“There was a chap in the camp who worked as a radio engineer for British General Electric and he managed to set up a radio and was receiving news from the BBC, we heard about the A bomb and VP from that, but just because we knew didn’t mean much changed until the Japanese surrendered, which our guard definitely didn’t want to do.”

Mr Forsyth’s wife Heather remembers the time well.

“When we first heard about the atom bombs in Australia we really didn’t know what the significance of them was - both sides were dropping bombs all over the place, what more could two bombs do?

It wasn’t until a few days later that we realised what it meant for war in the Pacific.”

After the prisoners heard the news via their illegal radio about VP, they had the difficult task of not changing the way they dealt with their captors until the Japanese knew about the treaty.

On August 22 1945 Keith left Blakang Mati, and was taken to Kranji where his group was to stop until they were released.

“The camp at Kranji was a bit different, we were in a camp with Germans and Italians who had surrendered as well as British, Australians and Dutch.”

Despite being out of an official prison camp ay Kranji, the worries were not over for the prisoners when 60 per cent of the group developed prussic acid poisoning from eating young tapioca tubers the prisoners grew themselves.

After leaving Singapore, Mr Forsyth was told by a doctor if they had kept eating the tubers for two more weeks, the results could have been catastrophic. Keith had another close brush with destiny after the official Peace Treaty for the South East Asia Command was signed, Mr Forsyth hitched a ride on the bonnet of a jeep for 13 miles and was run over when the jeep reversed suddenly.

Instead of reporting to a hospital, Mr Forsyth boarded the Arawa to take him home to Australia.

Mr Forsyth said as he had one last look at Singapore he said to his friend Doug Fraser he would never eat rice again and it was at least 20 years before he ate it again.

Inverell has a lasting reminder of the sacrifices made in Singapore in Varley Oval, so named for Brigadier Arthur Varley who led Mr Forsyth's regiment as well as many other Inverell men, and to whom Mr Forsyth owes his life after Brigadier Varley told him to stay in Singapore instead of joining the boats to Japan as he was recovering from illness.

Inverell based Senator John Williams said every Australian should pause this Friday and reflect on an event that occurred 63 years ago, "Thousands of men and women were taken prisoner after the fall of Singapore, some of whom had been under the command of Brigadier Arthur Varley of Inverell" ,Senator Williams said.

"Brigadier Varley himself was imprisoned and forced to work on the Thai-Burma railway alongside other men from northern towns such as Inverell, Glen Innes and Bingara" Senator Williams said.

Brigadier Varley was killed when the lifeboat he was in bound for Japan to join work camps was machine-gunned by US Forces 12 months before the end of fighting.

"I can't believe that we survived all of it and I am glad I have been able to share my story for others to understand what we had to do at such a young age."