Imjin Veteran Memorial - the Korean War
Appeal for the Forest of Dean Imjin Veteran Memorial
In 1951, a group of Forest of Dean soldiers were engaged in one of the most ferocious battles since World War 2. These young men, mostly national servicemen, fought in the Battle of the Imjin River and then spent two years in the cruellest captivity imaginable. Their experiences and those of other combatants in the Korean War, have been forgotten in many places, but in the villages and towns of the Forest of Dean they are remembered.
The Imjin Veterans Memorial Project, formed after a Forest of Dean Council motion, is raising funds for a permanent memorial to the sacrifice of the veterans to be erected in the Cyril Hart Arboretum in the Royal Forest of Dean. This will be a lasting legacy to the soldiers who fought in the Korean War and the contribution of Forest soldiers in 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment (Glosters), to the United Nations' peace keeping force that ensured the future of a democratic Republic of Korea.
With the support of Forest of Dean District Council, Forestry England, Grail Engineering and Mabey Bridge, the project has an agreed design and location and the project group are inviting donations to help reach a target of £18,000 to make, construct, install and maintain the memorial.
Please send your donations, however small, to:
Imjin Memorial
Forest of Dean District Council
Coleford
GL16 8HG
Or via bank transfer to the following:
| Account name | Forest of Dean District Council |
| Bank name | Lloyds Bank |
| Sort code | 30-91-87 |
| Account number | 00833506 |
| Reference | Imjin Memorial |
Background Information to support the Forest of Dean Imjin Veterans’ Memorial
Why is the memorial important?
The Battle of Imjin River – a key battle of the Korean War - was fundamental to keeping Seoul, the capital city of the Republic of Korea (South Korea), out of communist hands. Despite this, so many people know little about the battle, let alone what the Glosters achieved. This memorial will record the names of our local Imjin battle veterans for everyone to read so that their story will not disappear as the years pass. What our young men endured and the sacrifices they made, will never be forgotten.
It will also serve as a focus for learning about Britain’s contribution to the first major United Nations peacekeeping effort that upheld a treaty to guarantee a democratic future for South Korea.
Why now?
Sadly, Roy Mills of Cinderford, a veteran of the Battle of Imjin River and a true Forester through and through, passed away on 14 October 2024. He had been our last surviving veteran of the battle and a strong supporter of the memorial. His passing gives added emphasis to our memorial funding campaign. In addition, we have just marked the seventieth anniversary of the veterans returning home. Establishing a memorial is important before the events endured by our local veterans slip from living memory.
Why an arched structure?
The design of the memorial was led by Andrew Gardiner, the brother of a veteran, supported by the Imjin memorial project team and Luke Murrell of Grails, Cinderford. It reflects the spirit of the “Welcome Gate to Freedom”, a structure built in the Panmunjom neutral area, a demilitarised zone between the combatants to allow the exchange of prisoners in 1953.
Why the Cyril Hart Aboretum?
The Cyril Hart Aboretum was chosen after lengthy consultation with the Royal British Legion and others and visits to various parts of the Forest of Dean. It is at the heart of the Forest and a place that facilitates quiet contemplation. Forestry England have been extremely supportive, and the project has met the safety and maintenance standards required to locate the memorial in the arboretum.
Brief background to the Korean War 1950 - 1953 (unresolved)
By 1950, Korea had already been in an unstable political situation for many years. The country had been a Japanese colony since 1910, but following allied summit meetings held during World War II, it was to be given back its independence. In the interim, it was agreed that the Soviet Union would support the country north of the 38th parallel line, and a US military administration would watch over the south.
In June 1950, North Korean soldiers invaded the south and were only halted when they reached the Pusan. The UN’s involvement saw the south reclaimed but in November, communist China joined the North Korean cause and Seoul was retaken. However, UN forces fought back once again to the 38th parallel. A waiting game ensued.
Battle of Imjin River, close to the 38th parallel, Korea, 22 – 25 April 1951
The battle
In spring 1951, 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment - as part of the 29th Independent Infantry Brigade under UN command - were positioned on hilltops, guarding an ancient route that led across the Imjin River and on to Seoul. On 22 April, the Chinese crossed the river in their thousands. The Glosters’ ‘A’ Company on Hill 148 (Castle Hill) took the brunt of the initial onslaught. Many were killed or injured. Ferocious fighting spread as the Chinese sent wave after wave of soldiers into attack. Despite their determination to hold position, the odds were stacked against the Glosters by the sheer number of Chinese and the superiority of their weapons. With support units unable to send fresh supplies to the hills, the Glosters were forced back to Hill 235 - later known as Gloster Hill. After three and a half days of intense fighting, without food or water and with ammunition running low, the Glosters were eventually ordered to leave the hill and make their own way to safety.
POWs in captivity
Over 500 Glosters were captured by the Chinese. Hungry and exhausted, they were forced to walk hundreds of miles into North Korea to the desperately inadequate POWs camps close to the Chinese border. Those who survived remained there for almost two and a half years. The camps were brutal. Some men were put into solitary confinement. Others, into small bamboo cages, unable to move, were burnt by cigarette butts and urinated on. All POWs attended daily brainwashing sessions - forced to listen to Communist doctrine for hour after hour, sitting on cold floors in freezing conditions through winter, and in the terrible heat surrounded by flies in summer. Those in the so-called reactionaries’ camp barely ate. Many had parasitic tapeworms, dysentery, typhoid or beriberi. The first winter, they counted the bodies of over twenty US POWs being dragged away through the snow every day.
Impact of the battle
The POWs included twelve soldiers from the Forest of Dean of whom ten were young national servicemen. They returned home in September 1953 - not to a heroes’ welcome but to questioning and suspicion by the authorities who were desperate to know if the Communist propaganda had ‘turned’ their young men. Many suffered terribly from the trauma of what they had witnessed in battle and the inhumanity they had lived through in captivity. Most of them never spoke to their families about their experiences.
The battle played a pivotal role in keeping the Republic of Korea a free and democratic country. The Glosters’ tenacity against all odds to hold their position delayed the Chinese for three and a half days - enough time for UN forces to pull back resources to defend Seoul. Today, the Glosters’ action in the hills is still revered by the South Koreans.