Prince Philip to help find how father died

Mrs Heritage last saw her father, Sidney Spranklen, when he set off into the Singapore jungle to face the Japanese in the Second World War.

Mr Spranklen was a professional soldier, not a conscript. He was 39. She was just seven.

His death certificate says he died at sea. Other evidence suggests his death was more cruel. She fears he may have been tortured and massacred.

She says she can never grieve properly until she knows exactly what happened.

Mrs Heritage is 64 now and lives in Seymour Court Road, Marlow.

Last Tuesday, she took her plight to the highest level.

And she was one of less than 25 people invited to an informal gathering at Windsor Castle where she talked frankly with the Queen and Prince Philip about her need to know what happened to her dad.

Prince Philip told her that, as head of the War Graves Commission, he would do what he could to help.

Other former prisoners of war were also at the gathering to honour Keiko Holmes.

Mrs Holmes was being awarded the OBE for devoting her life to soothing the grievances of British prisoners maltreated by the Japanese during the war.

Mrs Heritage has gradually compiled details of atrocities committed against British soldiers. Her interest led to a visit to Japan earlier this year.

Before now, she had shied away from questions of what happened to her father.

Mrs Heritage, who was in Singapore with her mother and sister just before it fell to the Japanese, says she had previously blocked out her memories.

She said: "We got out of Singapore just in time, two hours early. We left just before the harbour was attacked. This was February 1942.

"We lost all our home. We were allowed one suitcase. I had my new doll and the crew would not let me take my pram.

"I cried and they gave in to me. It must have been terrible for my mother."

Meanwhile, there were just snippets of news about her dad.

She said: "My father was fighting up country, in the jungle. I heard only stories. I heard he had got captured. I heard he was on the Burma railway.

"I heard he was in Changi jail. There are lots more possibilities. The MOD said he died at sea. His death certificate says 'presumed lost at sea'."

She started to gather more information when she wrote to Peter Dunstan, who worked on the Thailand end of the River Kwai Railway himself and has since carried out research on Far East prisoners of war.

He has told her that her father may well have been one of 600 prisoners of war who were forcibly boarded on to one of the notorious 'hell ships'.

These were prison ships where the inmates were put in the hold, starved and tortured before being massacred.

Most of those who had not died of malnutrition were said to have been executed on March 5, 1943.

Mrs Heritage believes it is more than coincidence that her father's death certificate is dated March 5, 1943.

Her next step is to find out if his name is listed at one of the nearby war graves.

"If his name is at Port Moresby, then he was murdered with the 600 men. I want to bury him spiritually.

"If he definitely was killed on a ship, then I will drive to somewhere like Brighton and I shall throw a wreath in the sea and finally bury him.

"If he did die on the island I would be devastated but positive. But I need to bury him and grieve properly."

Mrs Heritage said despite this she has enjoyed meeting Japanese people even though she cannot forgive the men who carried out the atrocities.

She said: "What they did to the prisoners was against the Geneva Convention.

"I do not think I could forgive the people that carried out these atrocities but the ordinary Japanese people should not be blamed for what their forebears did," she added.

"I admire Keiko for what she is trying to do to soothe our memories, so we do not keep having nightmares. She is very brave."

Mrs Heritage believes Japanese Emperor Akihito, who is visiting Britain later this month, should "apologise publicly", but added her view on compensation.

"The prisoners should get something as a symbol, although I don't know how they can ever make up for the pain."

The Duke of Edinburgh's spokesman said: "He has great personal interest in prisoners of war and I have no doubt if this lady has contacted her he will do whatever he can. Picture - Crusade: Yvonne Heritage holds up a picture of her tragic father

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.