Heart and Soul: Living in a time of war

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With the approaching 75th anniversary of the Japanese surrender in WWII, I often think about my conversations with my late father about his wartime memories. I recall one such account, when I was a schoolboy in the 1960s.

My father and his friends all respected the British as their colonial master. But when they heard that the Japanese – under the fearsome General Yamashita – had defeated the British army in their battles in Kedah and Penang, it was a big blow to their confidence. After that, the Japanese were advancing southward to Kinta Valley rapidly.