Rising Sun Memories: 1942-1945

Although he witnessed the aftermath of the conflict in full force, Charles Chesham was only a child when World War II raged across Europe. Surviving the Blitz that ravaged Britain and growing up in the rubble and ruin of the post-war years, when he was old enough Charles enlisted into the military himself. Sent to Singapore to serve in the RAF in the early ‘60s, Charles got to experience first-hand how the effects of World War II rocked the world outside of his hometown. Dropped into a country he knows nothing about, Charles quickly strikes up a friendship with his higher-up, Mr Goh, a reserved Chinese soldier who saw out the majority of World War II in the then Japanese-occupied Singapore. As the two grow closer, Goh begins to confide in his new friend, giving Charles an insight into the horror of the Japanese’s brutal military rule. Between two stories taking place over both the centre of the conflict and the sobering aftermath, Rising Sun Memories follows Goh on his clandestine operations fighting the Japanese in Malaya and his quest for revenge against a military organisation that took everything from him. Based on true events, in Rising Sun Memories author Stuart James perfectly captures two different perspectives on the biggest world-changing event in modern history. Bringing to life the harrowing story of Mr. Goh and his experience in occupied Singapore, Rising Sun Memories pulls no punches when it comes to shedding light on a side of the conflict never before documented so vividly. As generations collide, the stories of Charles and his military mentor show that when it comes to war, nobody ever really wins.