A HATTERSLEY man has been awarded a top honour from a country almost 6,000 miles away.
Brian Hough did not stop his service after seeing battle in the Korean War or wash his hands of his comrades.
And his sterling work to make sure hundreds of families in this country know where their relatives who were killed in action are buried has earned him the Order of Civil Merit.
He is believed to be only the fifth person in this country to receive the accolade, However, he had to turn down an audience with South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk-yeol.
Brian, who lives on Fields Farm Road, was in Korea for the final year of the war, which lasted from 1950 to 1953.
And he revealed it was only because of his insistence he was anywhere the front line while still on National Service with the Kings Regiment (Liverpool) in 1952.
There are also strange similarities with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
He said: “A rule came out stating that any serviceman had to be 19 to be sent to Korea. I was still only 18 then.
“There were four or us and we were called in about a fortnight before we were to sail to Korea and they said, ‘You’re being left behind.’
“Being young and foolish, we objected to it!
“That was 1952 and I went in the army the day after Queen Elizabeth II’s father died, so I say I’m one of her first ever soldiers!
“In fact, she actually died on my birthday.
“I was only on National Service and went to Ashton Barracks thinking I’d go in the Manchester Regiment.
“But I went into the Kings Wiltshire, then sailed for the far east and did six weeks of intensive training in Hong Kong.
“So we signed a declaration that we were volunteering to go to Korea and we were there for the war’s final year.
“And we lost one or two mates as I saw a bit of action.”
War may have ended but Brian’s connection with Korea did not, although it took a chance meeting as he worked as a bus driver to really get it going again.
Now the 89-year-old helps families find out where their loved ones are laid to rest, as well as working for The United Nations Memorial Cemetery Korea (UNMCK) in Busan, South Korea.
He added: “I was driving a bus through Manchester one day when a guy got on who was in the same platoon as myself.
“There was also a fella called Jack Goulding, who was terribly wounded, but we got him out, took him to the hospital in Japan and that was the last we saw of him.
“But this guy said, ‘It’s funny. I saw your mate a couple of weeks ago, Jack Goulding.’ I got a but angry as I thought Jack had died.
“He said he hadn’t and gave me his address. I got in touch with him and through him I joined the British Korean Veterans Association in the late 1980s.
“I ended up chairman of the Greater Manchester branch and national recruitment officer.
Before that folded, I’d been asked to help the UN cemetery in South Korea, the only UN cemetery in the world.
“There are more than 800 British lads in that cemetery and they wanted photographs of them, more than 200 have unknown graves.
“So far, I’ve found about 400 or so. Copies are made in Korea and they’re placed in a hall of remembrance there.”
Brian was told in early September he had been given the honour and he could have been presented with it by South Korea’s president when he was in the country for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
However, the lack of notice meant that could not happen, so he will head to London later this year to receive it.
He told The Correspondent: “I assume it will be at the Korean embassy.
“But on Saturday, September 17, I got a phone call saying, ‘The president is in the country, could you come down tomorrow?’
“He’s like me to go down and he’ll present it to me but with less than 24 hours’ notice, it was impossible. So I had to turn that down.
“I was originally asked, ‘Would you accept an honour if it was offered to you?’ I’m not one for honours and awards but she said, ‘It’s for the work you’ve done for the colleagues you left behind and their families.’
“I imagine they’ll make a date in the future.
“It was a big surprise and a massive honour but it’s a result of my work with the cemetery that I’d got it.
“Someone from the Korean Embassy told me I’m only the fifth person from the UK to receive it. So I suppose that’s a bit special. That’s boosts you up a bit!
“It’s nice when they appreciate what you’ve done.”
Hello, I wonder would you be able to pass my email address onto Brian Hough of Hatterly ? I just read your article on him & would like to correspond with him. Thank you so very much.