Episode 5

Dom Littlewood's grandfather, John Grant, very rarely spoke of his wartime experiences. All Dom knows is that when his grandad came home in 1945, he was a changed man. To find out why, Dom travels to Thailand, where his grandfather spent nearly four years working on the infamous Thai-Burma railway.

Dom visits the sites of the different POW camps where John Grant was held in between 1942 and 1945, and discovers how John was able to use skills and experiences from his civilian career as a nurse to help his fellow POWs. After realising the extent of the horrors John witnessed, Dom gains a greater understanding and newfound respect for his war hero grandad.

Pamela Stephenson explores her New Zealand roots by investigating th ewartime experiences of her uncle, Norman Stephenson. He served with the New Zealand Artillery and paid the ultimate price: he was killed in action in 1944. By following his journey from a high-ranking coastal artillery officer defending New Zealand to the now largely forgotten Italian campaign, Pamela learns how Norman’s ardent patriotism and desire to defend his country and family ultimately cost him his life.