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COLIN FIRTH POPS ROUND FOR TEA WITH HERO

Colin Firth described 92-year-old Eric’s life as “an extraordinary story”

COLIN Firth has made a secret visit to the former prisoner of war he will play in his next film.

The King’s Speech star made a 650-mile round trip from London to have tea with Eric Lomax at his home in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland. Colin described 92-year-old Eric’s life as “an extraordinary story”.

As a Second Lieutenant with the Royal Signals in the Second World War, Eric was tortured by the Japanese while being made to work on the “death railway” between Thailand and Burma. Thousands of Allied prisoners died building the line. Japanese military police broke Eric’s arms during a week-long ordeal in which he was often beaten unconscious at the Sakamoto Butai camp in Thailand, where a radio and escape map had been found.

After the war Eric was filled with hate, particularly for Nagase Takashi, the interpreter who interrogated him. In 1988 Eric tracked him down and they met on the bridge over the River Kwai. Takashi apologised and was forgiven by his victim. The pair then became friends.

Eric explained: “I suffered many years of post traumatic stress disorder but at some point the hating has to stop.”

The war hero then turned his ordeal into a bestselling book, The Railway Man, which is now to become a film. The movie will trace Eric’s battle to track down his tormentors and to cope with life at home.

Colin admits he will not be the actor depicting him as a prisoner close to death from starvation.

He explained: “My character’s story occupies Britain, and precisely Berwick. You will see the scenes that take place during the war, but obviously someone else will be doing that.”