Joseph Owen White

“I was very young when he died, but I remember him visiting our home to look at our garden, as he loved gardening. He seemed like a giant, standing 6-foot-4. He was a very cheerful guy who you would not have thought had been through such horror. He is our family hero!”

– Michael Glazebrook, student

Joseph Owen White, remembered by his great nephew, Michael Glazebrook

Joseph Owen White was captured by the Japanese and taken to Burma and was held captive on the “Death Railway.”

Joseph Owen “Ownie” White was my great-uncle on my mother’s side. He lived in London with his parents and seven siblings, including my grandmother.

He was drafted at aged 18. While serving, he was captured by the Japanese and taken to Burma and was held captive on the “Death Railway.” He rarely spoke of his time there but, we know that he was treated very poorly. He managed to get a position working in the camp kitchen and from there was part of a successful escape. During the years of his captivity, his family knew nothing of his whereabouts or if he was still living.

He returned to London after the end of the war and went on to become a father and grandfather and died at the age of 92.