Remembering WW2 in Burma

Join the charity trustees and eminent supporters at a fundraising gala dinner in aid of a documentary film about the veterans and widows in Burma and our work to support them.

For over one year now a dynamic team of film makers has been shadowing the trustees of this charity in an attempt to bring the story of our amazing veterans to the wider world before it is too late. We very much support them in their endeavours but now they need help to finish the project. Your support would be most welcome. We have posted the film company's appeal here on the front page of our website. We do hope you will feel tempted to join us in helping make this important film come to life and to meet the H4FA team.

Be a part of history in the making.

In the darkest hours of World War Two, thousands of men from Burma (Myanmar) fought a brutal war to help the Allies win the war in the East.

It was a crucial turning point in world history, one which has been almost completely forgotten today.

For the past two years Grammar Productions has been working flat out on the incredible, untold story of the Forgotten Allies, alongside the brilliant team at Help for Forgotten Allies (H4FA).

We’re working against the clock - the old soldiers are all in their 90s and if we hadn’t captured them on film now these stories may never have been told.

CLICK IMAGE for an exclusive preview of the documentary

This film has been a labour of love, driven by a sense of a debt to these men that remains unpaid.

Even though we had no money to make it we pressed ahead. We begged and borrowed whatever we could and the whole production team has worked for free.

After travelling more than 3000 miles into Burma’s most inaccessible corners, crossing crumbling mountain passes and malarial jungles, we've managed to capture the first-hand accounts of more than a dozen veterans of WW2.

Now we need your help

Sadly, we’ve reached the limits of where passion alone can take us.

Between us and our goal of creating a moving piece of living history for future generations, stands a series of unavoidable post-production expenses which we simply cannot afford.

After working so hard and getting so close, it would be a final tragedy if these unsung heroes and their stories remained untold.

And that’s where you come in.

Below you'll find 3 ways you can become part of the Forgotten Allies story.

1. Dine

Come join WW2 veterans, celebrity guests and some of Britain's best military historians for a special evening in memory of those who fought for Britain and her Allies in Burma during World War Two.

Grammar Productions and Help for Forgotten Allies would be delighted to welcome you to an exclusive Gala Dinner in London on Thursday June 21st 2018 - Remembering World War 2 in Burma - in association with the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League and the British Chamber of Commerce Myanmar at the prestigious Army & Navy Club on Pall Mall.

It will be an evening of commemoration and reflection, crowned by our brilliant after-dinner speaker - WW2 historian, broadcaster and best-selling author James Holland.

All proceeds from the evening will go to the Forgotten Allies film fund appeal.

Get your "Remembering WW2 in Burma" Gala Dinner tickets HERE

2. Donate

Help us reach our Forgotten Allies film fund target of £50,000 on IndieGoGo.

Every penny counts - your contribution could make the difference between this story being told, or remaining lost to history.

We've included a set of exclusive perks, only available to our brilliant IndieGoGo backers.

Contribute to the "Forgotten Allies" IndieGoGo crowd-funder HERE

3. Share

Help us spread the word! Tell the world, your friends, the person sat next to you on the bus - Forgotten Allies needs your help. You can easily share the link to the crowd-funding page by clicking any of the buttons below.

In doing so, you'll be joining an A-Team of Official Forgotten Allies Supporters, including:

Thanks for taking the time to get all the way down here.

We hope to see and/or hear from you soon!

Help for WWII Veterans

Each year we provide a small grant to a dwindling band of veterans and widows from World War II. These old soldiers were amongst Britain’s most loyal allies in the war against Japan (1942-45). Now elderly and enduring extreme poverty, they are stranded in crowded refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border or struggling in Burma/Mayanmar, where for many years they were seen as enemies of the state. These grants can make all the difference between pure subsistence and getting a few "comforts" such as medicines, vegetables, or clothing.

Emmanuel School

October 27th 2017

Emmanuel School is a small primary school in Mae La refugee camp. The camp which has a population of 38,559 (August 2016 figure) is the largest of nine camps strung along the Thai-Burma border. It is about 40 km from the town of Mae Sot on the Thai side of the “Friendship Bridge” over the river from Burma/Myanmar.

The school is nominally Anglican, but is open to children of all religions and includes Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and Animists. It originally became crucial to integrating new, often traumatised, arrivals from the war zones on the other side of the border. For some of these “internally displaced persons”, this was their first experience of formal education, something prized by the Karen. The school grew from a Sunday school attached to Emmanuel Church, into a primary school to accommodate the overflow from existing camp schools of the new arrivals. This was at a time of an escalation of the civil war within Karen State. Since January 2012 peace negotiations with the Burma Army have been ongoing. With the NLD’s landslide victory of 2015 and the recent “Panglong” conference there is hope of peace and a federal government. However despite these hopes, fighting recently broke out back home in Karen State between the Burma Frontier Guard Force and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army in September 2016 and many civilians fled.

You can view the latest report from the Head Teacher, Gloria, by following this link: Emmanuel School Report 2017

Karenni Bible College

October 28th 2016

Background

H4FA has supported this small Bible College in Ban Mae Surin, Karenni Refugee Camp on the Thai Burma border since 2001. Sadly it was completely destroyed by fire in March 2013. A third of the entire camp was burnt down killing 37 camp residents including a member of the Bible School’s committee, and injuring over 200. Over 400 homes were destroyed. A fire hit the camp again in March 2015 but this time did not affect the College. H4FA sent £400 towards the needs of these latest fire victims. H4FA, Karenaid (a Finnish Church) and the Thai Baptist Church all contributed to rebuilding the Bible College and replacing the lost equipment. The new Bible College was opened on the 2nd July 2013 and despite the trials of losing so much, and the sheer hard work of rebuilding, the staff and students have been very happy in the new buildings. Now, despite the threat of camp closure, the Bible School has taken on new students. There are currently 47 students and 12 teaching staff and the college has become full of life once again and a source of comfort and support to the camp population of over 2,550.

Care Villa

October 28th 2016

Care Villa is home to a group of 11 male land-mine victims in Mae La refugee camp. The men at Care Villa spend their lives disabled by blindness and immobility, and sit under a hot tin roof with little to do. For the most part they are ex Karen soldiers and lost their sight while attempting to defuse land-mines, or lost their legs by stepping on one. Most have lived at Care Villa for many years.