A heroes' welcome after the 'Forgotten War'

5:24pm Saturday 19th July 2008

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TODAY MANY CLAIM IT to be the "Forgotten War'' but in Southampton, more than half a century ago, the survivors of the cruel, harsh conditions of Korea were welcomed with open arms by those who always remembered.

For the crowds that thronged the city's docksides, in the autumn of 1953, waiting for that first glimpse of a loved one, who had been fighting for freedom in a foreign land that previously many British people had never considered, must have seemed like an eternity.

However, 58 years ago, the country, still carrying the deep scars of the Second World War, had to face up to another conflict when at 4am on June 25, 1950 the Cold War erupted into flames as the North Korean army launched an all-out offensive against the South.

Britain answered the call to arms as once again the British Tommy went into battle in a country far away that for most people, at the time, would be hard to find on a map.

There is still a feeling, especially among those that endured the terrible hardships of Korea, that this conflict has been forgotten and overshadowed by the Second World War.

The Korean War exacted a heavy toll on all sides with the British forces suffering 1,078 killed in action, 2,674 wounded and 1,060 missing or taken prisoner.

• The Weekend magazine in the Daily Echo has a number of fantastic pictures from the homecoming of the POWs and a three page feature.