Our mission? Medals for the Burma heroes

THE FACE of a 100-year-old war veteran lights up with joy when he is given his Burma Star medal - a staggering 80 years after he was meant to receive it.

- BY JAMES RAMPTON

Alex Bescoby and co-host Levison Wood; left, Levison with Corporal Con Herh

Corporal Con Herh, a former soldier with the Burma Chin Hills Rifles, fought valiantly with the Allied 14th Army against the Japanese during the Second World War.

The medal was supposed to be presented to every veteran of the brutal Burma Campaign, which ran from December 11, 1941 to September 2, 1945.

However, in the chaos of the perpetual civil war that raged in Burma after the war, some soldiers in that country never got them.

When finally getting his medal, an overwhelmed Con Herh chokes back tears as he declares: "I could never have imagined this.

"It is beyond my wildest imagination. I can't express how grateful I am. Thank you very much for this honour."

The Burmese veteran beams with delight before giving a proud military salute. Former Army Major and explorer Levison Wood looks visibly affected as he returns the salute.

Levison had travelled to the remote border between Burma, now Myanmar, and eastern India to present the gallant fighter with his long-overdue accolade.

To mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, Levison and his friend, historian Alex Bescoby, embarked on an urgent mission to find and honour the last surviving veterans of the Burma Campaign before they pass away.

Levison, 43, whose own grandfather fought in the Far East Campaign between 1944 and 1947, aims to give the former soldiers due recognition for their brave contribution to the war effort before it is too late.