In 2008, while talking to him about his experience in South East Asia during the Second World War, we decided to record some of his reminiscences. A few years previously, he was about to throw away two photograph albums, which I persuaded him to give me because I knew they contained a remarkable collection of images from his time with the Royal Air Force.

The Commando Unit that he served with included a professional photographer who, when circumstances permitted, printed extra copies of his photographs for the servicemen, which are contained in my father’s albums.

I had not originally thought to bring the two together – the audio and the visual – until recently, after learning to edit video competently. The result I hope is a small addition to our understanding of ordinary people’s experience during World War Two. It is also a tribute to my father Sidney Richard Lewis, a young Londoner in the 1940s, who saw places and events he had never expected to see, such as the beauty of old Siam and the devastation of Hiroshima

While editing the material I applied for and received a copy of my father’s record of service from RAF Disclosures, so that dates cited are accurate.