A South Tyneside family's moving tribute to a war hero - in the presence of Royalty

Alison Brown joined hundreds of others – including Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prime Minister Boris Johnson – for the ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VJ Day at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

She was there to pay tribute to her uncle George William ‘Billy’ Puttock who was from South Shields.

Billy who was a soldier with the 1st Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment when he gave his life in Burma in March 1945.

Alison said: “I had the opportunity to lay a posy of poppies at the Burma Star memorial in honour of my uncle.

“We arrived at the NMA and were directed to the area where we were seated in the section of the gardens dedicated to the war in the Far East. All seats were socially distanced and interviews of veterans were streamed onto the screens.”We previously reported how Billy’s younger sister Irene Gelston, now 83, from Westoe, remembered her ‘lovely big brother’ who gave his life for his country.

She was only three when her brother left to serve his country and it was just five years later when he died.

She recalled: “They sent me out to play and I remember telling my friends that my brother had died. I didn’t remember much about it all but I do remember that I was proud of my brother who was helping us to win the war.”

Billy was killed in action on March 3, 1945 whilst fighting in Meiktila, Burma.

Alison represented the family at the national service and added: “It was an absolute privilege to be invited to the event and to meet the veterans who had served in the same part of the world as my uncle.

"Their memories were still vivid of the brutal treatment they received at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army. It was truly humbling to meet them and it is an experience that makes his memory even more important.”

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