HEROES don’t make a song and dance – they just bow their heads, arch their shoulders into the storm and get on with achieving whatever feat they feel compelled to take on.
And this was certainly true of Arthur Titherington, a PoW camp survivor and former Witney mayor who died on Sunday, after campaigning for years on behalf of his fellow Japansese prisoners of war, championing their campaign for fairness and justice.
Praise has come from none other than Prime Minister David Cameron who said: “Arthur was a remarkable man with a true sense of public service. We should never forget how much he suffered during the Second World War and his service on behalf of our country.”
Words echoed by Lord Hurd, former Home Secretary and Witney MP until 1997, who said: “He was a stout defender of Witney and in particular, those who suffered at the hands of the Japanese in the Second World War.”
Men such as Arthur Titherington are few and far between.
One can only begin to imagine the horrors that he must have lived through while imprisoned, and which continued to haunt and spur him on for justice in later life.
His courage will never be forgotten.
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