A SECOND World War veteran is trying to trace former members of his battalion who served with him guarding Japanese prisoners of war.

Bernard Seyburn was in the 2nd battalion of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) and was stationed in South-East Asia when the war drew to a close.

The 79-year-old, from Billingham, Teesside, had the task of guarding and sometimes executing Japanese soldiers, following the country's surrender in 1945.

His battalion, which had seen service in India and South-East Asia, took the surrender of about 400 Japanese troops in Sumatra, keeping them prisoner in Changi Jail, in Singapore.

Mr Seyburn, a sergeant in the DLI, said: "It was a hard time because whilst the war had come to an end for people back in Europe, it was still ongoing for us.

"We lived in the prison ourselves and worked 24-hour guard duty. The Japanese were locked up, but we felt like we were behind bars too."

The task was made even more difficult by the gruesome duty of executing Japanese prisoners found guilty of war crimes. One of the condemned men, a Japanese sergeant, left Mr Seyburn his ceremonial dagger.

He said: "We hung them in groups of three. I saw at least nine people hung. It was a very harrowing experience, there is not really much more you can say about it. We were doing our duty, carrying out orders."

Mr Seyburn was stationed at Changi for about six months.

After that, his battalion moved into Malaysia and he was not discharged to return to the UK until 1947.

He said he has lost touch with almost all of his fellow troops. He said: "Maybe because of all the anniversaries going on at the moment, I had a feeling of nostalgia to see some of those lads again.

"We went through a lot together, so it would be nice to hear from them."

DLI members who served with Mr Seyburn are asked to call The Northern Echo's Stockton office on (01642) 675678.