Barry War Museum seeks stories of those who served in Far East

It wants people to share stories of relatives who served in the Far East during the Second World War. This is to commemorate Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) on August 15.

The museum will hold a special open day on August 14, the eve of VJ Day, to honour and remember the sacrifices made during the war.

Private Ernest Lewis is one of the soldiers from Barry whose story is told by the museum (Image: Barry War & Heritage Museum)

John Buxton, chairman of the Barry War Museum & Heritage Centre CIC, said: "Although it’s a generation who are no longer with us, we remember the contribution of all Commonwealth and Allied Forces, without whom victory and the freedoms and way of life we enjoy today would not have been possible."

The museum aims to keep the memories of service people alive, such as Private Ernest Lewis, who served in Burma.

Despite being wounded behind enemy lines, Private Lewis crawled through the jungle back to his base.

He had married Bernace Sullivan just three days before his deployment and was a former pupil of Holton Road and the County schools in Barry.

The museum wants to hear from descendants of those who served and is keen to gather stories for its 'Human Library'.

Mr Buxton said: "We’re keen for local people to share the stories and memories of their relatives to keep alive their inspiration for future generations in our Human Library."

The museum at Barry Island Station features a Second World War Anderson shelter, a 1940s kitchen, and a First World War trench.

A newspaper clipping of Ernest Lewis' Burma story (Image: Barry War & Heritage Museum)

It also has volunteer reenactors who tell the stories of the Home Front and the armed services.

The museum runs a schools visit programme offering an 'evacuee experience', telling the story of how children escaped the Nazi bombing of their homes.

Barry's only museum offers a programme of free historical talks on local and military history.

It has a Trip Advisor rating of 5.0, the highest rating for any tourist attraction.

For more information about the museum or volunteering, email bawmsocialmedia@gmail.com or visit the Barry War Museum website.