Princess Anne has honoured the sacrifice of soldiers who fought in the Battle of Imjin River as she began an official tour of South Korea. The Princess Royal, accompanied by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, travelled to the vast United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan on Tuesday to mark the 75th anniversary of the conflict.
She left a wreath of red poppies at the base of a lion statue in honour of fallen British servicemen during a poignant service commemorating the Imjin River battle, the bloodiest engagement endured by the British Army since the Second World War.
Personal Tributes and Grave Visits
Anne also personally laid a single white chrysanthemum on the grave of Private Martin Hogan, who served in the British Army’s Black Watch, marking the anniversary of his death aged 19 on July 14, 1952. She toured the graves and listened to the stories of some of the Victoria Cross heroes who were killed in action and interred in the cemetery.
Among them was Lieutenant Philip Curtis, from Devonport in Devon, who was posthumously awarded the UK’s highest military decoration for gallantry in the face of the enemy for continuing to command his platoon at Imjin River despite being wounded. He launched persistent counter-attacks against an enemy machine-gun post until he was killed in action.
She also visited the final resting place of Major Patrick Angier, of The Gloucestershire Regiment, who was finally identified in 2023 through analysis of historical records including maps, telegrams, reports and letters. Major Angier was killed at Imjin River but was interred as an unknown soldier for more than 70 years.
The Battle of Imjin River
During the battle, around 4,000 troops of the British 29th Brigade, including about 700 from 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment, faced more than 27,000 men of the Chinese 63rd Army during the Korean War. Over three days from April 22-25, 1951, the “Glorious Glosters” fought a last stand on Hill 235, which was later renamed Gloster Hill.
Some 59 men died in the defence of the hill and 526 were taken prisoner – 180 of them wounded. Another 34 men died in captivity. But their heroic tactics delayed the advance of the Communist troops, preventing them from outflanking the forces of the Republic of Korea and United Nations, and blocking a direct assault on the capital Seoul.
Meeting Veterans and Industrial Visit
The princess also took tea with Korean war veterans – Ryu Young-bong, 92, Kim Eung-soo, 94, and 95-year-old Jeong Sik-hyeon. Anne was said to have listened intently to the accounts of the three servicemen and expressed “her deepest respect and gratitude for their immense sacrifice and devotion”, a spokesperson for the United Nations Memorial Cemetery said.
A total of 2,339 UN servicemen from 14 nations are buried at the cemetery. The princess last visited South Korea in 2018 for the Winter Olympics, and the trip is the first to the republic by a member of the royal family for 13 years, since the late Queen’s cousin the Duke of Gloucester travelled there in 2013.
Anne and Sir Tim also visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, one of the world’s largest shipbuilders, to hear about the UK–South Korea industrial cooperation in the maritime and defence sectors.
