Memorial remembers 'forgotten' Korean war
A MEMORIAL service was held in Belfast on Sunday to mark the anniversary of a "forgotten" conflict which saw 157 members of the Royal Ulster Rifles captured or killed in Korea.
Yesterday was the 58th anniversary of The Battle of Happy Valley in Korea, which is thought to have been the first international atte-mpt to halt communist military expansion, according to veteran Colonel Robin Charley.
Turks, Belgians, Americans, Koreans and British joined forces to fight the Chinese and North Koreans in 1951.
"If the United Nations hadn't gone into South Korea to defend it, then communists everywhere else around the world would have thought they could do the same," said Col Charley, who attended yesterday's ceremony in Belfast.
He said his 29th Brigade was made up of three battalions, the Royal Ulster Rifles, Gloucester-shire Regiment and Northumb-erland Fusiliers along with the King's Own Royal Irish Hussars and 45 Field Regiment Royal Artillery.
They were brought in to support US forces in South Korea against invading North Korean communists. Initially they pushed the communists so far back into their own territory that they were almost at the Chinese border.
However, strong Chinese reinforcements pushed the British and Allied forces back into South Korea, where the 29th Brigade was then tasked with protecting the capital, Seoul.
"We took up a defensive position and held them off for three days, when we discovered that the Korean and US forces had withdrawn, without us being informed," said Col Charley.
The 29th Brigade was withdrawing under cover of night, when a US aircraft dropped flares to check on Chinese positions, thus giving away the British retreat.
"The enemy came charging down the hills and there was a great ambush. We lost a lot of people," he said.
"We were picked up by US transport trucks and taken 20 miles south. The next day we found we had over 205 men missing from a battalion of around 700."
After a few days, a further 50 men turned up, but in the end there were 157 men killed or missing. A further 100 men were taken prisoner for two-and-a-half years of the conflict.
Soon afterwards the communist forces were pushed back to the near the border with South Korea, which is roughly how the situation remains today.
"The two countries have never signed for peace, they are still technically at war," said Col Charley.
"But it was a crucial conflict in terms of withstanding communist aggression around the world."
The marble pillar outside Belfast City Hall was made in Korea and originally stood on the battle site but was later moved to Ballymena Army barracks.
However the recent closure of that facility saw the memorial moved to Belfast City Hall.
A formal dedication of the site is to take place in September but veterans chose to mark the actual date of the battle yesterday.
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Monday 13 February 2012
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