He saw his father for the last time when he was just 18 months old.

But now, after a poignant quest, Ashley Jackson has been awarded the war medals his heroic father earned during the bitter Far Eastern conflicts of World War II.

And in doing so, he has uncovered a story of bravery, of tragedy and of Yorkshire grit and humour.

The Holmfirth artist, now 74, is among many marking the 70th anniversary of the Second World War.

His father Norman Valentine Jackson was one of many who died in the jungles of Borneo at the hands of the Japanese.

He was made to dig his own grave and was shot into it.

But that was not before he had escaped from the notorious Changi prison camp and had led successful intelligence operations against the Japanese.

Yorkshire watercolour artist Jackson hopes other families will follow his lead and trace their families who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Ashley was able to make inquiries about his father, a Private in the Straits Settlements’ Volunteer Force.

“My dad was born and brought up in Singapore, the daughter of a flamenco dancer who travelled the world.

“He volunteered when the war broke out but was interned by the Imperial Japanese Army at Kuching, in Borneo, before being sent to Labuan.

“He had already escaped from Changi previously and then attempted to escape again numerous times before being made to dig his own grave and was shot into it.

“A volunteer when Singapore fell , he became part of a search and destroy logistics team in a role that was influential in assisting the British Empire during World War II.

“But he had made sure his family were safe. He ensured my mother Dulcie and I were evacuated to India before the conflict and we remained there until 1947.

“I was just 18 months old when we left and that was my last memory of him.

“It was through my father’s death and my mother’s subsequent wish to remarry a Yorkshireman that brought me as a young boy to Barnsley and then to Huddersfield”.

Since then, of course he has earned a worldwide reputation for his paintings, principally of the moorlands he regards as his home.

He said he was proud to receive his father’s medals from the War Office, and advised anyone who believes that their loved one may have medals available to them to go to the Government website, fill in the form and see.

“I am extremely proud to receive my father’s medals. They can never bring him back but it means that it is publicly recognised that he fought and died not just to protect my mum and I, but for King and Country.

“It is a shame that she is no longer around to see the medals and that is why I advise anyone to take a look at the website and fill in what you know”.

The website is www.gov.uk/the-ministry-of-defence-medal-office

Address to write to ;The Ministry Of Defence Medal Office (MODMO),Innsworth House, Imjin Barracks, Innsworth, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL3 1HW