The Yapp’s Family Site

George Albert Yapp K.I.A Korea

George Yapp killed in action [pt 486 hill 486] Kumgong-ni Korea 21th May 1951’ This is probably the last picture that George ever sent me before he embarked for Korea I seem to think that this was sent from San Wai camp Hong Kong 1951.

This is a beautiful embroidery of the centre  5”x 3”photograph of George that was embroidered to an A 3 size and then framed by my wife Patricia. An Excellent tribute to George.

This picture is  Korea 1950

George through no fault of his own was somewhat an absent father and by 1949 his personal life was something of a disaster his marriage was all but over he was well aware his wife was cheating on him and was now in a relationship with this person, his young son Alan had passed away he was missing his surviving son and  he was now in a foreign land far away from home and now had no way of sorting things out? I know through his letters that it was constantly in his thoughts as to how he could get the impedimenta that he found himself in sorted. The veracity of his situation was that he only had under a year left to serve in the army and his mind was contemplating  the realities of resettling back into civilian life finding employment that he could successfully use the skills he had gained during his military service. His first priority was to divorce his wife and take over the care of his son who was now being cared for by the family. I also think that he was still hurting over his discovery that his marriage was over. .I noticed on his photographs taken in Singapore and Hong Kong he was still wearing his wedding ring.


[My mother always said that he was a lovely young man but in 1946-47 they were both far to young and immature to have been married, and she suddenly had a reality check of being pregnant and now having to support two baby twin boys a husband posted to Scotland no marriage allowance or support for her or her sons. The war had not long finished things were still rationed and  they were living in poverty this was a desperate situation she found herself in and this now necessitated her having do two jobs to earn enough money for their support to survive. Regrettably my brother Alan later passed away.

She went on to marry the man she was having the affair with and had two more twin girls and a son she died at 94 years of age in her latter years after the death of two husbands and two sons she was at some moments quite remorseful of parts of her life, but she never had a bad word said about George. ]

 

His Troubled Personal Life