207443 Private Kenneth George Voisin British Army 1st Battalion Cameron Highlandeers from:St Helier, Jersey & Barnsley This is a brief outline of the story of my Uncle's war.
He was evacuated from Jersey in the Channel Islands with his brother, mother, grandmother and some cousins. They reportedly saw the little ships on their way to evacuate Dunkirk as they crossed over to England.They had left everything they owned behind, including a family business.
They were put into a basement of a church hall in Barnsley in Yorkshire until they were able to find somewhere to live.
My Uncle then joined the Army. I am unsure when or where but he was in the Highland Light Infantry at one point. He was then transferred to the 1st Battalion, Cameron Highlanders. I am now going to type information from a very basic embarkation diary that he kept (not for very long) at the beginning of his journey to Japan.
Thursday May 3rd 1945
Left Ayr, caught train for Greenoch and then joined ship on the Clyde (SS Corfu).
Friday 4th May
Still in the Clyde, awaiting rest of Convoy, beginning to settle down aboard
Saturday 5th May
Rest of convoy arriving and getting ready for sailing. Just before midnight sailed out of Clyde.
May 6th Sunday
On the way now but can still see England in the distance.
May 7th Monday
V.E. Day announced on the wireless for tomorrow. Sea very rough and not feeling too good.
May 8th Tuesday
V.E. Day. Churchill and King speak over ship's wireless. Sea still as rough.
May 9th Wed.
No work today and we are allowed 1 pint of beer to celebrate V.E. Day but did not feel too good to drink it all.
May 10th Thursday
nothing much to say only that sea is not quite so bad but still no sign of land. Drew weeks rations - 140 cigs, 4 bars chocolate, 7 packets of biscuits - 4/4d
May 11th Friday
Land at last.We sailed into Gibraltar for a few minutes and left most of convoy. Entered Mediteranean.
May 12th Saturday
Sailed past (Oman?) and Algiers in North Africa. Sea as calm as a lake and getting warm.
May 13th Sun
Passed (Bizerta?) and Cape Bon. Weather very hot.
May 14th
Passed Malta at 3 am and Tunis in evening. Sailing right along North African coast.
May 15th
Changed into tropical kit. Passed (Derna?) early this morning.
Sadly he did not continue with his diary.
By 1946 he was in Japan. I have to do more research to identify where he was in the interim but at Christmas 1946 he was at Kochi. Once I have furtherinformation I will update his story.
I have a few interesting pieces from his time in Japan. before and after the bomb pictures, instruction cards about interacting with locals, silk handkerchiefs, a saki barrel and lots of photographs.
He was a lovely man. Sadly he had no children of his own.
But the war had a huge impact on him from a young age.
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