Yesterday marked the 75th anniversary of the end of the war with Japan, and this shot shows part of the Kohima Memorial in Deans Park, beside York Minster, commemorating one of the key land battles of the Second World War in the Far East.
Wikipedia describes the Battle of Kohima as follows: "the Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese U-Go offensive into India in 1944 during the Second World War. The battle was fought in three stages from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima, the capital of Nagaland in north-east India. From 3 to 16 April, the Japanese attempted to capture Kohima ridge, a feature which dominated the road by which the besieged British and Indian troops of IV Corps at Imphal were supplied. By mid-April, the small British and Indian force at Kohima was relieved.
From 18 April to 13 May, British and Indian reinforcements counter-attacked to drive the Japanese from the positions they had captured. The Japanese abandoned the ridge at this point but continued to block the Kohima–Imphal road. From 16 May to 22 June, the British and Indian troops pursued the retreating Japanese and reopened the road. The battle ended on 22 June when British and Indian troops from Kohima and Imphal met at Milestone 109, ending the Siege of Imphal."
So, up to Kohima, the Allies had been in retreat, but now the Japanese army retreated, and that would lead just over a year later to the end of the war with Japan.
The obelisk and plaque in this shot is identical to that in the war cemetary in Kohima where the graves of 1420 Allied war dead can be found.
"When you go home, tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow, we gave our today"
I have a photograph almost identical to this I took many years ago. I love this memorial and it remains one of my favourites for its simplicity. Thank you for the history too, most interesting.
How can you look at that memorial without a lacrimal leak? York has so much history but there will be people in our city with direct links to that battle. It’s one of York’s most poignant and possibly overlooked sites/sights
Very emotional memorial. So many lives lost, so many women left without their husbands, so many children lost their fathers. May this never happen again.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
York has been a military centre since the time of the Romans, over 1900 years ago. Sadly, many many lives have been lost in conflicts over the intervening centuries. Will we ever learn to live in peace?
Ian
August 17th, 2020
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Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
York has been a military centre since the time of the Romans, over 1900 years ago. Sadly, many many lives have been lost in conflicts over the intervening centuries. Will we ever learn to live in peace?
Ian