The Forgotten Army: A Burma Soldier's Story in Letters, Photographs and Sketches

In 1943-45, while the European War against Hitler dominated public interest in Britain, in the Far East a struggle of monumental importance, pushing men to the very limits of endurance, raged on in the sweltering jungles of Burma. This was the struggle of the so-called 'Forgotten Army', who valiantly repelled the invading Japanese forces at the gates of India. James Fenton served as a gunner and then bombardier with the Royal Artillery in Burma from 1944-45. From call up to discharge, he wrote letters to his parents, his brother Harry, and later on, to his wife Lilian, building up a fascinating personal record of one man's service through times of severe hardship, boredom, fear and excitement. Whenever he could afford the time, he pursued his passion for film, poetry, letter writing, dancing, and most importantly, art and photography, which sustained him through the hardest times in the unforgiving morass of the Burmese jungle. A magnificent portfolio of artistic works from James' service years has survived - pencil sketches, oil paintings, watercolors, ink cartoons, photographs and models - many of which have not been previously published or exhibited. The Forgotten Army is a personal account of war in one of the most physically demanding habitats in the world. It is a testament to the resourcefulness, engendered by humor, camaraderie and contact with home, which enabled ordinary men to endure extraordinary physical hardship and mental strain.