Duncan Edwin, or Eddie as he was known to his family and friends, was the son of Duncan Cameron from Elgin and Mary Jane Dixon (Polly) from the Lake District. He had five sisters, one older Elsie and four younger, Ida Olive (died at a few months old), Margaret, Isabella and Jeanie.

The family grew up in several different places, as Duncan senior worked on various public works contracts. They settled in Uphall near Broxburn and finally moved to Edinburgh.

Eddie joined the army on 30th November 1934 at the age of 18 and was sent to India in March 1937, where he remained for just under a year. Like many others, he was transferred to Hong Kong in January 1938. It was during his time in Hong Kong that Eddie first became friends with John Borg, whose family home was approximately one mile from Eddie’s.

Over the years, Eddie and John subsequently spent in Hong Kong, on the Lisbon Maru and in the POW camp in Kobe, their friendship grew and they became very close friends.

As we know, Japan occupied Hong Kong and Eddie became a POW in December 1941. Eddie was shipped to Japan on the tragic Lisbon Maru and survived a Japanese attempt to send all 1816 POWs to a watery grave. So many "planets aligned" that day to allow Eddie and others to escape: a) He was in Hold 2 and not Hold 3, from where few men escaped; b) The weather was mild and the sea was calm; c) Quingbang Island was close; d) Villagers assembled to help them ashore; e) Food, clothing and shelter were provided by the villagers.

Once again the friendship between Eddie and John was forged during those few days, before being recaptured by the Japanese, as survivors of the Lisbon Maru, fellow Royal Scots and whose families both lived in Edinburgh. Eddie and John made it to Qingbang and subsequently became POWs in Kobe House. Their close friendship would lead to a wonderful love story, which resulted in my and my siblings' births.

The prize for surviving the Lisbon Maru sinking was Kobe House POW Camp, where they suffered unimaginable starvation and ill-treatment. An American soldier AJ Locke wrote a book "Kobe House", which relates many facts of the three plus years they were there. He talks of his friendship with Eddie and how the two of them with another soldier, teamed up to share blankets and body heat during the very cold winter nights in Kobe House.

Eddie was shipped back to UK on the Empress of Australia and arrived in Liverpool in late October 1945. His niece, Margaret Wooding (née Murray and Elsie’s daughter), had travelled from Manchester to greet him. This must have been a difficult task, as any picture she had of him was as a young boy. Also the timing must have been a difficult task as well. Both Eddie and John were interviewed by a newspaper covering the sinking of the Lisbon Maru and their treatment at the hands of the Japanese. The headline was "A Far Cry from Auld Reekie".

Eddie, along with others travelling to Scotland, was transported to Edinburgh Waverley Station by train. Their families were made aware of this and converged on the station to welcome their loved ones home. Two of Eddie's sisters, Jeanie and Margaret, were part of the welcoming party and Eddie’s pal John met Margaret for the first time.

John was immediately smitten with Margaret and they were married in 1946. John and Margaret are my parents. Eddie was married in 1946 and had two children, Duncan and Charmaine.

In 1961 Eddie left home after his marriage broke down. Eddie only surfaced once after his departure, at his oldest sister Elsie’s house in Manchester. That was the last time anyone saw or heard from Eddie and at this time, we are still unaware of what became of him. All his sisters often wondered what became of him, but sadly they all went to their grave never knowing.