Denise Wynn said she hopes her father’s wish for a memorial to the men who saved his life will come true
A soldier’s daughter has spoken of her surprise when she received a letter from the Chinese President as part of a campaign launched by her father.
Denise Wynn’s father, Dennis Morley, was a prisoner of war (POW) aboard the Lisbon Maru when she was sunk in 1942.
Mr Morley was rescued by Chinese fishermen and Ms Wynn is continuing his campaign to have her ‘heroic’ actions recognized with a memorial in China.
“Hopefully my father’s wish comes true,” said Mrs Wynn, from Chalford.
On October 1, 1942, the Japanese ship Lisbon Maru was sunk by a torpedo fired from an American submarine, the USS Grouper, unaware that there were more than 1,800 British POWs on board.
Dennis Morley settled in Stroud after the war and died aged 101
During the 24 hours it took the ship to sink, Mr. Morley said Japanese troops and crew were evacuated to safety but POWs were left to force their way out, with many having no choice but to than jumping into the sea.
More than 800 people died.
Mr Morley, then 22 in the Royal Scots Regiment, settled in Stroud after the war and was among the men rescued from the water by Chinese fishermen. He died two years ago at the age of 101.
Ms Wynn contacted a friend of her father’s in Hong Kong and he helped her write a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“I wasn’t really expecting a response, but a few weeks later I got a response from the president saying he was willing to look into the matter, and it went from there,” she said.
“The Chinese ambassador’s secretary contacted me and asked if we could make an appointment for the ambassador to come and deliver the letter to me personally, and he did. I was quite shocked and humbled,” she added.
Ms Wynn said she was shocked and humbled to receive a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping
Mr. Jinping wrote that it was “great pleasure” to receive her letter about the “touching story” of Zhoushan fishermen.
He told her he had “directed relevant authorities” to consider the idea of a memorial in Zhoushan to commemorate the incident.
There is a memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire marking the rescue, but Ms Wynn said her father always wanted there to be a similar memorial in China dedicated to the men who saved his life.
Dennis Morley was a prisoner of war aboard the Lisbon Maru when she was sunk in 1942
“He wanted one in China to show what heroes they were so that they can be remembered for eternity and their family and friends can see the memorial and be proud of them,” she added.
Ms Wynn said she only found out the full details of what happened to her father in the five or six years before his death because she believed he was trying to protect her from the terror he was subjected to.
“I didn’t know the horrific details. It was really a horror story,” she said.
“Going through that and surviving. It’s a miracle. He was lucky all the time and living to 101 was amazing.
“My father always said that if those Chinese fishermen hadn’t done this feat, he wouldn’t be alive. He wouldn’t have met his wife, had me, or had a family.”
Ms Wynn was the guest of honor at an event at Hatherley Manor Hotel in Gloucester on Sunday, where 120 relatives of the prisoners on the ship met each other and the Chinese ambassador.
Mr Morey told his story to a filmmaker before his death and a documentary about the Lisbon Maru is due for release later this year.
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