Remembering China's merchant navy heroes

Keeping memory alive

But Loh said the 21st century Liverpool Chinese community is a very different demographic, and it is only the dwindling number of direct descendants who keep the flame of this memory alive.

"A large part of the Chinese community now is overseas Chinese students. The strata of the community affected by what happened after the war are now increasingly in their later years, so the story is kept alive by them, but they, and it, won't be around forever," she said.

"As for where this story leads, I suppose it depends who you speak to. Different people want different things. But I think most families just want answers — they want the dignity to grieve for their loss, which a lot of them have never had."