Maurice Bradshaw, who fought with 1 Glosters at the Battle of Imjin River, has died aged 96 years. The youngest of two sons, he was born in 1929 at The Crescent in Lifton, South Devon. He left school to learn his trade as a plumbing and heating engineer and in August 1950 was called up for national service. In 1951, he set sail with 1 Glosters for Korea.

On arrival he was moved by the devastation, noting that the civilians were in a dire state and starving. There was little that could be done, but the Glosters shared their rations. On 21April, in the opening phase of the Battle of Imjin, Maurice was a member of Lt Guy Temple’s platoon, which caused enormous damage to the lead elements of the Chinese crossing the river. For the next three days the battle raged, as the Glosters fought off wave after wave of massed attacks. Heavily outnumbered, the pressure was unrelenting &, as casualties mounted, the Glosters steadily withdrew to higher ground. He recalled the hill as being ‘very steep with resupply extremely difficult and the Korean porters performing magnificently’. 

By the 25^{th of} April the Glosters, surrounded and low on ammunition, were ordered to break out. Armed with his trusty Bren gun, Maurice made his bid for freedom but realised that the game was up when a grenade exploded behind him and a burst from a Chinese ‘burp gun’ cut up the path around his feet. Over 500 Glosters were now POW – many injured.  More than 2 years of terrible captivity lay ahead, beginning with a 7-week forced march to a prison camp in North Korea. Supplies of food, water & medicine were pitiful. Along the route the column was brutalised by sadistic guards & those who couldn’t keep up were left to die.  

On arrival at their camp the POW were held in appalling conditions, with primitive sanitation & medical support. At night, they crammed 10 to a hut, sleeping head to toe. During the day they were subjected to hours of communist propaganda. They survived by sticking together and supporting each other. Maurice’s best friend (Jack Cox) had been a prisoner in WW2, so ended up spending nearly eight years of his life as a POW. Few letters made it to them, but inside one was a photograph of a pretty girl called Beryl, who became the hut pin up.

In July 1953, with the signing of the Armistice, the POWs returned home, receiving a hero’s welcome sailing into Southampton. Maurice caught the train to Launceston, was met by his mother, and brother and driven to Lifton where the whole village turned out in his honour. Back home, he was brought back down to earth by an Inland Revenue letter which stated ‘board and lodgings supplied by North Korea’ would be deducted from his back pay!

Maurice returned to work at WH Kinsman and lived at The Crescent in Lifton until his death. He was a loyal member of the Regimental Association, sorted out the plumbing on the house of his old Commanding Officer (Lt Col Carne VC DSO) and returned to Korea 3 times. Soon after his return he met Beryl, to thank her. They fell in love, married and he would often remark ‘the best thing that happened to me was Korea - that was how I found my wife.’ 

Beryl predeceased Maurice. They are survived by daughter Heather, 2 grandchildren and 3 Great Grandchildren. There remain alive 4 Glosters who fought at the Battle of Imjin River.