Introduction Kwon Ki-ok (11 January 1901 to 19 April 1988), or Quan Jiyu in Chinese, was the first Korean female aviator, as well as one of the first female pilots in China. She went in exile in China during the Japanese occupation of Korea, and became a lieutenant colonel in the Republic of China Air… Read More
Introduction The King’s Badge is a large silver lapel badge authorised by the Ministry of Pensions in the early part of the Second World War and initially issued to servicemen who, as a result of their injuries, had been discharged from active service. It was to be worn only on civilian clothing and by the… Read More
Introduction Thailand in World War II officially adopted a position of neutrality until the five hour-long Japanese invasion of Thailand on 08 December 1941, which led to an armistice and military alliance treaty between Thailand and the Japanese Empire in mid-December 1941. At the start of the Pacific War, the Japanese Empire pressured the Thai… Read More
Introduction The Niʻihau incident occurred on 07 to 13 December 1941, when Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service pilot Shigenori Nishikaichi (西開地 重徳, Nishikaichi Shigenori) crash-landed his Zero on the Hawaiian island of Niʻihau after participating in the attack on Pearl Harbour. The Imperial Japanese Navy had designated Niʻihau as an uninhabited island for damaged aircraft… Read More
Introduction Albert Ross Tilley, CM OBE (24 November 1904 to 19 April 1988) was a Canadian plastic surgeon who pioneered the treatment of burned airmen during the Second World War. Early Years Tilley was born in Bowmanville, Ontario and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1929. He opened a private practice in Toronto at… Read More
Introduction Sir Tasker Watkins VC GBE DL (18 November 1918 to 09 September 2007) was a Welsh Lord Justice of Appeal and deputy Lord Chief Justice. He was President of the Welsh Rugby Union from 1993 to 2004. During the Second World War, he served in the British Army and was awarded the Victoria Cross,… Read More
Introduction Mary Greyeyes Reid (14 November 1920 to 31 March 2011) was a Canadian World War II servicewoman. A Cree from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, she was the first First Nations woman to enlist in the Canadian Armed Forces. After joining the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) in 1942, she became the… Read More
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 