One of Britain's oldest Second World War veterans shared his extraordinary survival story with the Duchess of Edinburgh over tea in Salisbury on Tuesday. James "Jim" Wren, aged 105, recounted how his Royal Navy ship was torpedoed by Japanese forces before he endured more than three years as a prisoner of war.
The meeting took place ahead of the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day on 15 August, which marks Japan's surrender to Allied Forces and the end of the Second World War. Sophie, who serves as patron of The Java Far East Prisoner of War Club 1942, met with Wren to hear his wartime experiences firsthand.
Wren survived the sinking of HMS Repulse in December 1941 but was captured by Japanese forces in Singapore in February 1942. His family remained unaware of his fate throughout the war, with Wren explaining to Sophie: "It was right until the end of the war until they knew I was alive. So they suffered all this time."
Naval service and torpedo attack
The veteran never intended to join the Navy, admitting to the Duchess: "Nothing attracted me to the Navy - I didn't want to be in the Navy." After being rejected by the RAF and Army at age 19, he enlisted in the Navy following his uncle's recall to the Royal Marines reserves.
On 10 December 1941, HMS Repulse was sunk by Japanese aircraft off the coast of Malaya. Wren vividly recalled the attack: "It was around 11 o'clock in the morning, I was having a cup of tea on the mess deck and the alarm was raised. I dropped my cup and as I left the mess deck, the first bomb dropped right behind me. Fortunately, it didn't explode - I was able to go down two or three decks before it exploded. It was torpedo after torpedo."
He was later captured alongside civilians while attempting to flee Singapore by boat. When Sophie observed: "It must have been awful, because you were surrounded by women and children," Wren nodded in agreement.
Prison conditions and family memories
Wren spent the next three and a half years as a prisoner of war in Sumatra until his release in August 1945. He described the harsh conditions to Sophie: "We didn't know when our next meal was coming from or when our next drink was coming from… They had no idea how to deal with prisoners of wars, the Japanese - no idea."
The veteran was surrounded by four generations of his family during the meeting, including his daughter Denise Dables, 69, son-in-law Andy Dables, 72, granddaughter Kirsty Dables, 51, and great-granddaughters Freya, 18, and Ellie, 16. His son-in-law revealed that Wren only began sharing his war memories at age 99, noting: "We are just impressed that he remembers everything - he's as sharp as any. But you wouldn't just forget anything like that, though, would you?"
Royal commemoration
King Charles will mark the VJ Day anniversary on Friday with a pre-recorded address to the nation. The monarch and Queen will then attend a remembrance service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire alongside Second World War veterans and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
