Captain John Alexander served with distinction as a member of the British Army’s Black Cats in Burma during the Second World War.
Like many servicemen, he returned home with his body weakened by fever, jungle sores and dysentery, and his mind affected by what we now call Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
He brought back from the Far East a collection of ‘souvenirs’ from the campaign – artefacts which form the basis of a new book.
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Burma - A Soldier’s Campaign in 20 Objects is written by his son-in-law David Meara, a member of the clergy at St Mary’s Church, Kidlington.
The collection included a sword, knives, flags, rifle ammunition, chopsticks, cigarettes, money, photographs and coloured sketches.
Mr Meara describes the progress of the war in detail, interspersing it with pictures and descriptions of the items his father-in-law brought back.
One of the finest in the collection is a 24cm long silver-mounted knife with a steel blade and a sharp point. Its quality suggests that it may have been used ceremonially or as a status symbol for officials.
However, John Alexander always maintained that it came from one of the Burmese ‘comfort women’ – girls who were recruited by the Japanese army to be sex slaves and tried to arm themselves against brutality.
A folder of coloured sketches created in pen, pencil and watercolour by a Japanese soldier also catches the eye.
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There are scenes of village life, birds, insects and plants, all drawn with a delicate but deft hand.
Mr Meara comments: “It is puzzling and disconcerting to reflect that the same soldier who could produce these lovely sketches was also capable of using Allied prisoners, tied to trees, as bayonet practice and subjecting them to other brutal and sadistic forms of torture.”
Some may find it objectionable that servicemen brought back souvenirs of war, particularly those collected on the battlefield from dead enemy soldiers, a practice since ancient times.
But Mr Meara believes it is important to continue to honour the memory of those who fought and died for their country and to explain distant conflicts to younger generations.
He writes: "One powerful way to make that connection is through the objects associated with the war in the Far East."
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Among the most poignant souvenirs Captain Alexander brought home was a collection of sapphire rings which belonged to a Burmese princess.
He gave them to his future wife Audrey. When she died, they passed to their daughter who incorporated two of the sapphires in her own engagement ring.
Mr Meara ends his book: “These rings remain both as a reminder of the land in which John served as a soldier, and a symbol of the love that sustained them both, and which ultimately is more enduring than the hatred of war.”
Burma - A Soldier’s Campaign in 20 Objects is published by Amberley, £15.99.
Reporting by John Chipperfield
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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF
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