#Lifechanging

Thanks to you, war veterans can commemorate fallen comrades at the places where they fell

Jack is 96 years old. He served in the Second World War and was held as a prisoner of war for three and a half years. We worked with Jack to create a short video (above) inspired by his emotional trip back and the memories it evoked. This is his story.

“My name is Jack Jennings and I served in the First Cambridgeshire Regiment."

"I set sail from Liverpool in October 1941 and landed in Singapore on January 29th 1942. The Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbour and were in Malaya. Thankfully we had been given tropical kit – shorts and that – to change into from our ordinary uniform – it was so hot, I’d never known anything like it."

"When the Japanese got to Singapore we met them on the corner of Adam Road, in Central Singapore. We put up a good fight and stemmed their advance for a while before eventually surrendering on February 15th. They herded us all into tennis courts – 500 of us – and held us there for five days and five nights with just a few biscuits and a bit of chocolate to keep us going."

"Then I was transported to Thailand and was a prisoner of war for three-and-a-half years until the surrender in September 1945. They moved us around a lot. I worked on the railways mainly. The camps were very poor. We just hoped and prayed we would survive; we didn’t know what was going to happen next. There was intense heat and there were no medicines because all the Red Cross parcels went to the Japanese soldiers. It was hard – 747 lads from our regiment didn’t make it."

"I went back to Thailand years later. Before I left, the trip was really playing on my mind, you know? But when I got there it was completely different. The old dreams I used to have just faded away. I was quite surprised and very relieved. The place is a really nice tourist area now.

I’m going back to Singapore in October. They’re creating a heritage site in honour of the regiment and have dug up loads of stuff – like bullets and hand grenades – left behind."

"I want to say a big thank you to Lottery players. By playing they help support people like me who have served their country.”

To date you’ve funded 58,500 veterans and their families making some incredible journeys. You’re helping to honour the memory of the fallen and supporting those brave men and women who made it back.

The National Lottery has been changing the lives of winners and supporting good causes across the UK since 1994. In that time, there have been more than 7,000 new millionaires created and by playing The National Lottery you raise over £4 million for Good Causes every dayΔ.

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