The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A Holbeach man who thought he’d never return from an invasion scheduled to happen the day World War Two ended has died aged 101.
Alan Barkes didn’t believe he’d have made it through the war if the Japanese hadn’t surrendered on what became VJ Day on August 15, 1945.
The leading aircraftsman, of the 2810 Parachute Squadron, was onboard a Dakota plane about to set off for Operation Zipper, the invasion of Singapore, when he was told the war was over.
He was in the most forward unit in Burma but instead of the conflict he’d trained for, he helped oversee the surrender.
“Oh dear. I don’t think I would have been in Holbeach like I am now if it hadn’t happened then,” he said on the 75th anniversary of VJ Day in 2020.
Alan was in the Burmese jungle when his unit got ambushed by Japanese soldiers killing two of his colleagues.
After his unit won the ensuing battle he took a Japanese flag wrapped around a machine gun, something he kept at his Holbeach home.
When asked how he felt holding it years later, he told The Voice: “Well….I’m alive.”
Alan was the last surviving member of the unit, but in recent years he became friends with Nigel Fallow whose dad Tom he fought alongside.
In 2018 the keen pilot returned Alan to the skies for the first time since he flew out of Burma.
“It was fantastic,” Alan said at the time.
A huge boxing fan, Alan had lived in Holbeach for 50 years, the majority of those working at the Greene King wine merchants he ran with first wife Mable where he also continued to live until his last few months spent at Patchett Lodge Care Home.
He met his wife Lynne at All Saints’ Church and they were married for over 28 years.
Alan had recently become a great, great grandfather for the third time and loved his family.
Lynne said: “Alan was a gentleman in both sense of the words. He just loved life and people and we’re all missing him. We’d also like to thank Patchett Lodge Care Home who were absolutely brilliant with him.”
Alan, who requested the death notice say he was 101 and a half, will be laid to rest on June 14 at 11.30am at All Saints’ Church in Holbeach.
