A few years ago my Dad died and, as the eldest son I too the ashes back to India for what seemed like a never-ending series of Hindu ceremonies, none of which I understood. It was a horrendous trip in many waves, with Delhi suffering it's worst heatwave in years (50 C+), another relative dying while we were at one of the ceremonies and lots of other things.
The one great thing was my great-uncle who introduced himself to me and invited me round for dinner towards the end of my trip (promising some very welcomemeat after 5 days of veganism). He was an amazing man, aged 95 but in full control of his mental and physical faculties. He'd trained as an officer in the Royal Artillery in Woolwich and served as an officer under General Slim. He told me loads of great stories about those days and how Slim was a criminally underrated general - he said Britain's best since Marlborough. My uncle transferred to the Indian Army after winning independence eventually becoming a major-general. Sadly he died last year.
RIP all those who died in the Burmese campaign and also the linked Bengali famine, one of the worst and least-known disasters of the British Empire.
Thanks Seth and Plum brought a few tears to my eyes just writing it, seems to be some decent books about the war in Burma coming out at present, somebody mentioned about buying anything Japenese, i want a seiko watch for my 21st, did i get one, no way, was he upset that i asked, you bet, the hate went to his grave with him. Charlton Kerry......
My father-in-law to this day will not buy anything Japanesse, and as an educated man( Chief Librarian) there has been many a family argument about this part of the war.
My father in law who is 89 over the past 3 years or so is haunted by his colleagues that are dead !. He can neither forgive or forget!
Thanks for all the kind words about my ramblings, it is a truely fascinating period of British history, which seemed to be swept under the carpet. The battle (actually it was a seige) for Kohima and Impheal, where so brutal that they actually changed the course of the war. There is a book which has just been published called the Road of Bones which deals solely with Kohima and the back of the book sums up nicely what i feel my father wanted to say to me. 'in old age, his heart would still quicken as he described the japanese attack. "They came howling and screaming and full of go. It was terrifying but the only good thing was that the screaming let you know where they were coming from and so we got our lines of fire right and mowed them down. Wave after wave we cut them down. I didn't know if i was killing one or a dozen." This went on not for one day or 1 night but continuously for months. I cant imagine it. The bravery of these men deserve reconition and just to add a little bit more detail on Kohima i would like to waste some more of your valuable time just explain a brief history / outline of the battle. In a remote Indian village near the border with Burma, a tiny force of British and Indian troops faced the might of the Imperial Japenese army. Outnumdered ten to one, the defenders fought the japanese hand to hand in a battle that was amongst the most savage in modern warfare. A garrison of no more than 1500 fighting men, desperately short of water and with the wounded compelled to lie in the open, faced a force of 15,000 Japenese. They held the pass and prevented a Japenese victory that would have proved disastrous for the savagBritish. Another 6 weeks of bitter fighting followed as the British and Indian reinforcements strove to drive the enemy out of India. When the battle was finally over, a Japenese army that had invaded India on a mission of imperial conquest had suffered its worse defeat in its history. Thousands of men lay dead on a devasted landscape, while tens of thousand more starved in a catastrophic retreat eastwards. They called the journey back to Burma, the Road of Bones, as friends and comrades committed suicide or dropped dead from hunger along the jungle path. Colin i know you go to that area, if you should visit Kohima one do me a favour and post a few photos of the grave and the monument
Only found out today for certain my grandad did fight in WWII. He was in France and Germany, part of the Royal West Kents. Luckily for him he didn't have to go to Burma, others he must have known did.
His dad died in World War I before he was born. Only 24 just a bit older than me. One of his brothers died later in the year also in war (or after returning home, not sure).
First time I have seen this thread. Visited both war graves in Thailand a few years ago, me and the missus must have spent a couple of hours just walking up and down the immaculately kept graves reading how young some of those poor devils were. We had tears in our eyes and we didn't know anyone that lost their lives there, very very emotional place. RIP......HEROES.
A regular worshipper at Christ Church in East Greenwich, Charles Medhurst (90), was at the ceremony as a former Japanese POW. I spotted him several times on the box yesterday and this morning he placed a small wreath of poppies on the altar for his brother Henry who never returned. Felt something in my eye.
My father fought in Burma for about 4 years, like all others of the forgotten army, he didn't talk much about it, what he did tell me was horrendous. He was in the Royal engineers and behind enemy lines for months at a time, when their rations run out they ate the mules, when these run out they used to fight over the rotting flesh of dead animals. When they first arrived off the boat from England they where taken to a hospital where they where shown crucified nurses and nuns, plus murdered soliders still in their beds, he reckoned those sights stayed with him the rest of his life, i probably can vouch for that as i still remember his nightmares.
When he was in his early 80's he took it upon himself to go back their to visit the British war cemetary in Kohima, i couldn't understand why a crippled frail old man in a wheelchair would want to go all that way and finally he told me why, he wanted to find his best mates grave who he had to kill with a single shot as he was to badly injured to get back to hospital, what a choice he had leave him to be butchered by the Japs or kill him yourself, i wonder what you would have done. But the nice thing that come out of his trip was that he found the grave, and i think he managed to settle his mind after this. He fought alongside the Gherka's and unbeleivable these old man also in there 80's walked for 3 to 4 days across mountains to meet up with the old British soldiers at Kohima.
The battle of Kohima is an epic tale and deserves telling. Anyway after Kohima the tide turned and the British advanced back through Bruma, my father and his associates where in the thick off it fighting all the way, and unbelievably they didnt take a single prisioner. When he arrived home, there was no welcome for him, just the pleasure of meeting his 4 year old son who he had never seen before.
They where brave men and deserve every ounce of reconition. RIP dad.
Wow. You just moved me to tears ..........................................
My grandfather fought in Burma and the Far East. I wasn't that close to him but he apparently was awarded a bravery medal but didn't claim it. As far as I know, he was in the royal artillery his gun carrier was ambushed, the driver killed/injured and he managed to get them to safety. He never really spoke about the war but he was a well educated, level headed guy and could never forgive the Japanese for what they did. When he died we were clearing his stuff and found his diary. One entry simply read; cleared ???? Village, bad day. My dad told me that his unit had entered the village after the japs had been through it and massacred the residents. They had to bury the dead, many of whom had been dismembered, including children.
Thank you Daggs, all true unfortunately. I never will forget his hatred of all thing Japanese, when I was 21 my dearest wish was to have a seiko watch, he refused point blank.
When the anniversary of dropping the two bombs on Japan came around, he always said the same comment, "they should have dropped many more".
There were many more such stories, but he just wouldn't part with them, when it was time for his last rites, he sent the vicar away by telling him that, if there was a god, then why are the Japanese still alive. They were his last words he ever spoke.
Like charltonkerry's father, my grandad was a royal engineer in burma, amongst other places. He didn't talk much about it... Harrowing stuff. I'll have to revisit this memoirs. Funnily enough my grandad was born in Japan (his dad was in the merchant navy) and I don't think he held any grudges.
Just seen this thread - Charlton Kerry's post has reminded me of my grandfather - in - law who spent a few days telling me of his experiences with Wingate's Chindits.
His tales of retreating from the Japs, watching the Burmese locals falling back with them - including his tale of helping a local woman give birth on the road and then immediately picking up the baby and carrying on walking with the other refugees - not only gave him a great respect for the Burmese people, but also his absolute hate for anything Japanese in later life, so much so, that when he ran his own servicing garage, he refused to service Japanese vehicles.
He lost a lot of good friends who were captured by the Japanese and although he only spent a month in captivity, he freely told me of the horrific stories he was told of the treatment of (particularly 'empire' ) troops and how the Japanese psyche dealt with those who surrendered.
His 'surrender' was as an unconscious casualty from a shrapnel grenade, which resulted in the amputation of a leg in 1970.
He also had an issue with the Sikhs - and Birdwood - who he never trusted as despite some of the heroic records of how they fought the Japanese, he expeirenced some real treachery from them in Mandalay.
Comments
The graveyards really are impressive in a depressing way and so immaculately kept.
The one great thing was my great-uncle who introduced himself to me and invited me round for dinner towards the end of my trip (promising some very welcomemeat after 5 days of veganism). He was an amazing man, aged 95 but in full control of his mental and physical faculties. He'd trained as an officer in the Royal Artillery in Woolwich and served as an officer under General Slim. He told me loads of great stories about those days and how Slim was a criminally underrated general - he said Britain's best since Marlborough. My uncle transferred to the Indian Army after winning independence eventually becoming a major-general. Sadly he died last year.
RIP all those who died in the Burmese campaign and also the linked Bengali famine, one of the worst and least-known disasters of the British Empire.
My father-in-law to this day will not buy anything Japanesse, and as an educated man( Chief Librarian) there has been many a family argument about this part of the war.
My father in law who is 89 over the past 3 years or so is haunted by his colleagues that are dead !. He can neither forgive or forget!
In a remote Indian village near the border with Burma, a tiny force of British and Indian troops faced the might of the Imperial Japenese army. Outnumdered ten to one, the defenders fought the japanese hand to hand in a battle that was amongst the most savage in modern warfare.
A garrison of no more than 1500 fighting men, desperately short of water and with the wounded compelled to lie in the open, faced a force of 15,000 Japenese. They held the pass and prevented a Japenese victory that would have proved disastrous for the savagBritish. Another 6 weeks of bitter fighting followed as the British and Indian reinforcements strove to drive the enemy out of India. When the battle was finally over, a Japenese army that had invaded India on a mission of imperial conquest had suffered its worse defeat in its history. Thousands of men lay dead on a devasted landscape, while tens of thousand more starved in a catastrophic retreat eastwards. They called the journey back to Burma, the Road of Bones, as friends and comrades committed suicide or dropped dead from hunger along the jungle path.
Colin i know you go to that area, if you should visit Kohima one do me a favour and post a few photos of the grave and the monument
It's by an Australian called Russell Braddon and recounts the years he spent as a POW in Changi prison...
Truly harrowing read...
His dad died in World War I before he was born. Only 24 just a bit older than me. One of his brothers died later in the year also in war (or after returning home, not sure).
http://www.amazon.co.uk/DADS-STORY-John-Wilkinson-ebook/dp/B00IKM64J6
An Addicks connection as Monty Wilkinson served in the RAF in Burma after playing 237 games from 1932 to 1939 for Charlton.
We have some photos and other items donated by his family at the Museum.
RIP......HEROES.
When the anniversary of dropping the two bombs on Japan came around, he always said the same comment, "they should have dropped many more".
There were many more such stories, but he just wouldn't part with them, when it was time for his last rites, he sent the vicar away by telling him that, if there was a god, then why are the Japanese still alive. They were his last words he ever spoke.
He was a kind gentle man who hated violence.
His tales of retreating from the Japs, watching the Burmese locals falling back with them - including his tale of helping a local woman give birth on the road and then immediately picking up the baby and carrying on walking with the other refugees - not only gave him a great respect for the Burmese people, but also his absolute hate for anything Japanese in later life, so much so, that when he ran his own servicing garage, he refused to service Japanese vehicles.
He lost a lot of good friends who were captured by the Japanese and although he only spent a month in captivity, he freely told me of the horrific stories he was told of the treatment of (particularly 'empire' ) troops and how the Japanese psyche dealt with those who surrendered.
His 'surrender' was as an unconscious casualty from a shrapnel grenade, which resulted in the amputation of a leg in 1970.
He also had an issue with the Sikhs - and Birdwood - who he never trusted as despite some of the heroic records of how they fought the Japanese, he expeirenced some real treachery from them in Mandalay.