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Korean war veteran donates Victoria Cross to S. Korea
British Korean War veteran William Speakman holds a flower with his eyes closed before laying it in a memorial monument at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, Tuesday. Speakman donated nearly 10 medals he received during his 40 years of military service to the Korean government. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Jun Ji-hye
Speakman wishes to be buried on hill where he fought
By Jun Ji-hye
An 88-year-old British Korean War veteran donated 10 of his medals, including the Victoria Cross (VC), to South Korea as an expression of his affection for the country he fought for and its people, Tuesday.
The donation from William Speakman, who was a 24-year-old private during the 1950-53 war, comes as he is revisiting here with about 80 veterans and their families at the invitation of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
“I donate my medals to the people in South Korea because what they have done since the war finished has really touched me,” Speakman, seating in a wheelchair, told a news conference at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan. “They rebuilt South Korea. I am very proud of what you’ve done.”
He expressed hope that the South Korean people remember him by looking at his medals.
The VC is the highest military decoration awarded to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries and previous British Empire territories. Four former soldiers received a VC in appreciation for their distinguished military service during the Korean War. Speakman is the sole survivor among them.
The original VC awarded to Speakman is currently preserved in the War Memorial in Scotland. He donated the re-issued one to South Korea.
Other medals he has donated include a British Korean War Medal and the United Nations Service Medal.
Belonging to the first regiment of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, he first came to Korea in July 4, 1951.
The most memorable battle occurred at 4 a.m. on Nov. 4, 1951, during which he bravely fought with six colleagues by launching grenade attacks on Hill 317 near the Imjin River, which flows down from North Korea. One of his legs was severely injured during this battle.
“We had the hill and wanted to keep it. We were there to do the job and that was it,” he said.
Speakman returned to Britain in January the following year due to the injury, but voluntarily came back to Korea after only three months, and continued to fight until Aug. 12, 1952.
He was honorably discharged on Dec. 11, 1968, at the age of 41, when he was a staff sergeant.
The grey-haired veteran is now residing at Royal Chelsea Veterans Hospital in Britain, but he said he wishes to be buried on the Hill 317 after he dies.
“I want to be here. I wish my ashes to be left here,” he said, adding that soldiers always think about the battlefield in which they fought for their lives.
He called on North Korea to realize current conditions, so the people from the two Koreas can live together in the future.
“The younger generation must know what has been happening here,” he added.
During their six-day tour that began Monday, Speakman and other veterans are planning to visit the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in the port city of Busan as well as the Demilitarized Zone before departing on Saturday, according to the ministry.
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