Digitising Memory to Safeguard the Future/BCCIT Support

Preserving the Voice of a Welsh War Veteran: From Tape to Digital Memory

At the heart of everything we do at BCC IT, is the commitment to deliver meaningful IT support and to make a real difference. Recently that focus came to light in a unique way when we were approached by Anglela Williams, daughter of the late Evan Tyssul Davies (known as Tyssul), with a special request.

In her care, were two cassette tapes of a Welsh-language radio interview recorded decades ago. On those fragile reels was her father’s voice, recalling the extraordinary story of his wartime experiences.

Angela asked if we could digitise the cassette tapes to share their content as part of Tyssul’s story, featured in this year’s VJ Day 80th anniversary. For us, there was no hesitation. To hear a local voice recounting history not from a textbook but from the lived reality of a prisoner of war, is something worth preserving for generations to come.

We remastered the cassette recordings to high quality digitised masters and supplied Angela with the restored copies. We carried out this work at no cost because some projects transcend business – they are about community, remembrance, and respect. With Angela’s kind permission, we wanted to share the story behind those tapes.

The Story on the Tapes

The recordings captured Tyssul in conversation with radio Ceredigion broadcaster Selwyn Jones. Across two half-hour episodes, Tyssul discussed life as a Japanese prisoner of war.

Following the fall of Singapore in February 1942, he described of the shock of being taken prisoner and the abruptness of going from active service to captivity under Japanese forces. First taken to Changi Prison he endured overcrowding, starvation, and disease alongside thousands of Allied soldiers. Later, he was forced onto a “hell ship” to Formosa (Taiwan), under brutal conditions with many men perishing on the journey. Those who survived faced forced labour in sugar factories and copper mines.

Tyssul spoke about the cruelty of guards who punished him for missing the daily “fly quota,” and of illnesses that left him dangerously weak. He told how one time the prisoners were tricked into eating caramel from vats, only for many to be stricken with dysentery. On another occasion, he was tied to a post with barbed wire around his neck, a bowl of water placed just out of reach.

Angela grew up with little knowledge of her father’s wartime suffering. “Dad rarely talked to me about his captivity,” she explained. “It was my son, Stephen that he opened-up to.” Only through those conversations, and later through the tapes and meeting other decedents of Far East Prisoners of War (FEPOWS), did Angela and her family learn more of his story: not only the cruelty of imprisonment, but also the comradeship, faith, and small acts of humanity that kept men alive in body and spirit. His words carried the weight of lived experience and is the kind of testimony that stays with you long after you hear it.

You can hear Tyssul’s voice in this original Welsh-language radio interview, recorded by Selwyn Jones on Radio Ceredigion and preserved from cassette:

Liberation

Following VJ Day (Victory over Japan) on the 15th of August 1945, Tyssul and the other prisoners were finally freed. Afterwards they were evacuated across the Pacific to San Francisco, travelled by rail through Canada, and then crossed the Atlantic aboard the Queen Mary – where he described the surreal kindness of those early days of freedom, and the warmth of his official welcome back in Britain.

However, Angela recalled that when her father returned, he was “skin and bones,” weighing barely six stone, and he spent almost a year in hospital with “malnutrition of the nerves” before returning to family life. Yet his incredible story has been preserved in the steady, understated tale told years later, on those radio tapes.

A Daughter’s Discovery

Angela’s journey into her father’s past did not end with the tapes. A cousin, researching family history, stumbled upon Tyssul’s name linked to sketches made by Army chaplain Fred Stallard, who had drawn fellow prisoners during captivity. This led Angela to connect with descendants of other FEPOWs – including journalist Charlie Inglefield in Boston and Ben Stallard in England, who together had uncovered the remarkable collection of portraits.

VJ DAY 80th Anniversary

Ten portraits were chosen to feature in the National Memorial Arboretum’s VJ80 exhibition: Prisoners of War – A Chaplain’s Portraits. Among them was a sketched portrait of Evan Davies (Tyssul). For Angela, seeing her father’s portrait on display was “quite surreal.” She attended the pre-opening in May and later returned for the VJ80 service. Standing before his likeness, with his story written alongside, was a moment both proud and deeply emotional. Meeting the families of veterans in attendance, she reflected, was “heart-rending.”

Why This Matters

Stories like Tyssul’s are threads in the fabric of our shared history. By preserving them, we keep alive both memory and empathy. When Angela asked us to save those tapes, we saw not just a project, but a responsibility. We are proud to have played a small part in ensuring that Tyssul’s voice endures – for his family, his community, and for all of us.

This story reminds us that history is not just dates and places, but voices that must be heard. By preserving these memories, we keep alive the courage, endurance, and humanity of those who lived them.
We invite you to share this story with friends, family, and colleagues – so that Tyssul’s voice, and the voices of so many like him, continue to echo for generations to come.

What We Are Still Confirming

The original dates of the radio broadcast has not been verified. If you have information about the programme – two 30-minute epiodes by Selwyn Jones please contact: am***********@******co.uk

Confirming these details will help catalogue the recordings for future research and education.

The Exhibition is at the Ampitheatre until the 16th of November, 2025.

https://www.thenma.org.uk/what’s-on/exhibitions/1945

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/pow/changi?

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/history/article/vj-day-japanese-prisoner-war-camps-kzgsplznd?

🔗 Credits and Links

Original broadcast date(s): Two 30-minute programmes by Selwyn Jones on Radio Ceredigion (year tbc – Angela estimates c. 16-20 years ago).

Digitisation & mastering: BCC IT (2025). Contact Us – BCC IT

Exhibition: Prisoners of War – A Chaplain’s Portraits (National Memorial Arboretum, VJ80). https://www.thenma.org.uk/what%27s-on/exhibitions/portraits?