his mark on this world. John Gillard was enthralled by the story and, apart from the occasional sigh or exclamation, allowed Adam to complete it without interruption.
“It’s almost unbelievable!” John said, as Adam finished. “You have really done a great job of detective work, Adam,” he added. “I wish you had been around when I tried to find him fifty years ago! But what about the jewels and the diamond?” he added.
“Well, ‘The Amor Blue Diamond’ we have put in the hands of our solicitor. Up to now, he has been unable to find the original owner – that is the person who it was stolen from in nineteen forty-nine. As for the jewels, they could still be under the floorboards in Jackie Gee’s girlfriend’s flat, in Bethnal Green. Maybe that’s the next detective job for Adam and the boys?” Jen answered as Adam was savouring a glass of excellent red wine after finishing his story.
John Gillard had several more questions, which were duly answered by Jen or Adam; after dessert and coffee, it was time for the family to return to their hotel and a good night’s sleep before their drive to Changwon the following morning. Everybody thanked John Gillard for a very fine dinner and as they were leaving, John called to Jen and Adam.
“I was wondering,” he said, feeling somewhat awkward, “would you mind very much if I came with you to Changwon. I would dearly love to pay my last respects to Jackie – sorry – to Joe,” he asked.
“Of course, John. It would be our pleasure,” Jen answered.
“Excellent, I will get the hotel to change my flight. Which hotel is it that you have booked in Changwon?” he asked.
“The Changwon Hotel,” Adam answered.
“Very good. I will make a reservation there,” John replied.
“Okay, John! Thank you for an excellent evening and we will collect you tomorrow at ten o’clock. Is that okay with you?” Adam asked.
“Ten o’clock will be fine, Adam,” John answered. “Thank you very much.”
“Thank you, John! Now we will wish you a good night and we’ll see you in the morning,” Adam said.
“Goodnight to you, Adam, and goodnight to you, Jen.”
Jen then walked over to John and embraced him. “Thank you so much, John. It’s been wonderful to meet you and thank you for a lovely evening,” Jen said to her new friend.
“You are more than welcome, Jen,” he replied, as they broke from her spontaneous embrace.
The following morning was clear and warm and the drive leisurely and relaxing, with stops for lunch and to visit some of the impressive sights, including the Bulguksa Temple and the Hwaseong Fortress.
It was late evening when they arrived at the Changwon Hotel and most of the group decided to go to bed, while Adam, John, Jack and Lewis chose to have a nightcap in the hotel bar before retiring. Adam called Jin Lim, who was surprised to hear that Adam was back in South Korea, as the project at the steel mill was finished and the operations in full production. Adam then explained that it was purely a social visit and that his whole family was with him with the intention of visiting Joe’s grave the following morning. Jin then said he would join them at the bar in ten minutes but not before he had informed his grandfather that Adam was in Changwon.
It was closer to twenty minutes later when Jin arrived, together with his grandfather, which explained his lateness. Adam and the boys were on their second beer and John was on his second whisky, which he drank straight. After introductions were made and drinks ordered for Mr Lim and Jin, Mr Lim and John naturally began to talk about old Gloucestershire Regiment contemporaries, most, if not all, long since dead.
It was the first time that the two had met. John had been sent to Japan when Mr Lim had been rescued by Joe. After a while, Adam asked Mr Lim why he had not mentioned to Adam about Joe winning the Military Medal. Mr Lim answered that Joe was participating in the war under an assumed name and certainly never sought any publicity, and was never actually photographed with the medal. He hadn’t known what Joe had done with the medal but wasn’t surprised he had sent it to John.
After a few more drinks, Adam and the boys decided that they too would turn in; they left the bar for their bedrooms, leaving Jin, Mr Lim and John in the bar to continue their reminiscing.
The following morning, after buying flowers from a nearby flower shop the group, including Mr Lim, Mrs Lim and Jin, set off in a convoy of three cars for the grave of Joe Watts, the brother Jen had not seen for fifty years.
Descending from their vehicles, the large group of people made their way on foot to Joe Watts’ private little graveyard. As Mina always did, she removed the old flowers and replaced them with new then, in turn. Joe’s remaining family each put a spray of flowers on the grave. Jen was the last.
“Well, Joe, we spent a long time looking for you but, thanks to Adam, we’ve found you. I only wish you’d said goodbye.” Then she broke down in tears. Adam, Sian and Rachel each put their arms around their mother and held her close. These were not tears like those of the day before; no, these were gut-wrenching sobs, from the heart, and lasted several long minutes.
When Jen had recovered and composed herself, she took from her pocket the Military Cross that Johnny Gillard had given to her, and silently placed it on the headstone.
“This is where this medal belongs, little brother,” she said and turned to Mr Lim.
“Now, Mr Lim, where’s the nearest public house? We shall have a wake that Changwon will never forget for your friend and my brother, Joe Watts, the finest man you ever knew… and I’m sure we will have ‘One for the Road’!”
The solemn mood was broken. Jen Evans had finally said goodbye to her long-lost brother and she was content that he was now at rest.
The Lim and the Evans families slowly left the private little graveyard and headed back to the cars, but Johnny Gillard remained at the graveside. It was several minutes before he joined the others waiting at the cars.
He was still dabbing at the tears with his pure white handkerchief as he stepped into the Lim’s Santa Fe. He too had spent many days looking for his friend, and now he could return to Gloucester and rest in peace.