During WWII, the sailors of the British merchant navy played a vital role keeping the UK fed and armed. They carried essential supplies across the treacherous Atlantic - and many paid with their lives. What's less well known is that many of those sailors were Chinese - volunteers who came to Britain to help the war effort. Joe Phillip's father was one of those seamen, and after the war he returned to Liverpool to rejoin his wife and children. But shortly after returning home, he disappeared without a trace.
The mystery of what happened to him, and hundreds of other Chinese sailors who also vanished, is only now being solved - thanks to newly released Government papers. In this exclusive History Hit investigation we tell the story of those brave men and the families they left behind, and reveal the shocking truth hidden in those files.
Up Next in 20th Century
-
Swordfish: World War II's Surprising ...
Dan Snow flies on a mission to explore one of the most daring and dangerous aerial attacks of World War 2
On 11th November 1940, 21 antiquated Swordfish aircraft took off from the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. They were embarking on one of the most extraordinary raids of the Second World Wa...
-
Crowning Glory: The History of the Co...
Coronations - pomp and pageantry or a vital link with the timeless traditions of taking the throne?
In our second coronation special, History Hit’s Matt Lewis digs deep into the past to investigate how centuries old aspects of Anglo-Saxon and Medieval coronations will be mirrored in Charles III...
-
Debunking the Myths of the Titanic
At noon on 10 April 1912, crowds gathered at Southampton to watch the maiden voyage of the World's largest ship RMS Titanic. A sleek, modern luxurious liner that was offering a safe and fast crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Titanic was said to be invincible. She cruised down Southampton waters on ...
20 Comments