For those that have read my series of postings (Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3) about the heroism of the Gloucestershire Battalion during the Battle of the Imjim you may be wondering what the battle site is like today.
The battle site has actually been turned into the nicest memorial of any other Korean War battle field I have seen yet. I have been to the site three times and each time the site has been well maintained and very clean which is not always the case with other Korean War memorial sites I have been to.
The memorial is easy to find because it sits just outside the local city of Joeksong along Highway 56 and is less than an hour from Dongducheon and about an hour from Uijongbu. The memorial easily recognizable by this large sign on the side of the highway:
Besides the sign the prominent flags also give away the fact that this area is a Korean War memorial site:
The memorial is divided in half with a park on one side of the river and the actual memorial on the other. The park is actually a popular picnic area for Korean locals. There are even restaurants and cafes adjacent to the park for visitors to use.
To reach the actual memorial you have to cross over the creek with the use of this bridge:
The bridge is specially decorated with British flags:
Seeing so many British flags just seems so odd considering you are in Korea, but their are many more Union Jacks on display here than Taegukis. Near the bridge is also a plaque and map describing to visitors the Battle of the Imjim:
Just across the bridge and at the base of Hill 235 is this memorial carved in the rock face:
Here is how the memorial looks up close:
Here is a close up look at the inscriptions on the plaques:
The site may be easy to find, but it can be a bit difficult to get to if you don’t have transportation. Buses from Dongducheon run to Joeksong regularly and from Joeksong the site is only a short cab drive away. This is how I first visited the site but I had to walk back to Joeksong afterwards to catch the bus again. However you get to the memorial it is worth checking out if you remotely have any interest in Korean War history.
Definitely a site worth checking out and is a place I wish more units take advantage of to conduct professional development training.
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10:24 am on November 18th, 2007 1
Here’s a post on A Company’s fight for “Castle Hill.”
http://justbarkingmad.com/?p=561#respond
10:46 pm on November 18th, 2007 2
Thanks! I’m definitely checking out the battlefield next time I’m in Korea.
12:57 am on November 19th, 2007 3
I am unsure if you have already mentioned this but Halberstams last book on Korea is out. “The Coldest Winter” is a rather lengthy tome but fascinating nonetheless..I know about all the battles, of course, but I was most interested in the political machinations, both civilian and military.
In Ferhenbachs book he talks about the bravery of the Turkish Brigade but Halberstam says many deserted their posts. What is your opinion on the Turks?
5:46 am on November 24th, 2007 4
[...] Drop Shop « Heroes of the Korean War: LTC James P. Carne - Part 2 Places in Korea: Gloucester Valley [...]
9:40 am on November 29th, 2007 5
Sorry for the late reply to this but I have been reading up on the Turks and preparing a future posting on them. From what I have read so far much like many US units some Turk unit withdrew others fought. Their early battles against the Chinese in North Korea were especially ugly.
Overall though they proved to be a steady and brave fighting force that got better as the war progressed and they gained more combat experience.
What doesn’t help determine the Turks performance is the blatant propaganda put out about their performance by Turkish veterans groups and their government that I have read on the internet that totally conflicts with written histories. The Turks had their ups and downs but overall fought very well which should be enough to be proud of without inventing things.
6:06 am on December 16th, 2007 6
[...] UPDATE:Â For anyone reading this I have posted a much more updated article with pictures that you can view by clicking here. [...]
7:15 am on January 11th, 2008 7