Half a Banana: The Diary of a Gurkha Officer, 1942-45
Join Richard and David Kemmis Betty as they recount their father’s experiences as a British Indian Army officer imprisoned in Singapore during the Second World War.
Join Richard and David Kemmis Betty as they recount their father’s experiences as a British Indian Army officer imprisoned in Singapore during the Second World War.
Rather than being sent to the infamous Thai-Burma railway, Peter and his lifelong friend Alec Ogilvie were held for over three years in Singapore’s Changi camp. Together, they oversaw the gardens that helped keep 17,000 Allied prisoners of war alive, all while trying to preserve a sense of dignity and normality behind the barbed wire.
Drawing from their father’s diary - republished to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ-Day - Richard and David Kemmis Betty will highlight the resilience of the thousands who found themselves prisoners of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces during the campaign in the Far East. The diary is raw, honest, and surprisingly hopeful, with many glimmers of humanity amid the brutality of war.
About the speakers
The diary will be recounted by Peter Kemmis Betty’s sons Richard and David Kemmis Betty.
Marking the 80th anniversary of VJ (Victory over Japan) Day, this exhibition shines a light on the remarkable multinational army that fought in some of the toughest conditions of the Second World War.
Join us for a special day of talks and activities to celebrate the opening of our new exhibition, ‘Beyond Burma’, and to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.