Survival and Separation on the River Kwai

Eric Roberts was conscripted in 1939 into the 1/5 Sherwood Foresters. After service in France and evacuation from Brest in 1940, the Battalion were sent to the Far East arriving in Singapore three weeks before the surrender. Eric became a prisoner of the Japanese and was sent to the Burma-Thai Railway. His Commanding Officer was Lieutenant Colonel Lilly who was later to become the inspiration for Colonel Nicholson in the film Bridge on the River Kwai.

Eric’s fiancée, Eunice Lowe, learnt of his capture by chance from a friend. Amidst speculation that Eric had escaped, Eunice began a campaign to learn the truth but it was not until 26 May 1943 that she received confirmation that he was a POW. From 1942 to 1945, while suffering extreme hardship and abuse from his captors, Eric was permitted to send just three postcards. Despite Eunice writing every week, only a handful were received by him in late 1944. After liberation, Eric returned home and married Eunice in 1946.

Fortunately, Eric wrote a graphic memoir of his captivity in the post-war years and Eunice’s correspondence has been preserved. The two combined make for an unusual and moving record of a young couple’s testing yet very different experiences.