ONE of the last soldiers to die in the bloody Battle of Imjin River during the Korean War has been honoured for his sacrifice 64 years later.

Private Gerald Chapman, from Drayton, died on April 26, 1951, while serving in the 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment.

His family gathered at Bicester Garrison Officers’ Mess yesterday to be presented with an Elizabeth Cross, issued on behalf of the Queen to the next of kin of those who lost their lives while serving in the British Armed Forces.

Pte Chapman’s brother Derek Chapman, also from Drayton, was among those at the presentation and spoke of his family’s pride.

He said: “It is hard to put into words but as a family we are so immensely proud.

“I am the last member that knew Gerald but he is very much engrained in the family. They are all so proud and I hope when I am no longer here they will take his memory on and continue to pass on this medal through the family.

“My parents would have loved to be here today and would have been so proud.”

Pte Chapman’s body is buried in the United Memorial Cemetery in Pusan, Korea, and is one of 2,300 graves there.

He was one of about 150,000 troops from South Korea, the United States, and participating UN nations who lost their lives fighting for the South against the Chinese in the North in the Korean War, which started on June 25, 1950.

Pte Chapman was a National Serviceman, having enlisted aged 18 at Bulford and attached to the Wessex Brigade before being transferred to the Gloucestershire Regiment, known as the Glosters, on March 15, 1951.

He was in D Company and acted as a rifleman during the Battle of the Imjin River from April 22 to 25, a defining conflict for the Glosters that saw them defend Hill 235 – later referred to as Gloster Hill – in the face of wave after wave of attacks from the Chinese.

Only a few dozen soldiers managed to make it back to the UN lines, with many being captured by Chinese forces, but Pte Chapman was thought to have died making his way to safety the day after the battle ended, although nobody knows for sure.

He had grown up in Drayton and went to Drayton Community Primary School, before Abingdon Council School and went on to work for H W Poulton construction before joining the Army.

Great nephew Jamie Sargent, 14, said: “We went out to the grave this time last year and it was very emotional especially for my grandad. There was about two acres of fields with lots of graves and plants either side. I have heard lots of stories about Gerald.”

The medal presentation was led by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire Tim Stevenson OBE and attended by Pte Chapman’s family members, Korean veterans and soldiers of Bicester Garrison.

Lance-bombardier in the Royal Artillery and prisoner of war Thomas Clough from Gloucester said: “I was a gunner and we were attached to the Gloucestershire Regiment supporting them.

[During the Battle of Imjin River] our brigade lasted three days before running out of food, drink and ammunition. We were very lucky and fortunate to survive – lots of men lost their lives.”