Ray Withnall - The Ukulele Man...with TRE's Giles Brown

Talk Radio Europe · Jul 8, 2026 · 26m

Tom Boardman was a talented ukulele player from Leigh in Lancashire. At the start of the Second World War, he joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. After his training, he was posted to Singapore. To his surprise, there was no actual fighting, but a growing threat that the Japanese might attack. For six months he enjoyed the easy-going vibrancy of a city where cultures mixed and bright lights shone. But Tom wondered why planning and preparation for a Japanese attack on the British Empire’s Jewel of the Empire appeared to be unhurried, disorganised and complacent. Singapore surrendered to the…