POW Who Survived Japan's 'Death Railway' Relies On Volunteer Helpline

A 95-year-old British man who survived years as a prisoner of the Japanese Imperial Army has said a volunteer helpline sustained him after his wife died.

Jack King, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, said Silver Line "opened my life back up" after he rang following the death of wife Audrey several years ago.

The veteran had toiled for 18 hours a day building the "Death Railway" between Bangkok and Burma during the Second World War.

He said his wife's death left a "great hole" in his life.

Speaking to the Press Association, he said: "It was like a light going out in your life after 65 years of sharing everything. Suddenly there's no-one there.

"It leaves a great hole. I didn't want to open the curtains, didn't want to go anywhere. I was at a complete and utter loss, there was such a void.

"I just lived my life as best I could. I used to go to an old people's' centre where we would recite poetry and read together, but of course that closed down."

Mr King has three sons but the legacy of a nasty shrapnel wound means he is house-bound and cannot travel to visit them.

He now enjoys a weekly call with Hannah, who he considers a friend: "She's a very nice, bright, intelligent person - and lovely to speak to. I always enjoy her calls.

"I'm very proud, I've made friends, and it's a marvelous service. I have to thank them for opening my life up, they keep me busy - I'm very grateful."

"People these days couldn't imagine the Christmases we had in the jungle. I had to catch lizards to survive because we were given only rice, sometimes a weak vegetable stew.

"We walked barefoot over sharp rocks carrying huge weights, were bombed by our own planes, heard the shells whizz closer and closer. I lost many friends.

"I got malaria time after time but I never thought about not surviving and it was doing sketches that kept me sane. It amazes me I've lived this long really.

"The best memories I have are from childhood. I had a big family, we were poor, but we always had a damn good Christmas.

"Nowadays we all have so much, people don't appreciate what they have because they've already got everything."