2nd Burma Rifles Roll Call
Tough cheerful little men carrying packs which seemed to be almost as big as themselves, almost every Chindit column had a section of them. The British Other Ranks had only a vague idea where they came from or what they were there to do. All they did know was that they faced the dangers and discomforts of the campaign with good humour and good heart. When there was any fighting to be done they did it with a ruthlessness and dash second to none.
They were the Burrifs, men of the Burma Rifles. The 'Free Burmese' if you like, for they came from the Kachin, the Karen and the Chin tribes of Burma. When they went into Burma they were fighting for the freedom of their own country. The British 'Tommy', often a harsh critic, soon became a lively admirer of the Burrifs. It was surprising how well the two races got on together immediately they met. This was largely due to the intelligence of the Burma Riflemen and his desire to master the English language, which he did far more than the British learnt Burmese. Perhaps his greatest skill was the Burrif's ability to find or access food, for which the Tommy had the deepest, and quite understandable admiration.
First published in 1944 by Frank Owen in the magazine, The Chindits.
This page is devoted to the men from the Burma Rifles who are mentioned with fondness and pride in the books, diaries and memoirs for Operation Longcloth, but for whom a more detailed story is unlikely to ever be uncovered. It is rare for a lower ranked soldier to be mentioned in a battalion war diary, or most official memoirs unless he has performed some act of great valour or gallantry. Featured below are mentions of men from the 2nd Battalion, the Burma Rifles who took part on Operation Longcloth and who deserve their place in the recorded history of the first Wingate expedition in 1943.
Riflemen Orlando and Tunnion were from the Kachin Hill tribes of Burma. They were posted to Wingate's own Brigade Head Quarters in late autumn 1942, whilst the newly formed Chindits were training at Saugor in the Central Provinces of India. By early April 1943, both men found themselves in the dispersal group commanded by Captain Graham Hosegood and Lieutenant R. A. Wilding. For most of the month of April the group moved back and forth along the eastern banks of the Irrawaddy River in an attempt to gain a crossing to the west side and return to India.
From the pages of his memoirs, Lieutenant Wilding remembered this time:
We spent the next couple of weeks resting and preparing for another attempt to cross the Irrawaddy. One of the Burmese Jemadars was wounded and captured during a recce to Inywa (the nearest large town) and a British Private got lost while out searching for water and was presumed captured.
Our party made some more rafts and set out for the Irrawaddy. However we found ourselves in a mangrove swamp and could not get through. We then decided to try to go east, cross the Shweli where it was but a stream, swing north and go into the Kachin Hills and there sweat out the monsoon.
Burma Riflemen Orlando and Tunnion were from this part of Burma and hoped to lead the dispersal group to their own village in the Kachin Hills and remain there until the monsoon had ended. It was only eighty miles, but we had hardly any supplies left, so we decided to find a village and obtain some food. There was not much food to be found, but the Headman offered to put us over the river for a consideration, a very considerable consideration.
Wilding's memoir continues: That evening, the 21st April, the Headman and his "brother" took us at racing speed to the river. It was night and we were not exactly sure where we were. We embarked, paddled round one island and disembarked, handed over nearly all of our money and set out for the hills to the west. Alas we found a wide stretch of water between us and the hills; it was the main river, we had literally been sold up the river.
The next six days are very confused in my mind. We searched the island, it was about a mile long and half a mile wide. We found a village and persuaded the villagers to sell us a meal, but this only occurred once. I had two black-outs which were alarming. When travelling in a hot country beware when the sweat getting into your eyes stops stinging as this denotes that you need salt.
On the 29th April we found a boat that floated. We decided that Second Lieutenant Pat Gordon, Lance-Corporal Purdie and Signalman Belcher, with Burma Riflemen Orlando and Tunnion as paddlers, should make the first trip. They reached the other side, then we heard Pat rallying his men and a good deal of firing and then silence. Orlando and Tunnion survived but the others were all killed. I was very sad. I thought that the first boat load would have the best chance, but I was wrong.
Shown below is a map of the area where Riflemen Orlando, Tunnion and the others attempted the crossing of the Irrawaddy near the village of Tigyaing. Please click on the map to bring it foreword on the page. For more details about the dispersal group led by Captain Hosegood and Lieutenant Wilding, please click on the following link: Lieutenant R.P. Gordon
They were the Burrifs, men of the Burma Rifles. The 'Free Burmese' if you like, for they came from the Kachin, the Karen and the Chin tribes of Burma. When they went into Burma they were fighting for the freedom of their own country. The British 'Tommy', often a harsh critic, soon became a lively admirer of the Burrifs. It was surprising how well the two races got on together immediately they met. This was largely due to the intelligence of the Burma Riflemen and his desire to master the English language, which he did far more than the British learnt Burmese. Perhaps his greatest skill was the Burrif's ability to find or access food, for which the Tommy had the deepest, and quite understandable admiration.
First published in 1944 by Frank Owen in the magazine, The Chindits.
This page is devoted to the men from the Burma Rifles who are mentioned with fondness and pride in the books, diaries and memoirs for Operation Longcloth, but for whom a more detailed story is unlikely to ever be uncovered. It is rare for a lower ranked soldier to be mentioned in a battalion war diary, or most official memoirs unless he has performed some act of great valour or gallantry. Featured below are mentions of men from the 2nd Battalion, the Burma Rifles who took part on Operation Longcloth and who deserve their place in the recorded history of the first Wingate expedition in 1943.
Riflemen Orlando and Tunnion were from the Kachin Hill tribes of Burma. They were posted to Wingate's own Brigade Head Quarters in late autumn 1942, whilst the newly formed Chindits were training at Saugor in the Central Provinces of India. By early April 1943, both men found themselves in the dispersal group commanded by Captain Graham Hosegood and Lieutenant R. A. Wilding. For most of the month of April the group moved back and forth along the eastern banks of the Irrawaddy River in an attempt to gain a crossing to the west side and return to India.
From the pages of his memoirs, Lieutenant Wilding remembered this time:
We spent the next couple of weeks resting and preparing for another attempt to cross the Irrawaddy. One of the Burmese Jemadars was wounded and captured during a recce to Inywa (the nearest large town) and a British Private got lost while out searching for water and was presumed captured.
Our party made some more rafts and set out for the Irrawaddy. However we found ourselves in a mangrove swamp and could not get through. We then decided to try to go east, cross the Shweli where it was but a stream, swing north and go into the Kachin Hills and there sweat out the monsoon.
Burma Riflemen Orlando and Tunnion were from this part of Burma and hoped to lead the dispersal group to their own village in the Kachin Hills and remain there until the monsoon had ended. It was only eighty miles, but we had hardly any supplies left, so we decided to find a village and obtain some food. There was not much food to be found, but the Headman offered to put us over the river for a consideration, a very considerable consideration.
Wilding's memoir continues: That evening, the 21st April, the Headman and his "brother" took us at racing speed to the river. It was night and we were not exactly sure where we were. We embarked, paddled round one island and disembarked, handed over nearly all of our money and set out for the hills to the west. Alas we found a wide stretch of water between us and the hills; it was the main river, we had literally been sold up the river.
The next six days are very confused in my mind. We searched the island, it was about a mile long and half a mile wide. We found a village and persuaded the villagers to sell us a meal, but this only occurred once. I had two black-outs which were alarming. When travelling in a hot country beware when the sweat getting into your eyes stops stinging as this denotes that you need salt.
On the 29th April we found a boat that floated. We decided that Second Lieutenant Pat Gordon, Lance-Corporal Purdie and Signalman Belcher, with Burma Riflemen Orlando and Tunnion as paddlers, should make the first trip. They reached the other side, then we heard Pat rallying his men and a good deal of firing and then silence. Orlando and Tunnion survived but the others were all killed. I was very sad. I thought that the first boat load would have the best chance, but I was wrong.
Shown below is a map of the area where Riflemen Orlando, Tunnion and the others attempted the crossing of the Irrawaddy near the village of Tigyaing. Please click on the map to bring it foreword on the page. For more details about the dispersal group led by Captain Hosegood and Lieutenant Wilding, please click on the following link: Lieutenant R.P. Gordon
Map of the large island in the Irrawaddy River, from where Orlando and Tunnion attempted their crossing.
Both the Riflemen were captured by the Japanese on the 29th April and were eventually taken to the Maymyo Concentration Camp, where the enemy were collecting together all the Chindit prisoners of war. The two men worked as slave labour for their captors for a short period, before possibly being sent down to Rangoon Jail with the rest of the Chindit POW's. This is where their trail goes cold, but as no casualties by their names exist in CWGC records, it is a fair assumption that they survived their time in captivity and returned to their Kachin villages after liberation.
Jemadar 50009 Moody was also with Wingate's Brigade HQ on Operation Longcloth. In fact Moody was the Jemadar mentioned at the beginning of Lieutenant Wilding's memoir (above) as being wounded and captured by the Japanese whilst out on a recce of the riverside town of Inywa (see above map). Jemadar Moody was taken to the Maymyo Camp almost immediately and spent several weeks there before managing to escape and return to India.
On returning to his battalion, now based at Karachi, Jemadar Moody was sent to the hill stations of northern India for a period of rest and recuperation. In August 1943 the battalion war diary recorded his retrospective promotion to Subedar, a reward for his efforts on Longcloth and for escaping captivity at Maymyo. Seen below is an extract from the battalion war diary, showing his promotion on the 17th August 1943.
Jemadar 50009 Moody was also with Wingate's Brigade HQ on Operation Longcloth. In fact Moody was the Jemadar mentioned at the beginning of Lieutenant Wilding's memoir (above) as being wounded and captured by the Japanese whilst out on a recce of the riverside town of Inywa (see above map). Jemadar Moody was taken to the Maymyo Camp almost immediately and spent several weeks there before managing to escape and return to India.
On returning to his battalion, now based at Karachi, Jemadar Moody was sent to the hill stations of northern India for a period of rest and recuperation. In August 1943 the battalion war diary recorded his retrospective promotion to Subedar, a reward for his efforts on Longcloth and for escaping captivity at Maymyo. Seen below is an extract from the battalion war diary, showing his promotion on the 17th August 1943.
Jemadar Saw Cameron was part of the Burma Rifles platoon for Chindit Column 3 on Operation Longcloth. In late March 1943, Major Calvert, the commander of 3 Column decided the time had come to break his unit down into smaller dispersal parties. Jemadar Saw Cameron was given joint leadership of one of these groups, alongside Gurkha officer, Subedar Siribhagta Gurung. These two officers led a party of around forty men, made up of the Gurkha Support platoon and a number of Gurkha muleteers.
The group led by Siribhagta and Jemadar Cameron were soon in trouble, struggling to find ways of crossing those interminable obstacles, the Irrawaddy and Shweli Rivers. Around the first week in April the men were captured by the Japanese and were taken to the main concentration camp for captured Chindits at Maymyo. Eventually the main group of British Chindit POW's were sent down to Rangoon Jail by train, however, Siribhagta, Cameron and many of the Indian soldiers were not with this group and found themselves heading north towards Myitkhina.
Saw Cameron managed to escape from his captors in November 1943, for his efforts he was awarded a 'Mention in Despatches' and promoted to the rank of Subedar. Here are the details of his award:
Subedar Saw Cameron, 2nd Burma Rifles
This man was a member of General Wingate's expedition in 1943. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese during the withdrawal to India on the 7th April. He was sent to the Maymyo Camp, but later transferred along with other POW's to Myitkhina in September 1943. There he was employed on fatigues and on the 21st October detailed with two other prisoners to carry rations for a party of the enemy moving up to Sumprabum.
Saw Cameron and the two other POW's were left with a Japanese Propaganda Unit a little way south of Sumprabum and later received orders to return to Myitkhina. During the return journey Saw Cameron discussed plans to escape with his companions and on the 12th November 1943 they took their opportunity.
Although there is nothing outstanding about his escape, Subedar Saw Cameron brought back information of military value and was undoubtedly the leader of this party. He has already been awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal for his service with the 77th Brigade and it is now considered that he should be granted a 'Mention in Despatches' along with his two companions:
1068 Jemadar Gyanbir Thapa of the 3/2 Gurkha Rifles
31334 Naik Damarbahadur Rana of the 3rd Assam Rifles.
Subedar 50005 Saw Donny was also a member of Calvert's Chindit column in 1943. He too was given the responsibility of leading a dispersal party after the unit was broken up in late March. Alongside Gurkha officer, Subedar Kum Sing Gurung he led a group made up from the column's Head Quarters section. During the operation, Donny had been invaluable to his commander, often entering villages alone in the search of information, boats or food.
Kum Sing and Subedar Donny had both been heavily involved in 3 Column's engagement with the Japanese at a place called Pago, close to the Shweli River. The two junior officers decided to exit Burma via the Chinese Yunnan Borders and arrived back in Allied held territory sometime in June 1943. Subedar Donny was awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal for his efforts on Operation Longcloth, he later became Quartermaster General in the fledgling Burmese Army after the country's independence in 1948.
Naik Tun Tin was a member of Chindit Column 8, commanded by Major Walter Purcell Scott of the King's Regiment. On dispersal, this Burma Rifleman was posted to the group led by Lieutenant Dominic Neill of the Gurkha Rifles and Lieutenant T.A.G. Sprague of 142 Commando. He was to become a pivotal member of this dispersal group, leading all reconnaissance and venturing into local villages in search of information and supplementary rations for his group.
Dominic Neill remembered Naik Tun Tin in his memoir, written after the war was over:
Lieutenant Sprague and I decided to march in a northerly direction on leaving 8 Column and to try to re-cross the vast Irrawaddy somewhere along its stretch where it flows east-west between the big villages of Bhamo and Katha. We would have to avoid Shwegu, though, as we had been told that that village contained a Japanese garrison. Every escape group had been given half-a-dozen or so soldiers from Nigel Whitehead's Platoon of 2nd Burma Riflemen. We were delighted when we found that we had Naik Tun Tin and four Riflemen attached to us. Tun Tin had always struck me as being one of Nigel's most outstanding young NCOs. He, like the rest of his small party, was a Karen. He had been educated at a mission school; not only was he very intelligent, but he spoke excellent English. Tun Tin was to prove himself to be of tremendous assistance to us. Sadly, we were to be parted from Tun Tin sooner than we would have wished.
Naik Tun Tin became separated from Neill's dispersal group around the 14th April when they were ambushed by a Japanese patrol close to the Kaukkwe Chaung and the village of Thayetta.
Another Rifleman mentioned by Lieutenant Neill as being part of his dispersal group, was Maung San. This man remained with the dispersal group after the ambush at Thayetta and continued with the group on their journey back to India.
There is no further information available in reference to Naik Tun Tin and what happened to him after the incident at the Kaukkwe Chaung. However, another Naik with the same name is recorded as being one of the men from 8 Column that was flown out of the jungle in late April 1943, when a Dakota plane managed to put down on a jungle clearing and pick up 18 sick and wounded Chindits.
It is impossible to say for sure whether Naik 3823 Tun Tin, the fortunate passenger aboard the Dakota, was the same man who had previously served with Dominic Neill's dispersal group, but, both groups had frequented the area around the Kaukkwe Chaung at that time, so it is not so unlikely. Indeed, if any man possessed the skills needed, after being separated from one group, to then successfully find his way across to another Chindit party, it was Naik Tun Tin.
Seen below is a photograph of the sick and wounded Chindits that were airlifted to safety aboard the RAF Dakota in late April 1943. Tun Tin is the man seated in the front row wearing the headband.
The group led by Siribhagta and Jemadar Cameron were soon in trouble, struggling to find ways of crossing those interminable obstacles, the Irrawaddy and Shweli Rivers. Around the first week in April the men were captured by the Japanese and were taken to the main concentration camp for captured Chindits at Maymyo. Eventually the main group of British Chindit POW's were sent down to Rangoon Jail by train, however, Siribhagta, Cameron and many of the Indian soldiers were not with this group and found themselves heading north towards Myitkhina.
Saw Cameron managed to escape from his captors in November 1943, for his efforts he was awarded a 'Mention in Despatches' and promoted to the rank of Subedar. Here are the details of his award:
Subedar Saw Cameron, 2nd Burma Rifles
This man was a member of General Wingate's expedition in 1943. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese during the withdrawal to India on the 7th April. He was sent to the Maymyo Camp, but later transferred along with other POW's to Myitkhina in September 1943. There he was employed on fatigues and on the 21st October detailed with two other prisoners to carry rations for a party of the enemy moving up to Sumprabum.
Saw Cameron and the two other POW's were left with a Japanese Propaganda Unit a little way south of Sumprabum and later received orders to return to Myitkhina. During the return journey Saw Cameron discussed plans to escape with his companions and on the 12th November 1943 they took their opportunity.
Although there is nothing outstanding about his escape, Subedar Saw Cameron brought back information of military value and was undoubtedly the leader of this party. He has already been awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal for his service with the 77th Brigade and it is now considered that he should be granted a 'Mention in Despatches' along with his two companions:
1068 Jemadar Gyanbir Thapa of the 3/2 Gurkha Rifles
31334 Naik Damarbahadur Rana of the 3rd Assam Rifles.
Subedar 50005 Saw Donny was also a member of Calvert's Chindit column in 1943. He too was given the responsibility of leading a dispersal party after the unit was broken up in late March. Alongside Gurkha officer, Subedar Kum Sing Gurung he led a group made up from the column's Head Quarters section. During the operation, Donny had been invaluable to his commander, often entering villages alone in the search of information, boats or food.
Kum Sing and Subedar Donny had both been heavily involved in 3 Column's engagement with the Japanese at a place called Pago, close to the Shweli River. The two junior officers decided to exit Burma via the Chinese Yunnan Borders and arrived back in Allied held territory sometime in June 1943. Subedar Donny was awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal for his efforts on Operation Longcloth, he later became Quartermaster General in the fledgling Burmese Army after the country's independence in 1948.
Naik Tun Tin was a member of Chindit Column 8, commanded by Major Walter Purcell Scott of the King's Regiment. On dispersal, this Burma Rifleman was posted to the group led by Lieutenant Dominic Neill of the Gurkha Rifles and Lieutenant T.A.G. Sprague of 142 Commando. He was to become a pivotal member of this dispersal group, leading all reconnaissance and venturing into local villages in search of information and supplementary rations for his group.
Dominic Neill remembered Naik Tun Tin in his memoir, written after the war was over:
Lieutenant Sprague and I decided to march in a northerly direction on leaving 8 Column and to try to re-cross the vast Irrawaddy somewhere along its stretch where it flows east-west between the big villages of Bhamo and Katha. We would have to avoid Shwegu, though, as we had been told that that village contained a Japanese garrison. Every escape group had been given half-a-dozen or so soldiers from Nigel Whitehead's Platoon of 2nd Burma Riflemen. We were delighted when we found that we had Naik Tun Tin and four Riflemen attached to us. Tun Tin had always struck me as being one of Nigel's most outstanding young NCOs. He, like the rest of his small party, was a Karen. He had been educated at a mission school; not only was he very intelligent, but he spoke excellent English. Tun Tin was to prove himself to be of tremendous assistance to us. Sadly, we were to be parted from Tun Tin sooner than we would have wished.
Naik Tun Tin became separated from Neill's dispersal group around the 14th April when they were ambushed by a Japanese patrol close to the Kaukkwe Chaung and the village of Thayetta.
Another Rifleman mentioned by Lieutenant Neill as being part of his dispersal group, was Maung San. This man remained with the dispersal group after the ambush at Thayetta and continued with the group on their journey back to India.
There is no further information available in reference to Naik Tun Tin and what happened to him after the incident at the Kaukkwe Chaung. However, another Naik with the same name is recorded as being one of the men from 8 Column that was flown out of the jungle in late April 1943, when a Dakota plane managed to put down on a jungle clearing and pick up 18 sick and wounded Chindits.
It is impossible to say for sure whether Naik 3823 Tun Tin, the fortunate passenger aboard the Dakota, was the same man who had previously served with Dominic Neill's dispersal group, but, both groups had frequented the area around the Kaukkwe Chaung at that time, so it is not so unlikely. Indeed, if any man possessed the skills needed, after being separated from one group, to then successfully find his way across to another Chindit party, it was Naik Tun Tin.
Seen below is a photograph of the sick and wounded Chindits that were airlifted to safety aboard the RAF Dakota in late April 1943. Tun Tin is the man seated in the front row wearing the headband.
Tun Tin (front right) looking rather pensive, on his way back to India aboard the RAF Dakota. He was recorded as suffering from severe malaria.
Havildar Lanval was another member of 8 Column on Operation Longcloth. On the 20th April 1943 this man assisted Major Scott in hi-jacking a Burmese junk near the village of Taukte on the southern banks of the Irrawaddy River. The men had been in bivouac close to the river in this location and were watching for a means to cross to the northern side when the large junk was spotted. From the pages of the 8 Column War diary:
The listening post on the bank reported the movements of three small country boats and one larger Burmese junk. The junk made its way over from the far side and landed on a sandbank about 100 yards from our bivouac. Major Scott, Lieutenant Borrow and Havildar Lanval made an instant decision to capture the boat and rushed across the shallow water. Three of the crew jumped overboard and tried to swim away. With Major Scott and Borrow now aboard, Havildar Lanval jumped into the water and got hold of the lead boatman forcing him back onto his craft.
Arrangements were made to ferry the column across the river and within ten minutes the first boat load of sixty men had been chosen, with swimmers hanging on the the side of the junk and non-swimmers inside. Over the following ninety minutes the whole of the column including the last remaining mule were transferred to the northern bank.
NB. The reader should know, that although clearly frightened by his experience, the captain of the junk was well rewarded in silver rupees for the use of his craft.
During Chindit training in the late summer and autumn of 1942, two very senior native officers joined Brigadier Wingate's Brigade HQ. These were Major Po and Captain Maung Aung Thin. They were both popular with the other British officers in the group, as Lieutenant 'Willie' Wilding remembered in his memoirs written after his liberation from Rangoon Jail in 1945:
I got to know the other officers at Brigade Headquarters, with whom I was to work. The intelligence officer Captain Hosegood was a very nice chap who gave me lots of help. The signals officer Lieutenant Spurlock was quite brilliant at his job and also a very good chap.
There were also two delightful Burmese officers named Major Po and Captain Aung Thin. Another officer, Captain Sawba Pa was a Shan Prince and came to us as a replacement for Major Po; the Major being deemed a bit old for the trip. We called him 'Pop'. He had a ferocious orderly whom we called 'Smiler', if he thought you were not being polite to his Officer he was inclined to whip out his Dah (a sort of knife). 'Pop' was a great lad and all ranks liked him. He tried to help out with my ciphers one day but everything came out as 'paraffin'. I think ciphers were just not his thing.
Unlike Major Po, Captain Aung Thin did take part on Operation Longcloth and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his efforts in 1943. You can read more about this officer by searching for his DSO recommendation on this page: Burma Rifle Citations; Aung Thin was also given credit for coming up with the idea of calling the Brigade, 'Chinthes' after the mythical beasts that guard Burmese pagodas, this title then became corrupted through translation to the word Chindits.
Update 28/02/2024.
Lionel Vandevere Po was born on the 8th May 1900 in Bassein, the main town in the southern-most peninsula of the Arakan region of Burma. His father was Dr. Sir San C. Po from the Karen community, who was knighted by the British Crown. Lionel Po enlisted (probably underage) into the 1st London Fusiliers Regiment during WW1 and was awarded the British War Medal for his service. Then after spending several years in the USA, he returned to Burma.
After taking a commission into the Indian Army in 1922 (resigning in 1928), he later, as a reserve officer commanded No. 5 Garrison Company (Rangoon) during 1940-41. It is suggested that he served with the 2nd Burma Rifles in 1942, before being considered for a posting with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) as a Captain (ABRO 84) in early 1943, spending just under eight months with Force 136.
As already mentioned, Lionel Po was employed for a time with the Chindits during their training period at Saugor/Jhansi and worked in close association with Captain Aung Thin. Major Po left SOE on the 16th September 1943 and returned to service with the Indian Army.
Many thanks to Fred Johnson from Ontario (Canada) and Richard Duckett for their valuable help with this update. You can visit Richard’s excellent website here: https://soeinburma.com/the-operations-of-soe-burma/
For more information about Lionel Po, including a photograph of this well decorated soldier, please also visit Richard Warren’s website by following this link: https://burmamyanmarphilately.wordpress.com
2nd Lieutenant L. Tong had been part of 7 Column's Burriff platoon on Operation Longcloth, working closely in the early stages with Lieutenants Astell and Musgrave-Wood and latterly with Captain Herring. The young subaltern is mentioned just once in the War diary pages for 7 Column, recounting his progress when leading a dispersal party out of Burma via the Chinese Yunnan Borders. Major Gilkes and 7 Column Adjutant, Leslie Cottrell remembered:
As dawn was breaking on May Day a sentry brought in what they first thought was a Japanese soldier in civilian clothes. Upon questioning it turned out he was Chinese and was very pleased to see the British officers, as he thought that the Gurkha who had apprehended him was also a Japanese soldier.
He spoke good Kachin and Gilkes asked him to accompany them to China and interpret for them. He agreed without question and for the next five days led the column along the valleys and over the hills, avoiding the main tracks and the Japanese outposts. They also heard that Second Lieutenant L. Tong from 7 Column's Burrif Platoon had preceded them by three weeks, heading for Kasan Bum. They decided to follow in his footsteps to obtain information on the northern and eastern routes.
They were now following the route Tinsing-Lung Hkat-Banlun and found the villages very hospitable. Guides would precede them to villages en route and they would find food waiting for them as they arrived. In several of the villages they found Burrifs, many of them on leave from their own platoons.
At Banlun a Burrif Subedar gave them information on other parties that had passed through. The commander of 7 Column Burma Rifles platoon, Captain Herring, together with a Jemadar and sixteen Other Ranks went through on 20th April, having given up hope of meeting up with George Dunlop and 1 Column. Captain Buchanan, three British Other Ranks and fifty-five Gurkhas and Karens went through on 26th April, and a week prior to that Lieutenant Astell and forty-five mixed Other Ranks moved through the area. Major Gilkes had also just missed another Burrif officer, Lieutenant Musgrave-Wood and his party of fifteen men by a couple of days.
Seen below is the 7 Column War diary extract mentioning 2nd Lieutenant Tong and the progress of his dispersal party in early May 1943.
7 Column War diary extract for May 1st 1943.
Bernard Fergusson wrote many books which recount his Chindit experiences, both in 1943 and then again in 1944. In his writings he has always championed the men of the 2nd Burma Rifles, mentioning many of their brave exploits performed by officer and Rifleman alike. For this reason there are more tales about the Burrif's from 5 Column, than any other Chindit unit. The next section of the Roll Call is devoted to the Burma Riflemen that served with 5 Column, but first, let us learn what Bernard Fergusson thought of these men and how they nearly ceased to exist as a unit in 1942. From his excellent book 'The Trumpet in the Hall' :
What we would have done without the Burma Rifles I hate to think. When the Army was struggling out of Burma early in 1942, somebody at a high level in Delhi had given the idiotic order that all Burman soldiers should be paid off at Imphal and told to make their way home. We on the Planning Staff heard this too late to countermand it.
Obviously every Burman soldier would be of the greatest value when we re-invaded; and Wavell had already and characteristically given orders, long before the evacuation was complete, that studies for the re-invasion should be put in hand at once. Denis O'Callaghan, who then commanded the 2nd Burma Rifles, had the sense and the guts to ignore the order. Thanks to him and him alone, we had this one precious and excellent battalion in India; and it was allotted to Wingate, along with one Gurkha battalion and one British.
The Gurkha one was newly raised and scarcely trained, the British one had an average age far above the normal; it had been raised and sent out to India for garrison duties only. The Gurkhas were organised in four columns; the British, owing to wastage on training, into three; and the Burma Rifles were split into seven strong reconnaissance platoons, one to each column. They were our eyes and our ears, and our foragers too. My particular lot were Karens. I have often paid tribute to them before, and it is a privilege to do so once again.
Subedar Ba Than was the lead Burmese officer in 5 Column during Operation Longcloth. Bernard Fergusson described him as, "a rather solemn and conscientious man." Ba Than was from the Karen tribe and a devout christian, his family being converted by the local American Baptist Mission in the early 1930's. His brother, Jemadar Wilson also took part in the first Chindit expedition, but his column placement is unknown to me at this time, although he did successfully return to India in May 1943.
Ba Than led many recce patrols during the operation, including several communications with other columns where he and a small section of Burma Riflemen would leave 5 Column for several days at a time, in order to relay new orders or to share information. After dispersal was called in late March 1943, Subedar Ba Than was with a group that headed north towards Fort Hertz. It is not known how, but he was taken prisoner in the first week of April and sent to the POW concentration camp at Maymyo.
Most of the British Chindit POW's were eventually sent down to Rangoon in June 1943, but many of the Gurkha and Burmese prisoners were used as 'coolie' labour by their Japanese captors, usually looking after transport animals such as mules. They accompanied Japanese patrols as they marched along jungle tracks and this gave frequent opportunities for escape. It is reported that Subedar Ba Than escaped his captors in early 1944 and successfully returned to India.
Jemadar Aung Pe was also a Karen and spent much of his time working in 5 Column Head Quarters on Operation Longcloth. Although not fluent in the English language, Aung Pe struck up a close friendship with Lieutenant Duncan Campbell Menzies on the expedition and accompanied this officer on many occasions when visiting local villages in search of information about enemy numbers and dispositions. In early March 1943, when the column were preparing to demolish the railway bridge at Bonchaung, it was Aung Pe that discovered that there had been a recent outbreak of small pox in the locality, this enabled Fergusson to avoid passing through affected villages such as Peinnegon.
Aung Pe also accompanied Major Fergusson when he was ordered by Brigadier Wingate to liaise with Brigade Head Quarters near the village of Baw in late March. Fergusson left his party near a dry river bed and set out to make the rendezvous with only Naik Jameson for company, but they became hopelessly lost, spending the rest of the evening stumbling back and forth along the chaung. Both men were more than relieved when they bumped into the rest of Column 5 early next morning.
Jemadar Aung Pe eventually suffered the same fate as Ba Than in 1943 and was captured by the Japanese in the first week of April. He too was originally sent to the POW Camp at Maymyo (see image below), before being set to work as an animal driver. He escaped his captors in November 1943 and returned to India. On debrief he gave the welcome news that he had seen Lieutenant Stibbe at Maymyo in late May and that the young officer seemed to have recovered from the gunshot wound he had sustained at the engagement in the village of Hintha.
Seen below is part of a report given by a Chindit escapee in 1943. It explains the location of the Maymyo POW Camp and some of the men held there. Apart from Ba Than and Aung Pe, you might also notice the presence of Jemadar Moody on the list, his story is the third to appear on this roll.
Information about the Maymyo POW Camp and some of the Chindits held there.
From the pages of 'Beyond the Chindwin':
Billy, my Havildar-Major, was a tiny, wizened man, always smiling and very devout, who never went to sleep without first singing softly to himself all three verses of "Jesus loves me, this I know." He was a particular favourite among the British troops.
Havildar-Major Billy was indeed very popular with the other men of 5 Column. He would often sing well known hymns and other religious songs whilst the column marched through Burma. This brought some comfort to the British troops, reminding them of their families and home. Billy was lost to the column after the engagement with the Japanese at Hintha and ended up as a prisoner of war in 1943. Sadly, nothing more was ever heard about this brave Burma Rifleman, although some comfort can be taken in the fact that his name does not appear amongst the casualties from the battalion listed upon the Rangoon Memorial.
Naik Jameson was another favourite from amongst the men of John Fraser's platoon in 1943. Jameson, who spoke excellent English was often used by Fergusson to organise the assistance of Burmese villagers during the early weeks of Operation Longcloth, this included arranging the boats for the column's out-going crossing of the Chindwin River at Hwematte. As mentioned previously on these pages, Naik Jameson was with Major Fergusson when the two became lost on the journey to meet Wingate and the rest of Northern Group Head Quarters at the village of Baw. Fergusson recalled with some humour, how his trusted Naik became exasperated with the poor map-reading skills of his commander, but then failed in his own efforts to extract the pair from the seemingly endless and featureless chaung.
Naik Jameson was by his commander's side when they entered the village of Hintha on the 28th March and was wounded in the shoulder in the resulting battle with the Japanese. After exiting Hintha, 5 Column were again ambushed by the enemy a few hours later whilst crossing a small stream and a section of approximately 100 men were separated from the main body of the unit. Many of the Burma Riflemen were amongst this group and most decided to make for the Kachin Hills and exit Burma via the Yunnan Province of China.
It is recorded that Naik Jameson became a prisoner of war in early April 1943. As with Havildar-Major Billy, nothing more was ever heard about Jameson or his eventual fate after Operation Longcloth was closed. His name does not appear on the list of casualties for the 2nd Burma Rifles during the Burma campaign and so it must be presumed that he escaped or at least survived his captivity and was able to return home after the war.
Rifleman Maung Kyan did not speak much English, but was still an integral part of the 5 Column Burrif platoon in 1943. He was one of the few men available who could speak the majority of Burmese dialects and so was used extensivley as liaison officer when the column entered villages in areas other than those of Kachin origin. Maung Kyan was also an expert forager and had a good knowledge of which plants and fruits were edible from those found along the jungle tracks and pathways. On many occasions during the long daytime marches, British personnel would run up to the Rifleman holding up an array of exotically coloured fruits for his inspection. Often, even before they uttered a word, the diminutive Burman would simply shake his head and wave his hand as if to say, 'no no, throw it away'.
For much of his time on Operation Longcloth Maung Kyan partnered Burrif commander, Captain John Fraser, with the pair moving slightly ahead of the column in order to pre-arrange supplies and rice rations in local villages before the main unit arrived. After the column had crossed the Shweli River in early April, Maung Kyan was chosen by Lieutenant Duncan Campbell Menzies to accompany him and two British Other Ranks on a mission to seek out extra food supplies from a village called Zibyugin.
Disaster struck this small party when a Japanese patrol also entered the village, Lieutenant Menzies and L/Cpl. Gilmartin were killed, but Maung Kyan and 142 Commando, Harry Powell Stephenson escaped. After ensuring that they had not been followed, the two survivors returned to the main group and gave Major Fergusson the devastating news of Menzies and Gilmartin's demise.
Maung Kyan remained with Major Fergusson for the remainder of the operation and was consistently at the head of this dispersal group, as it made its way back to India. On the 24th April, he was, along with Lieutenant Tommy Blow, the first man to re-cross the Chindwin River near the village of Sahpe. Soon afterwards the pair made contact with a local British patrol which had been on the lookout for returning Chindits and in that moment 5 Column's incredible Burmese odyssey was at an end.
Seen below are two images in relation to Rifleman Maung Kyan and his Chindit journey in 1943. Firstly, a fairly well known photograph of Bernard Fergusson and some other 5 Column personnel, including I believe Maung Kyan himself. The other is a map of the area around Chindwin River close to the village of Sahpe. Please click on either image to bring it forward on the page.
Another Burrif NCO was wounded during 5 Column's skirmish with the Japanese at the village of Hintha on the 28th March. Naik Nay Dun had been in the thick of the action that day, but had suffered a gunshot wound to his arm. Bernard Fergusson remembered finding the majority of the Burrif platoon on the track leading out of the village, when he returned to the main mustering point for his column after the first phase of the engagement had ended. He wrote in 'Beyond the Chindwin':
Back to the T-junction I went, and found on the right of the track the Burrif platoon. They had two or three casualties from 'overs'; Jameson had one in the shoulder and so did another splendid NCO, Nay Dun, whose name always made me think of a trout fly. I told John Fraser to take them back, but he must have sent them on with Pam Heald, because John remained with me until the end of the action.
It is my guess that most of the Burrif platoon moved away from Hintha under the command of Lieutenant Pam Heald and that he, and most of these men became separated from the main body of 5 Column at the secondary ambush by the enemy a few hours later. Lieutenant Heald eventually made his way out of Burma via the Yunnan Borders, having met up with 7 Column at the Shweli River in early April 1943. It is possible that Nay Dun remained with Heald during this time, as it was confirmed by Fergusson that he succeeded in reaching India despite of his wounded arm.
Rifleman Nelson was from the Karen tribe and became Captain John Fraser's groom during Chindit training at Saugor in November 1942. Fraser's horse was famously unruly, but although the Captain struggled to handle his steed with any confidence, Rifleman Nelson forged a close bond with the animal, teaching himself to ride in the process.
In late March 1943, as 5 Column were making their inaugural crossing of the Irrawaddy at Tigyaing, Fraser's horse was startled by an enemy aircraft and bolted away into the scrub jungle close to the river. Against the better judgement of his superiors, Nelson ran back to try and retrieve the stallion. It is not clear if he succeeded in finding the animal, but Nelson did rejoin the column and cross the Irrawaddy that evening. Rifleman Nelson was taken prisoner at some point during early April and sent up to the POW Camp at Maymyo. It is reported that he escaped sometime in early 1944 and returned India.
Rifleman Pa Haw was from the Tenasserim peninsula, the long tail of Burma that leads directly into Malaya. Bernard Fergusson described him as, "a little wiry smiling chap, who in civilian life had been an 'oozy' or elephant driver." Pa Haw became Captain John Fraser's orderly and was the maker of excellent tea. As with many of the Burrif's from Column 5, he was reported missing shortly after the battle at Hintha and was never heard of again. His name does not appear amongst the list of casualties for the Burma campaign, so with any fortune he too returned home after the war.
Colour Sergeant Po Po Tou (Htoo) was one of the more educated Karen riflemen within the ranks of 5 Column on Operation Longcloth. Before the war he had been studying at the Kitchener College in Nowgong, India and was close to completing his King's Commission. He immediately returned home when the news came through that the Japanese had invaded Burma. His claim to fame, was when he played the part of an outraged Japanese officer, who had been defeated and captured by 5 Column on one of the Chindit field exercises during training. His performance was said to have been almost Shakespearean in its quality!
Po Po Tou was with Major Fergusson and Naik Jameson when the commander first entered the village of Hintha on the 28th March 1943. This was the moment that Fergusson encountered four enemy sentries, who were sitting around a fire in the main thoroughfare of the village and who he first supposed to be Burmese villagers. On realising his error and after one carefully placed grenade, the Japanese were dead and all hell was about to break loose. Po Po Tou is another of the Burrif's lost after dispersal from Hintha and of whom nothing more was heard in 1943. In fact he succeeded in making his way home after a journey of some considerable mileage and a short spell as a prisoner of war. Post war he had an eventful career in the fledgling Burmese Army after the countries independence in 1948.
Update 28/09/2021.
I was delighted to receive the following additional information about Po Po Htoo, from Alfred Dun, the son-in-law of another soldier who served with the 2nd Burma Rifles during the Wingate expeditions, Major Donald Talmadge. Alfred told me:
Grand Uncle Po Po Htoo, also known as, MacArthur Htoo was captured on the first Wingate operation towards the end of March 1943. He was held prisoner with another man, Saw Mutu with their hands tied behind their backs for several days. The Japanese were preparing to execute both men, when all of a sudden and urgent message came into the camp and the officer in charge was drawn away to study field maps on a makeshift bamboo table.
At this critical moment, the two POWs, who had been praying for a miracle were slowly able to loosen themselves from their ropes and finally broke free. Both jumped up and then dashed out into the nearby jungle in an attempt to escape. A salvo of shots rang out behind them, but they kept running and running until the sound of gunfire petered out. Both men lived to return home to their families and to tell their great escape story.
Rifleman Robert often went into villages ahead of the column dressed in his longyi to gather information about the proximity of Japanese patrols and garrisons. In 1943 he took responsibility for reconnaissance of the area between Bonchaung and the approach to Tigyaing. Near the Kunbaung Chaung he arrested a Burmese informer who was in the process of contacting the local enemy agent and disclosing 5 Column's whereabouts. Rifleman Robert is also another of the Burrif's lost after dispersal from the village of Hintha and of whom nothing more is known.
From the book, Return via Rangoon, by Philip Stibbe:
The Burma Riflemen were a cheerful crowd and mostly from the Karen area. One of them called Robert, was so striking and athletic in appearance, we all thought he could have made a fortune in Hollywood. Little did we know during training, just how much we would owe these soldiers later on.
Seen below is a map of the location around the village of Hintha, the scene of 5 Column's disintegration as a complete fighting unit on the 28th March 1943. It shows the splitting of the column after the second ambush by the Japanese after the withdrawal from the village, with Fergusson and Denny Sharp moving north towards the Irrawaddy at Inywa and the ambushed party's more easterly dispersal. Originally, after meeting up with 7 Column at the Shweli, the general consensus was to turn west and make for the Irrawaddy and cross en masse.
It was at this juncture (9th April) that the Burrif's from 5 Column went missing from the amalgamation of the two Chindit columns, disrupting the plans to travel back to India. From the pages of the 7 Column War diary:
Lieutenant Heald took parties off to cross the Irrawaddy. Capt. Cottrell, Lieuts. Walker, Musgrave-Wood and Campbell-Paterson each with 20-30 personnel were to cross independently and then unite for a supply drop on the west side of the river. After just one hour's marching it was discovered the the 5 Column Burrifs were not with the column. Unable to track them, Lieut. Heald considered it advisable to abandon the project in view of there being no Burmese-speaking personnel left to assist the groups in acquiring boats, seeking food or learning about the movements of the enemy. The group turned about and followed the easterly route of Major Gilkes, catching him up near the Nam Mit Chaung.
NB. In fact Lieutenant Rex Walker's party kept faith with the original plan and pushed on westwards towards the Irrawaddy. To read more about this group, please click on the following link: Rex Walker's Dispersal Group 4
Back to the T-junction I went, and found on the right of the track the Burrif platoon. They had two or three casualties from 'overs'; Jameson had one in the shoulder and so did another splendid NCO, Nay Dun, whose name always made me think of a trout fly. I told John Fraser to take them back, but he must have sent them on with Pam Heald, because John remained with me until the end of the action.
It is my guess that most of the Burrif platoon moved away from Hintha under the command of Lieutenant Pam Heald and that he, and most of these men became separated from the main body of 5 Column at the secondary ambush by the enemy a few hours later. Lieutenant Heald eventually made his way out of Burma via the Yunnan Borders, having met up with 7 Column at the Shweli River in early April 1943. It is possible that Nay Dun remained with Heald during this time, as it was confirmed by Fergusson that he succeeded in reaching India despite of his wounded arm.
Rifleman Nelson was from the Karen tribe and became Captain John Fraser's groom during Chindit training at Saugor in November 1942. Fraser's horse was famously unruly, but although the Captain struggled to handle his steed with any confidence, Rifleman Nelson forged a close bond with the animal, teaching himself to ride in the process.
In late March 1943, as 5 Column were making their inaugural crossing of the Irrawaddy at Tigyaing, Fraser's horse was startled by an enemy aircraft and bolted away into the scrub jungle close to the river. Against the better judgement of his superiors, Nelson ran back to try and retrieve the stallion. It is not clear if he succeeded in finding the animal, but Nelson did rejoin the column and cross the Irrawaddy that evening. Rifleman Nelson was taken prisoner at some point during early April and sent up to the POW Camp at Maymyo. It is reported that he escaped sometime in early 1944 and returned India.
Rifleman Pa Haw was from the Tenasserim peninsula, the long tail of Burma that leads directly into Malaya. Bernard Fergusson described him as, "a little wiry smiling chap, who in civilian life had been an 'oozy' or elephant driver." Pa Haw became Captain John Fraser's orderly and was the maker of excellent tea. As with many of the Burrif's from Column 5, he was reported missing shortly after the battle at Hintha and was never heard of again. His name does not appear amongst the list of casualties for the Burma campaign, so with any fortune he too returned home after the war.
Colour Sergeant Po Po Tou (Htoo) was one of the more educated Karen riflemen within the ranks of 5 Column on Operation Longcloth. Before the war he had been studying at the Kitchener College in Nowgong, India and was close to completing his King's Commission. He immediately returned home when the news came through that the Japanese had invaded Burma. His claim to fame, was when he played the part of an outraged Japanese officer, who had been defeated and captured by 5 Column on one of the Chindit field exercises during training. His performance was said to have been almost Shakespearean in its quality!
Po Po Tou was with Major Fergusson and Naik Jameson when the commander first entered the village of Hintha on the 28th March 1943. This was the moment that Fergusson encountered four enemy sentries, who were sitting around a fire in the main thoroughfare of the village and who he first supposed to be Burmese villagers. On realising his error and after one carefully placed grenade, the Japanese were dead and all hell was about to break loose. Po Po Tou is another of the Burrif's lost after dispersal from Hintha and of whom nothing more was heard in 1943. In fact he succeeded in making his way home after a journey of some considerable mileage and a short spell as a prisoner of war. Post war he had an eventful career in the fledgling Burmese Army after the countries independence in 1948.
Update 28/09/2021.
I was delighted to receive the following additional information about Po Po Htoo, from Alfred Dun, the son-in-law of another soldier who served with the 2nd Burma Rifles during the Wingate expeditions, Major Donald Talmadge. Alfred told me:
Grand Uncle Po Po Htoo, also known as, MacArthur Htoo was captured on the first Wingate operation towards the end of March 1943. He was held prisoner with another man, Saw Mutu with their hands tied behind their backs for several days. The Japanese were preparing to execute both men, when all of a sudden and urgent message came into the camp and the officer in charge was drawn away to study field maps on a makeshift bamboo table.
At this critical moment, the two POWs, who had been praying for a miracle were slowly able to loosen themselves from their ropes and finally broke free. Both jumped up and then dashed out into the nearby jungle in an attempt to escape. A salvo of shots rang out behind them, but they kept running and running until the sound of gunfire petered out. Both men lived to return home to their families and to tell their great escape story.
Rifleman Robert often went into villages ahead of the column dressed in his longyi to gather information about the proximity of Japanese patrols and garrisons. In 1943 he took responsibility for reconnaissance of the area between Bonchaung and the approach to Tigyaing. Near the Kunbaung Chaung he arrested a Burmese informer who was in the process of contacting the local enemy agent and disclosing 5 Column's whereabouts. Rifleman Robert is also another of the Burrif's lost after dispersal from the village of Hintha and of whom nothing more is known.
From the book, Return via Rangoon, by Philip Stibbe:
The Burma Riflemen were a cheerful crowd and mostly from the Karen area. One of them called Robert, was so striking and athletic in appearance, we all thought he could have made a fortune in Hollywood. Little did we know during training, just how much we would owe these soldiers later on.
Seen below is a map of the location around the village of Hintha, the scene of 5 Column's disintegration as a complete fighting unit on the 28th March 1943. It shows the splitting of the column after the second ambush by the Japanese after the withdrawal from the village, with Fergusson and Denny Sharp moving north towards the Irrawaddy at Inywa and the ambushed party's more easterly dispersal. Originally, after meeting up with 7 Column at the Shweli, the general consensus was to turn west and make for the Irrawaddy and cross en masse.
It was at this juncture (9th April) that the Burrif's from 5 Column went missing from the amalgamation of the two Chindit columns, disrupting the plans to travel back to India. From the pages of the 7 Column War diary:
Lieutenant Heald took parties off to cross the Irrawaddy. Capt. Cottrell, Lieuts. Walker, Musgrave-Wood and Campbell-Paterson each with 20-30 personnel were to cross independently and then unite for a supply drop on the west side of the river. After just one hour's marching it was discovered the the 5 Column Burrifs were not with the column. Unable to track them, Lieut. Heald considered it advisable to abandon the project in view of there being no Burmese-speaking personnel left to assist the groups in acquiring boats, seeking food or learning about the movements of the enemy. The group turned about and followed the easterly route of Major Gilkes, catching him up near the Nam Mit Chaung.
NB. In fact Lieutenant Rex Walker's party kept faith with the original plan and pushed on westwards towards the Irrawaddy. To read more about this group, please click on the following link: Rex Walker's Dispersal Group 4
Map of the area around Hintha village.
Jemadar San Shwe Htoo led a Burrif sub-section from Colonel Wheeler's Head Quarters and met up with Bernard Fergusson and 5 Column in late March 1943. He was responsible for scouting the areas between Hintha and Pyinlebin for 5 Column and then their crossing of the Shweli River near Tokkin on the 1st April. He was particularly involved in pro-British propaganda when visiting the villages along these routes.
Havildar Tun So Ne was captured by some members of the Burma Independence Army who were still in alliance with the Japanese in 1943. He had entered a village near the Nam Pan Chaung with another Burrif Rifleman in order to ascertain the whereabouts of enemy patrols when he was apprehended. The column had just crossed the Irrawaddy at Tigyaing and news of their progression had obviously gone before them. From the pages of 'Beyond the Chindwin':
Next day's was a dull, hot march, with no water until we reached the Nam Pan Chaung late in the evening, some eight miles above the point where I proposed to have a supply drop. We marched there dispersed in platoons, so as to make the task of anybody following up more difficult. Next day John Fraser re-joined, having regretfully given up all hope of recovering his own patrol. Further inquiries in the village had establish that the Japs had seized two Karens in plain clothes, and it seemed certain that these must be Havildar Tun So Ne and his companion. Gossip said that one of them had escaped, but had he done so he would presumably have come back to us. We were all very sad, because Tun So Ne was one of the best and most popular of all the Karens in the column.
Rifleman Anthony was another of the men captured shortly after the secondary ambush at Hintha on 28th March 1943. He spent the rest of the war inside Rangoon Jail, sharing Block 1 with some of the Chinese prisoners. He was involved in the transfer of prison gossip and news from the Burmese living outside the jail to the senior British officers inside. From the book, 'The Rats of Rangoon' written by Australian Lionel Hudson who took command of the jail after the Japanese evacuated Rangoon in late April 1945:
25th April 1945: A whispered voice from the other side of the wall had told us the story so far: The Japs were burning records, medical and otherwise, and showed other definite indications that they were about to move. The Japs were evacuating Rangoon and possibly Burma altogether. The Emperor's soldiers had put their new clothing stocks on their backs and were throwing away old clothes. And . . . 200 of our men were to be taken away from here with them. Yes, this is it for good or for bad. The ordeal is ahead for us.
A Burmese named Anthony, and an inmate of the Chinese compound, signalled with the aid of his fly swatter (sky writing) that we would be free in two days. The Indians thought we would be free by May 1st. Excited discussion followed. The pregnant position was examined from every angle. Somebody recalled that no working parties had left the gaol today and we noted that work on the roof of the cookhouse had ceased. Yes, it was evident that the Japs were 'taking a powder', but, for the life of us, we could not see how we fitted into the picture.
Once the Japanese had vacated Rangoon, the Allied POW's inside the prison led by Hudson took control of the worn torn city for a short period, eventually making contact with the advancing 14th Army and handing over the reigns to General Slim. Presumably Rifleman Anthony was repatriated to his own tribal area after completing the usual debriefing processes for recovered prisoners of war.
Lance Naik Ba U: From the pages of Beyond the Chindwin:
Some extremely gallant actions were performed by mounted men on different occasions. In February 1943, a young officer of the Burma Rifles by the name of Toye rode forty miles through hostile country from Tonmakeng to Myene to bring Wingate news of Japanese movements; and the following month a corporal in my own Column (and, I am proud to say, from my own county) undertook a hazardous ride on my call for a volunteer.
I had had several men wounded whom I had to leave, and I wanted to get hold of some Burma Riflemen to travel back to the spot (Kyaik-in) where I had left them to induce the local villagers to take them into their care. It was getting dark, and I knew that five miles along a certain track there should be a section of Burrifs. I asked for a volunteer to get on a horse, ride out along the track, which none of us knew, and try to locate this section.
We were just about to blow a bridge on the railway (Bonchaung); we had already been in action that day in the neighbourhood; another column was making trouble a few miles to the south; and all the Japs in the neighbourhood were on the qui vive. It was a job I should have hated myself; but Corporal McGhie volunteered to go, mounted a horse, and rode off into the darkness.
He found the Burrif section, and returned with Lance-Naik Ba U and two men, who went back to the scene of our fight only to find the Japs in possession. I remember thinking, as McGhie rode off, that I was witnessing a brave act, undertaken in cold blood and loneliness. Later in the campaign both McGhie and Ba U became POW's; but Ba U escaped in 1944, McGhie was found in Rangoon in 1945, and I submitted the names of both for the Military Medal. I know McGhie got his, and I hope Ba U was also lucky.
To read more about the men left at the village of Kyaik-in, please click on the following link: The Fighting Men of Kyaik-in
Rifleman Shwe Du was another member of Bernard Fergusson's column on Operation Longcloth. He succeeded in completing the expedition in 1943, travelling back with the dispersal party led by Lieutenant Pam Heald. Sadly, the journey home via the Chinese Borders must have taken its toll on the body of this brave Rifleman, as he died some weeks later on the 24th September. Shwe Du was originally buried at Jhansi in 1943, his remains were later re-interred at Kirkee War Cemetery located near the Indian town of Poona.
Seen below are images of Shwe Du's grave at Kirkee and the War diary entry recording his death. Please click on either image to bring it forward on the page.
Jemadar Ah Di was a section leader in Captain Nigel Whitehead's Burrif platoon, part of Chindit Column 8 on Operation Longcloth. When Major Scott, the commander of 8 Column decided it was time to split his unit in to dispersal groups, Ah Di found himself in a party with Captain Whitehead, Flight Officer Wheatley of the RAF and Gurkha Rifles officer, Lieutenant Stuart-Jones. 8 Column took one more supply drop together, then on the 14th April at the Nisan Chaung they waved farewell and broke up into their dispersal parties.
Captain Whitehead's group was considerably larger than most, being made up of around 60-70 men. The reason for this was that he had agreed to take with him a number of sick and wounded men from Platoon 16, many of these soldiers needed to be carried on stretchers and had been battle casualties at the village of Baw on the 23rd March. Whitehead's intention was to find a friendly Kachin village in which to leave these men and then take the rest of his party back to India. After several days of searching no suitable village was found, in fact many of the villages listed on the Captain's map no longer seemed to exist.
It was at this juncture that Lieutenant Stuart-Jones and his platoon of Gurkhas decided to break away from the main group, choosing to head north towards Fort Hertz which was known to still be in Allied hands. The Gurkhas had the good fortune to retain the services of Jemadar Ah Di, on whom they came to depend for their direction, food and most of all, water. Their original intention to head for Fort Hertz was soon compromised by the heavy presence of Japanese patrols in that area. Lieutenant Stuart-Jones decided to continue east and exit Burma via the Chinese Yunnan Borders. The dispersal party eventually reached safety on the 8th July 1943.
Stuart-Jones wrote briefly about his journey out of Burma in 1943 and recognised the valuable contribution made by Jemadar Ah Di:
Having no maps of the area in which we were travelling and only one compass, I had to rely on the knowledge and skill of my Kachin Jemadar, Ah Di of the Burma Rifles. His fluency in the various dialects made him invaluable in obtaining information from villagers. In the hills opposite the east of Bhamo I lost one Kachin and two Karen riflemen, who decided to take their chances and head home. It was also at this time that we picked up Lieutenant Smyly of 5 Column, who was in a very weak state and barely able to walk. He was left in a friendly village, with Jemadar Ah Di instructing the villagers that they would be held responsible for the officers safety.
Everyone was now in a very weak state and at this time the Gurkhas were on average, sticking at it better than the British soldiers and the Burma Rifles. Through the efforts of Ah Di, we hired a Kachin guide who had once been with the Burma Frontier Force. He led us north and entered all villages first to check for Japanese patrols and to acquire rice to supplement our meagre rations. The Kachins in this area were very poor indeed and fearful of the Japs, but on the whole extremely friendly towards us.
2nd Lieutenant V. C. Toye has already been mentioned on this page, this was in reference to his sterling work in riding through the jungles of Burma, keeping the Chindit columns in contact with each other and especially passing on information to Brigadier Wingate in mid-February 1943 when Northern Group were in the vicinity of Tonmakeng. The young officer, formerly with the 5th Mahratta Light Infantry had joined 77th Brigade almost at the last minute on Christmas Eve 1942 and was posted to 8 Column under the command of Major Walter Purcell Scott.
From the pages of Beyond the Chindwin:
On the evening that some of the columns were still crossing the Chindwin, Lt. Toye rode in from Tonmakeng with the news that Colonel Wheeler had arrived there alright. He had information about enemy dispositions which was of great value. Toye's ride, in which he was accompanied by a single orderly, was something of a feat. He had only just joined the Burma Rifles and knew nothing of the language; so that ride of forty odd miles through hostile country was for him no mean undertaking.
On dispersal in early April, Lieutenant Toye was present with Burma Rifles Head Quarters led by Lieutenant-Colonel Buchanan. By the first week in May this group were in the Kachin Hills and heading roughly northeast. Lieutenant Toye was reportedly, not in the best of health at this time and was mentioned twice in the battalion's War diary in this regard:
May 5th: At Hpau Yung Tingsa, men used grenades to obtain fish from pools. 2nd Lieutenant Toye is going very slowly now and was placed on to a pony.
May 8th: At Tingnan Gahtawng. A local doctor examined 2nd Lieutenant Toye today and ordered him to remain in the village for five days to rest.
It is not known how long the officer remained at Tingnan Gahtawng, but he did eventually return to India in mid-1943 and was present with the 2nd Burma Rifles at Karachi in November. However, it seems clear that he was still unwell, as he was sent to the 14th British General Hospital at Bareilly on the 19th November and then from there to Ranikhet, on India's western borders with Nepal for rest and recuperation. V.C. Toye's promotion to full Lieutenant was gazetted in December 1943, it might be presumed that he returned to his original regiment, the 5th Mahratta's after his period of recuperation ended.
Rifleman Bougyi was a Kachin guide with Chindit Column 8 in 1943 and according to fellow Chindit, Sergeant Tony Aubrey, the Burrif was a very competent and inventive cook. From the pages of 'With Wingate in Burma', Aubrey explains:
Our principal instructors in the not-so-easy art of mess-tin cookery were the men of the Burma Rifles. One of them I remember particularly well, because he was frequently attached to my platoon after we went into action inside Burma. His name was Bougyi, but it wasn't quite so difficult say as it looks, as it was pronounced, quite simply, Boogee. He was a first-class cordon bleu chef wasted, and the things he could turn out of a mess-tin with the aid of a piece of scrag end, a few onions, and some rice, were nobody's business. He also introduced us to the gentle art of making the invaluable chapatti, probably the dullest edible ever invented, but easy to make and sustaining.
Rifleman Bougyi returned safely to India with the main body of 8 Column in late April 1943, within the year he was back inside Burma with the second Chindit expedition.
Rifleman Ba Maung joined the 2nd Burma Rifles in the summer of 1942, after escaping to India during the initial Japanese advance across Burma. In civilian life he was a member of his local Fire Brigade. His Chindit Column placement is unknown.
On March 29th 1943 Signals Officer Robin Painter from 1 Column was sent out on a patrol to select a suitable location for an upcoming supply drop. From his book, 'A Signal Honour', he describes his trusted Burrif guide, Havildar Aung Hla:
I had with me a Burrif Havildar (Sergeant) with whom I had worked on a number of previous patrols. His name was Aung Hla and in these circumstances I could not have asked for a better senior NCO. He was a Karen, considerably older than me at about 33 years old and a very experienced soldier who had come out of Burma during the retreat in 1942. He spoke good English and was completely loyal and supportive.
Although Aung Hla was from the Karen tribe, he also spoke jingphaw, one of the Kachin tribal dialects and this particular attribute was to prove vital as time went on. The Havildar guided his party northeast and into the area close to the town of Mong Mit where Colonel Alexander and the main body of 1 Column had hoped to receive one final supply drop, before they attempted to exit Burma via the Chinese Borders. Lieutenant Painter's patrol became separated from the main group and he turned to Aung Hla for advice.
From his book, Painter recalls:
I made the decision to head for the Yunnan Province of China after much discussion with Aung Hla. We considered all the possible options only after a very careful listing of our limited assets and supplies. The first thing I checked was the ration state. We were all in weak physical shape, but hopefully could still march through this difficult terrain.
The small party of Gurkhas with their Burrif guides moved into the Kodaung Hill Tracts, here they were helped by friendly Kachin villagers, offering food, information about the Japanese and supplying local guides to lead the Chindits on to the next village. Lieutenant Painter's health began to falter, apart from him weakening through hunger, he also suffered from bouts of malaria and dysentery. It was from this moment on, that Havildar Aung Hla effectively took command of the dispersal party and it was through his skill and good judgement over the next three weeks, that the group finally reached the Chinese town of Paoshan and the safety of Allied held lines. From Paoshan, the Chindits were taken to a USAAF base and enjoyed the luxury of being flown back to India in Dakota aircraft.
On arrival at Dibrugarh in Assam, Robin Painter and his men became separated, with the Gurkhas and Burma Riflemen being sent on to a Field Hospital at Imphal. Lieutenant Painter remembered:
Sadly, I parted company with my companions, who had been loyal and devoted comrades in times of adversity. I tried to trace them later on, but without success. I also did my utmost to ensure Havildar Aung Hla received some form of recognition for all he had done, but I heard nothing more and fear my recommendation fell on deaf ears. One thing is for sure, without him, I doubt that we would have made it.
Shown below is a photograph of Lieutenant Painter of the Royal Corps of Signals and a map of the area around the Burmese town of Mong Mit, where Aung Hla led his dispersal party away toward the Yunnan Provinces of China. Please click on either image to bring it forward on the page.
Captain Whitehead's group was considerably larger than most, being made up of around 60-70 men. The reason for this was that he had agreed to take with him a number of sick and wounded men from Platoon 16, many of these soldiers needed to be carried on stretchers and had been battle casualties at the village of Baw on the 23rd March. Whitehead's intention was to find a friendly Kachin village in which to leave these men and then take the rest of his party back to India. After several days of searching no suitable village was found, in fact many of the villages listed on the Captain's map no longer seemed to exist.
It was at this juncture that Lieutenant Stuart-Jones and his platoon of Gurkhas decided to break away from the main group, choosing to head north towards Fort Hertz which was known to still be in Allied hands. The Gurkhas had the good fortune to retain the services of Jemadar Ah Di, on whom they came to depend for their direction, food and most of all, water. Their original intention to head for Fort Hertz was soon compromised by the heavy presence of Japanese patrols in that area. Lieutenant Stuart-Jones decided to continue east and exit Burma via the Chinese Yunnan Borders. The dispersal party eventually reached safety on the 8th July 1943.
Stuart-Jones wrote briefly about his journey out of Burma in 1943 and recognised the valuable contribution made by Jemadar Ah Di:
Having no maps of the area in which we were travelling and only one compass, I had to rely on the knowledge and skill of my Kachin Jemadar, Ah Di of the Burma Rifles. His fluency in the various dialects made him invaluable in obtaining information from villagers. In the hills opposite the east of Bhamo I lost one Kachin and two Karen riflemen, who decided to take their chances and head home. It was also at this time that we picked up Lieutenant Smyly of 5 Column, who was in a very weak state and barely able to walk. He was left in a friendly village, with Jemadar Ah Di instructing the villagers that they would be held responsible for the officers safety.
Everyone was now in a very weak state and at this time the Gurkhas were on average, sticking at it better than the British soldiers and the Burma Rifles. Through the efforts of Ah Di, we hired a Kachin guide who had once been with the Burma Frontier Force. He led us north and entered all villages first to check for Japanese patrols and to acquire rice to supplement our meagre rations. The Kachins in this area were very poor indeed and fearful of the Japs, but on the whole extremely friendly towards us.
2nd Lieutenant V. C. Toye has already been mentioned on this page, this was in reference to his sterling work in riding through the jungles of Burma, keeping the Chindit columns in contact with each other and especially passing on information to Brigadier Wingate in mid-February 1943 when Northern Group were in the vicinity of Tonmakeng. The young officer, formerly with the 5th Mahratta Light Infantry had joined 77th Brigade almost at the last minute on Christmas Eve 1942 and was posted to 8 Column under the command of Major Walter Purcell Scott.
From the pages of Beyond the Chindwin:
On the evening that some of the columns were still crossing the Chindwin, Lt. Toye rode in from Tonmakeng with the news that Colonel Wheeler had arrived there alright. He had information about enemy dispositions which was of great value. Toye's ride, in which he was accompanied by a single orderly, was something of a feat. He had only just joined the Burma Rifles and knew nothing of the language; so that ride of forty odd miles through hostile country was for him no mean undertaking.
On dispersal in early April, Lieutenant Toye was present with Burma Rifles Head Quarters led by Lieutenant-Colonel Buchanan. By the first week in May this group were in the Kachin Hills and heading roughly northeast. Lieutenant Toye was reportedly, not in the best of health at this time and was mentioned twice in the battalion's War diary in this regard:
May 5th: At Hpau Yung Tingsa, men used grenades to obtain fish from pools. 2nd Lieutenant Toye is going very slowly now and was placed on to a pony.
May 8th: At Tingnan Gahtawng. A local doctor examined 2nd Lieutenant Toye today and ordered him to remain in the village for five days to rest.
It is not known how long the officer remained at Tingnan Gahtawng, but he did eventually return to India in mid-1943 and was present with the 2nd Burma Rifles at Karachi in November. However, it seems clear that he was still unwell, as he was sent to the 14th British General Hospital at Bareilly on the 19th November and then from there to Ranikhet, on India's western borders with Nepal for rest and recuperation. V.C. Toye's promotion to full Lieutenant was gazetted in December 1943, it might be presumed that he returned to his original regiment, the 5th Mahratta's after his period of recuperation ended.
Rifleman Bougyi was a Kachin guide with Chindit Column 8 in 1943 and according to fellow Chindit, Sergeant Tony Aubrey, the Burrif was a very competent and inventive cook. From the pages of 'With Wingate in Burma', Aubrey explains:
Our principal instructors in the not-so-easy art of mess-tin cookery were the men of the Burma Rifles. One of them I remember particularly well, because he was frequently attached to my platoon after we went into action inside Burma. His name was Bougyi, but it wasn't quite so difficult say as it looks, as it was pronounced, quite simply, Boogee. He was a first-class cordon bleu chef wasted, and the things he could turn out of a mess-tin with the aid of a piece of scrag end, a few onions, and some rice, were nobody's business. He also introduced us to the gentle art of making the invaluable chapatti, probably the dullest edible ever invented, but easy to make and sustaining.
Rifleman Bougyi returned safely to India with the main body of 8 Column in late April 1943, within the year he was back inside Burma with the second Chindit expedition.
Rifleman Ba Maung joined the 2nd Burma Rifles in the summer of 1942, after escaping to India during the initial Japanese advance across Burma. In civilian life he was a member of his local Fire Brigade. His Chindit Column placement is unknown.
On March 29th 1943 Signals Officer Robin Painter from 1 Column was sent out on a patrol to select a suitable location for an upcoming supply drop. From his book, 'A Signal Honour', he describes his trusted Burrif guide, Havildar Aung Hla:
I had with me a Burrif Havildar (Sergeant) with whom I had worked on a number of previous patrols. His name was Aung Hla and in these circumstances I could not have asked for a better senior NCO. He was a Karen, considerably older than me at about 33 years old and a very experienced soldier who had come out of Burma during the retreat in 1942. He spoke good English and was completely loyal and supportive.
Although Aung Hla was from the Karen tribe, he also spoke jingphaw, one of the Kachin tribal dialects and this particular attribute was to prove vital as time went on. The Havildar guided his party northeast and into the area close to the town of Mong Mit where Colonel Alexander and the main body of 1 Column had hoped to receive one final supply drop, before they attempted to exit Burma via the Chinese Borders. Lieutenant Painter's patrol became separated from the main group and he turned to Aung Hla for advice.
From his book, Painter recalls:
I made the decision to head for the Yunnan Province of China after much discussion with Aung Hla. We considered all the possible options only after a very careful listing of our limited assets and supplies. The first thing I checked was the ration state. We were all in weak physical shape, but hopefully could still march through this difficult terrain.
The small party of Gurkhas with their Burrif guides moved into the Kodaung Hill Tracts, here they were helped by friendly Kachin villagers, offering food, information about the Japanese and supplying local guides to lead the Chindits on to the next village. Lieutenant Painter's health began to falter, apart from him weakening through hunger, he also suffered from bouts of malaria and dysentery. It was from this moment on, that Havildar Aung Hla effectively took command of the dispersal party and it was through his skill and good judgement over the next three weeks, that the group finally reached the Chinese town of Paoshan and the safety of Allied held lines. From Paoshan, the Chindits were taken to a USAAF base and enjoyed the luxury of being flown back to India in Dakota aircraft.
On arrival at Dibrugarh in Assam, Robin Painter and his men became separated, with the Gurkhas and Burma Riflemen being sent on to a Field Hospital at Imphal. Lieutenant Painter remembered:
Sadly, I parted company with my companions, who had been loyal and devoted comrades in times of adversity. I tried to trace them later on, but without success. I also did my utmost to ensure Havildar Aung Hla received some form of recognition for all he had done, but I heard nothing more and fear my recommendation fell on deaf ears. One thing is for sure, without him, I doubt that we would have made it.
Shown below is a photograph of Lieutenant Painter of the Royal Corps of Signals and a map of the area around the Burmese town of Mong Mit, where Aung Hla led his dispersal party away toward the Yunnan Provinces of China. Please click on either image to bring it forward on the page.
Flight Officer Robert Thompson, RAF Liaison for 3 Column remembered the moment his unit decided to split up into nine separate dispersal groups. The men of the Burma Rifles section were divided up across the nine parties, in order to give everyone at least one Burmese speaking guide and someone capable of entering villages to secure food and information on the whereabouts of the enemy patrols. In Thompson's book, 'Make for the Hills', he recalled the moment when both his dispersal group and that of Mike Calvert, met up on the eastern banks of the Irrawaddy River, close to the village of Taugaung:
Mike and I decided to keep our two groups together until the Irrawaddy. He had all the commandos and I had a Gurkha platoon under a Jemadar with my RAF section and some Burrifs who were divided between all groups to give each a means of making local contacts.
We thought it sensible to go south of Tagaung for our crossing of the Irrawaddy as the Japs were likely to be more concentrated north of that towards Inywa. Within two days we were fairly close to the river. I went ahead with Lance Naik Ba Yin of the Burrifs to recce the bank just before midday and ran into Taffy Griffiths (the column's Burrif Captain) and his group who had selected the same spot.
The river was a marvellous sight. There were dozens of small boats with sails up taking advantage of a strong upstream breeze, many of them close to our bank where the channel was deep. I sent Ba Yin back with a message for Mike: 'Ventre a terre (move at full speed) to the river.' We soon had two or three boats alongside the bank. They were loaded with lovely things like jaggery balls, which were large brown lumps of sugar made from palm sap, dhal (a pulse-like maize excellent for mules and good for us too) and fragrant Burmese cheroots. These soon changed hands and I was smoking a cheroot, nibbling a jaggery ball and filling a spare sock with dhal all at the same time.
The river was of course the main freight artery of north Burma and goods were moving north before the monsoon floods. We realised that, if we kept our heads down, had the sails up and kept the boat roughly pointing upstream, we could manoeuvre across right away in daylight. It would be quite unexpected and much safer than at night when all the traffic would stop. We had no problem towing the mules over, including one of Mike's called Mabel. By dusk we were making for the hills on the west side of the river.
NB. Mabel the mule was one of the few animals used on Operation Longcloth to make the return journey to India in 1943.
Subedar Ba La Sein was a member of Brigadier Wingate's Brigade Head Quarters in 1943. He was directed by Captain Aung Thin during the operation and often led the reconnaissance patrols that entered local Burmese villages in advance of the main group. Ba La Sein was lost to his unit on the return journey to India in late March 1943, his subsequent fate is not known.
Jemadar Chin Za Heng returned safely to India after Operation Longcloth in June 1943. However, within a few months he was permitted to travel back to his family home in the Chin Hills, part of the Arakan region of Burma. He attained the rank of Jemadar during the latter months of 1943 and was posted to the 111th Indian Infantry Brigade and took part in the second Chindit operation the following year. His fellow Chin tribesman Chin Za Nen followed almost an identical pathway during the first Chindit expedition and also served on Operation Thursday in 1944.
Rifleman 8316 Dum Naw returned to India after Operation Longcloth. Although I am unaware of his Chindit Column placement, this soldier was awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal for his efforts during the first Chindit operation. He was presented with his medal at the 2nd Battalion's HQ at Karachi on the 13th July 1943. It is highly likely that Dum Naw served on Operation Thursday the following year.
Mike and I decided to keep our two groups together until the Irrawaddy. He had all the commandos and I had a Gurkha platoon under a Jemadar with my RAF section and some Burrifs who were divided between all groups to give each a means of making local contacts.
We thought it sensible to go south of Tagaung for our crossing of the Irrawaddy as the Japs were likely to be more concentrated north of that towards Inywa. Within two days we were fairly close to the river. I went ahead with Lance Naik Ba Yin of the Burrifs to recce the bank just before midday and ran into Taffy Griffiths (the column's Burrif Captain) and his group who had selected the same spot.
The river was a marvellous sight. There were dozens of small boats with sails up taking advantage of a strong upstream breeze, many of them close to our bank where the channel was deep. I sent Ba Yin back with a message for Mike: 'Ventre a terre (move at full speed) to the river.' We soon had two or three boats alongside the bank. They were loaded with lovely things like jaggery balls, which were large brown lumps of sugar made from palm sap, dhal (a pulse-like maize excellent for mules and good for us too) and fragrant Burmese cheroots. These soon changed hands and I was smoking a cheroot, nibbling a jaggery ball and filling a spare sock with dhal all at the same time.
The river was of course the main freight artery of north Burma and goods were moving north before the monsoon floods. We realised that, if we kept our heads down, had the sails up and kept the boat roughly pointing upstream, we could manoeuvre across right away in daylight. It would be quite unexpected and much safer than at night when all the traffic would stop. We had no problem towing the mules over, including one of Mike's called Mabel. By dusk we were making for the hills on the west side of the river.
NB. Mabel the mule was one of the few animals used on Operation Longcloth to make the return journey to India in 1943.
Subedar Ba La Sein was a member of Brigadier Wingate's Brigade Head Quarters in 1943. He was directed by Captain Aung Thin during the operation and often led the reconnaissance patrols that entered local Burmese villages in advance of the main group. Ba La Sein was lost to his unit on the return journey to India in late March 1943, his subsequent fate is not known.
Jemadar Chin Za Heng returned safely to India after Operation Longcloth in June 1943. However, within a few months he was permitted to travel back to his family home in the Chin Hills, part of the Arakan region of Burma. He attained the rank of Jemadar during the latter months of 1943 and was posted to the 111th Indian Infantry Brigade and took part in the second Chindit operation the following year. His fellow Chin tribesman Chin Za Nen followed almost an identical pathway during the first Chindit expedition and also served on Operation Thursday in 1944.
Rifleman 8316 Dum Naw returned to India after Operation Longcloth. Although I am unaware of his Chindit Column placement, this soldier was awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal for his efforts during the first Chindit operation. He was presented with his medal at the 2nd Battalion's HQ at Karachi on the 13th July 1943. It is highly likely that Dum Naw served on Operation Thursday the following year.
Lieutenant F.W. Burn was part of the Burma Rifles section for Chindit Column 4 on Operation Longcloth and on several occasions commanded the unit's Guerrilla Platoon inside Burma. 4 Column had an unhappy time behind enemy lines and were the first column to break up and return to India in 1943. The column, made up almost entirely from Gurkha troops were part of Northern Group and had been tasked with paving the way for the Brigade in the early stages of the expedition particularly after the first full supply drop on the outskirts of Tonmakeng.
Lieutenant Burn was in charge of a reconnaissance patrol on the 2nd March which was ordered to check the motor road between the Burmese villages of Pinbon and Napin for enemy activity. His platoon were ambushed by a Japanese detachment from the garrison at Pinbon and in the engagement, Lieutenant Burn was wounded in the shoulder. He and a Karen Naik were separated from the rest of the force and moved into the nearby jungle to evade capture.
His Guerrilla Platoon succeeded in returning to the main body of the column and reported the incident and the loss of Lieutenant Burn to column commander Major Philip Conron. Gurkha Rifles Officer, Lieutenant Stuart-Jones was sent out to find the missing men, but Lt. Burn managed to find his own way back to column in the meantime. The Naik originally lost with Lieutenant Burn was never found or heard of again. Shortly after this incident 4 Column was attacked by a larger Japanese force and dispersed back across the Chindwin.
After a period of rest and recuperation, including a long interval at Dehra Dun in August 1943, Lieutenant F.W. Burn was posted to 111th Indian Infantry Brigade and took part in the second Chindit operation in 1944.
Seen below are a photograph of F.W. Burn, taken at Dehra Dun post Operation Thursday and a map showing the area around Pinbon, where 4 Column were undone by a Japanese garrison force. Please click on either image to bring it forward on the page.
Lieutenant Burn was in charge of a reconnaissance patrol on the 2nd March which was ordered to check the motor road between the Burmese villages of Pinbon and Napin for enemy activity. His platoon were ambushed by a Japanese detachment from the garrison at Pinbon and in the engagement, Lieutenant Burn was wounded in the shoulder. He and a Karen Naik were separated from the rest of the force and moved into the nearby jungle to evade capture.
His Guerrilla Platoon succeeded in returning to the main body of the column and reported the incident and the loss of Lieutenant Burn to column commander Major Philip Conron. Gurkha Rifles Officer, Lieutenant Stuart-Jones was sent out to find the missing men, but Lt. Burn managed to find his own way back to column in the meantime. The Naik originally lost with Lieutenant Burn was never found or heard of again. Shortly after this incident 4 Column was attacked by a larger Japanese force and dispersed back across the Chindwin.
After a period of rest and recuperation, including a long interval at Dehra Dun in August 1943, Lieutenant F.W. Burn was posted to 111th Indian Infantry Brigade and took part in the second Chindit operation in 1944.
Seen below are a photograph of F.W. Burn, taken at Dehra Dun post Operation Thursday and a map showing the area around Pinbon, where 4 Column were undone by a Japanese garrison force. Please click on either image to bring it forward on the page.
The following men were all held captive by the Japanese at some point or other during the time frame of Operation Longcloth.
Subedar Hang Ko Gin was captured in early April 1943 and was held in Rangoon Jail until his liberation in late April 1945. He received a commendation after the war for his efforts whilst a prisoner of war.
Jemadar Hkun Mya also fell into enemy hands during Operation Longcloth and was held, at least initially at the Maymyo concentration camp. His presence at the camp was alerted to the Army authorities by an escaped Burrif in May 1943 (please see the list of those known to be held at Maymyo shown in the next gallery). Also listed as being held at Maymyo, was Subedar Htin Nang. This soldier was part of Captain Herring's mission into the Kachin Hills in 1943, sent ahead of the main Chindit Brigade and where Htin Nang was in charge of spreading pro-British propaganda amongst the Kachin villages. A short extract describing his role on the Herring Mission can be seen in the next gallery, it is not known how he became a prisoner of war, or whether he survived his time in Japanese hands.
Although Havildar Johnny Htoo did not actually take part on Operation Longcloth, he was present on the participants return to the area around the Chindwin River in late April 1943, where he helped recover the lost and exhausted Chindits as the struggled back to Allied held territory. This Burma Rifles NCO also served in the second Chindit operation in 1944, this time joining Neville Hogan in his Recce Platoon in 46 Column, part of the 2nd King's Own Royal Regiment in 111th Indian Infantry Brigade. Neville Hogan remembered the newly promoted Subedar Htoo as:
"A fearless character, steadfast, happy-go-lucky and more than willing to share his jungle knowledge."
7920 Havildar Hrang Thio is said to have taken part in the first Chindit operation although his column placement is unknown at this time. He was awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal for his service on Operation Thursday in 1944. A rather grainy and out-of-focus photograph of Hrang Thio can be viewed in the next gallery.
I have it on good authority that Naik Kya Lin was part of the Guerrilla Platoon for 3 Column on Operation Longcloth. The following year during Operation Thursday, he was part of the Burma Rifles section commanded by Lieutenant Saw Lader in one of the Chindit columns from 111th Indian Infantry Brigade. Kya Lin took part in an engagement against the Japanese at the Kaukkwe Chaung in which Lieutenant Saw Lader was awarded the Military Cross. It seems to me that the young Naik also deserved an award in recognition of his vital role at the Kaukkwe Chaung; but these are the vagaries of war:
On 26/27th March 1944, Saw Lader was leading a recce patrol of two sections near the Kaukkwe Chaung, when he found his party surrounded by a force of 500 Japanese. The enemy attempted to capture the party, but when a platoon of them advanced frontally, Saw Lader and Naik Kya Lin drove them back by their own fire.
The enemy then attacked from the rear. Once again he drove them back. Lieutenant Saw Lader managed to give the enemy the impression that his force was much larger than it actually was and they began digging in around him. He then ordered his men to crawl away and after one hour had led them out of the enemy positions.
Seen below are some images in relation to the previous section of stories, please click on any image to bring it forward on the page.
Subedar Hang Ko Gin was captured in early April 1943 and was held in Rangoon Jail until his liberation in late April 1945. He received a commendation after the war for his efforts whilst a prisoner of war.
Jemadar Hkun Mya also fell into enemy hands during Operation Longcloth and was held, at least initially at the Maymyo concentration camp. His presence at the camp was alerted to the Army authorities by an escaped Burrif in May 1943 (please see the list of those known to be held at Maymyo shown in the next gallery). Also listed as being held at Maymyo, was Subedar Htin Nang. This soldier was part of Captain Herring's mission into the Kachin Hills in 1943, sent ahead of the main Chindit Brigade and where Htin Nang was in charge of spreading pro-British propaganda amongst the Kachin villages. A short extract describing his role on the Herring Mission can be seen in the next gallery, it is not known how he became a prisoner of war, or whether he survived his time in Japanese hands.
Although Havildar Johnny Htoo did not actually take part on Operation Longcloth, he was present on the participants return to the area around the Chindwin River in late April 1943, where he helped recover the lost and exhausted Chindits as the struggled back to Allied held territory. This Burma Rifles NCO also served in the second Chindit operation in 1944, this time joining Neville Hogan in his Recce Platoon in 46 Column, part of the 2nd King's Own Royal Regiment in 111th Indian Infantry Brigade. Neville Hogan remembered the newly promoted Subedar Htoo as:
"A fearless character, steadfast, happy-go-lucky and more than willing to share his jungle knowledge."
7920 Havildar Hrang Thio is said to have taken part in the first Chindit operation although his column placement is unknown at this time. He was awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal for his service on Operation Thursday in 1944. A rather grainy and out-of-focus photograph of Hrang Thio can be viewed in the next gallery.
I have it on good authority that Naik Kya Lin was part of the Guerrilla Platoon for 3 Column on Operation Longcloth. The following year during Operation Thursday, he was part of the Burma Rifles section commanded by Lieutenant Saw Lader in one of the Chindit columns from 111th Indian Infantry Brigade. Kya Lin took part in an engagement against the Japanese at the Kaukkwe Chaung in which Lieutenant Saw Lader was awarded the Military Cross. It seems to me that the young Naik also deserved an award in recognition of his vital role at the Kaukkwe Chaung; but these are the vagaries of war:
On 26/27th March 1944, Saw Lader was leading a recce patrol of two sections near the Kaukkwe Chaung, when he found his party surrounded by a force of 500 Japanese. The enemy attempted to capture the party, but when a platoon of them advanced frontally, Saw Lader and Naik Kya Lin drove them back by their own fire.
The enemy then attacked from the rear. Once again he drove them back. Lieutenant Saw Lader managed to give the enemy the impression that his force was much larger than it actually was and they began digging in around him. He then ordered his men to crawl away and after one hour had led them out of the enemy positions.
Seen below are some images in relation to the previous section of stories, please click on any image to bring it forward on the page.
Jemadar Columbia returned to India after Operation Longcloth ended. He was reputedly a member of Southern Group in 1943 and so would have been in either Chindit Column 1 or 2. He was promoted to the rank of Subedar on the 10th September 1943 whilst the battalion were stationed at Jhansi.
Jemadar Jhan Aw, from the Kachin Hill tribes, worked with 5 Column during the first Chindit Operation. He met up with Bernard Fergusson again in 1961, when his old Major returned to Burma with his wife Laura. From Fergusson's book recounting the visit:
Back at the Guest House we found Kumje Tawng, and with him two middle-aged men in European jackets and trousers and open-necked shirts. They were squatting on the lawn, but as we drove in they rose from their haunches and stood to attention, smiling shyly while they waited to see if I recognised them.
They were two Kachin ex-Jemadars, of whom I dimly remembered one, Jhan Aw : he had served in a Burma Rifles reconnaissance platoon with George Came, who was a planter from the Shan States, and Charlie Bruce, of the Irrawaddy Flotilla, which had done a good performance in 1943. He asked for news of both. I was able to tell him that George Carne's brother had won the V.C. in Korea, but I knew nothing of George himself; Charlie was growing fruit near Tewkesbury, which Jhan Aw rightly thought was tame stuff for Charlie. Was there jungle around Tewkesbury? I said I had never been there, but I believed not.
The other chap had been with Fish Herring and Lezum Tan on their long march to Sima Pa, and had been captured by the Japanese while receiving a supply drop. Fortunately for him he was in plain clothes, and was able to persuade them that he was an innocent civilian working under duress for this one occasion; and the locals, being Kachins, had confirmed his tale.
Instead of being shot he was taken away into China to do forced labour; after three months he escaped and made his way through the Kachin Hills back to India. It always amazed me how these soldier Kachins, when they found themselves separated from their units and on their own in their native mountains, and when they could easily go underground among their own people, would make their way back to their parent unit in India. I remember several instances of this.
67201 Local Havildar Kareng Tang was co-opted to work for the Chindits by Captain D.C. Herring during his mission into the hill tracts of northern Burma in 1943. Kareng Tang's main duties were propaganda and securing safe passage as the Chindits pushed their way further north toward Yunnan Province.
Rifleman Kyaw Thein served with 2 Column in 1943 and was one of the few survivors from the ambush at Kyaikthin rail station on the 2nd March that year. This Burrif was originally from Rangoon and had successfully walked out of Burma during the retreat in 1941-42. Another soldier who had escaped Burma ahead of the Japanese invasion in 1942 was Havildar Levi. His column placement on Operation Longcloth is unclear, but the effects of the expedition were enough to keep this Burrif Sergeant in the 52nd Indian General Hospital until the 22nd August 1943, after which he re-joined the battalion in their new station barracks at Jhansi.
Two Burma Riflemen from Operation Longcloth were discovered by Chindit Column 39 (6th Battalion Nigerian Regiment) during the second operation in July 1944. From the HQ Diary of 77th Indian Infantry Brigade, dated 20th July:
Two men claiming to have escaped from the enemy held region around Sahmaw reported in to us on the 18th July. They were Burma Riflemen taken prisoner on the last Wingate expedition. Details are: 264845 Rifleman Shwehtoon from the Karen tribe and originally the 4th Battalion Burma Rifles and 15500 Rifleman Chin Hngnaw, from the Kachin tribe and the 2nd Battalion, Burma Rifles. Both men claim to have knowledge of enemy dispositions in the Sahmaw area.
Rifleman Saw Sein U was a Karen soldier who served with 5 Column in 1943. Not much is known about this man, apart from a statement that he was an expert in his knowledge of watercraft. Another soldier who is anecdotally reported to have served on Operation Longcloth, was Havildar Simon. Unfortunately, there is no documentary evidence to confirm his participation in 1943.
Rifleman Washington was one of a group of Burrifs from 5 Column that secured the village of Tonmakeng just prior to the first full supply drop for Northern Group in 1943. 5 Column officer, Lieutenant Philip Stibbe recalled in his book, Return via Rangoon, how Washington and his comrades enjoyed singing during the long marches through the Burmese jungles, a particular favourite of the Burrifs was 'When it's Springtime in the Rockies.' Rifleman Washington's fate in 1943 is unknown.
One Burma Rifle NCO from 2 Column was known simply as 'The Pastor'. His nickname came from his Baptist Lay Preacher background in civilian life and he became a well loved and revered character in Southern Group. He gave many a impromptu Christian service inside Burma and was a father-figure and confidant to the men. Major George Dunlop mentions 'The Pastor' in his Longcloth debrief, describing how he gave the funeral service for a Burma Rifleman who had been accidentally killed during a Column supply drop in late March 1943.
Havildar Vai Tseo was a member of 3 Column during Operation Longcloth. His commanding officer, Major Mike Calvert presented this soldier with the Burma Gallantry Medal for his efforts in 1943. The ceremony took place on the 12th October at the 2nd Burma Rifles HQ in Karachi and was recorded in the battalion War diary (see below).
Jemadar Jhan Aw, from the Kachin Hill tribes, worked with 5 Column during the first Chindit Operation. He met up with Bernard Fergusson again in 1961, when his old Major returned to Burma with his wife Laura. From Fergusson's book recounting the visit:
Back at the Guest House we found Kumje Tawng, and with him two middle-aged men in European jackets and trousers and open-necked shirts. They were squatting on the lawn, but as we drove in they rose from their haunches and stood to attention, smiling shyly while they waited to see if I recognised them.
They were two Kachin ex-Jemadars, of whom I dimly remembered one, Jhan Aw : he had served in a Burma Rifles reconnaissance platoon with George Came, who was a planter from the Shan States, and Charlie Bruce, of the Irrawaddy Flotilla, which had done a good performance in 1943. He asked for news of both. I was able to tell him that George Carne's brother had won the V.C. in Korea, but I knew nothing of George himself; Charlie was growing fruit near Tewkesbury, which Jhan Aw rightly thought was tame stuff for Charlie. Was there jungle around Tewkesbury? I said I had never been there, but I believed not.
The other chap had been with Fish Herring and Lezum Tan on their long march to Sima Pa, and had been captured by the Japanese while receiving a supply drop. Fortunately for him he was in plain clothes, and was able to persuade them that he was an innocent civilian working under duress for this one occasion; and the locals, being Kachins, had confirmed his tale.
Instead of being shot he was taken away into China to do forced labour; after three months he escaped and made his way through the Kachin Hills back to India. It always amazed me how these soldier Kachins, when they found themselves separated from their units and on their own in their native mountains, and when they could easily go underground among their own people, would make their way back to their parent unit in India. I remember several instances of this.
67201 Local Havildar Kareng Tang was co-opted to work for the Chindits by Captain D.C. Herring during his mission into the hill tracts of northern Burma in 1943. Kareng Tang's main duties were propaganda and securing safe passage as the Chindits pushed their way further north toward Yunnan Province.
Rifleman Kyaw Thein served with 2 Column in 1943 and was one of the few survivors from the ambush at Kyaikthin rail station on the 2nd March that year. This Burrif was originally from Rangoon and had successfully walked out of Burma during the retreat in 1941-42. Another soldier who had escaped Burma ahead of the Japanese invasion in 1942 was Havildar Levi. His column placement on Operation Longcloth is unclear, but the effects of the expedition were enough to keep this Burrif Sergeant in the 52nd Indian General Hospital until the 22nd August 1943, after which he re-joined the battalion in their new station barracks at Jhansi.
Two Burma Riflemen from Operation Longcloth were discovered by Chindit Column 39 (6th Battalion Nigerian Regiment) during the second operation in July 1944. From the HQ Diary of 77th Indian Infantry Brigade, dated 20th July:
Two men claiming to have escaped from the enemy held region around Sahmaw reported in to us on the 18th July. They were Burma Riflemen taken prisoner on the last Wingate expedition. Details are: 264845 Rifleman Shwehtoon from the Karen tribe and originally the 4th Battalion Burma Rifles and 15500 Rifleman Chin Hngnaw, from the Kachin tribe and the 2nd Battalion, Burma Rifles. Both men claim to have knowledge of enemy dispositions in the Sahmaw area.
Rifleman Saw Sein U was a Karen soldier who served with 5 Column in 1943. Not much is known about this man, apart from a statement that he was an expert in his knowledge of watercraft. Another soldier who is anecdotally reported to have served on Operation Longcloth, was Havildar Simon. Unfortunately, there is no documentary evidence to confirm his participation in 1943.
Rifleman Washington was one of a group of Burrifs from 5 Column that secured the village of Tonmakeng just prior to the first full supply drop for Northern Group in 1943. 5 Column officer, Lieutenant Philip Stibbe recalled in his book, Return via Rangoon, how Washington and his comrades enjoyed singing during the long marches through the Burmese jungles, a particular favourite of the Burrifs was 'When it's Springtime in the Rockies.' Rifleman Washington's fate in 1943 is unknown.
One Burma Rifle NCO from 2 Column was known simply as 'The Pastor'. His nickname came from his Baptist Lay Preacher background in civilian life and he became a well loved and revered character in Southern Group. He gave many a impromptu Christian service inside Burma and was a father-figure and confidant to the men. Major George Dunlop mentions 'The Pastor' in his Longcloth debrief, describing how he gave the funeral service for a Burma Rifleman who had been accidentally killed during a Column supply drop in late March 1943.
Havildar Vai Tseo was a member of 3 Column during Operation Longcloth. His commanding officer, Major Mike Calvert presented this soldier with the Burma Gallantry Medal for his efforts in 1943. The ceremony took place on the 12th October at the 2nd Burma Rifles HQ in Karachi and was recorded in the battalion War diary (see below).
2nd Burma Rifles War diary extract for October 1943, showing the award of the BGM to Havildar Vai Tseo.
Lance Naik Aung Thein took part on two pre-operational reconnaissance patrols for Operation Longcloth, whilst serving with V Force in the late autumn of 1942.
Rifleman Ba Tun served with 5 Column on Operation Longcloth in the Burma Rifles platoon led by Lieutenant P.A.M. Heald. He had joined the battalion in early 1942 after previously working in the Rangoon District Fire Service.
Another member of the 2nd Burma Rifles in 1943 was Rifleman Kai Do Pau. This soldier survived the first Chindit expedition, but sadly perished later on in 1945, the circumstances of his death are unknown.
Rifleman Mong San was a member of 8 Column in 1943, he formed part of Lieutenant Dominic Neill's dispersal party that year and was largely responsible for the acquisition of rations for the group, obtained from the Burmese villages visited during the march out.
Captain Alexander Bell served with the 2nd Burma Rifles during the second Chindit expedition in 1944. His main role that year was to organise assistance from the pro-British villages in the area around the 'White City' stronghold. There is anecdotal evidence that he may have been part of Chindit Column 4 on Operation Longcloth, but this cannot be confirmed. Another man with possible connections to 4 Column is Havildar Hpau Wi Tu. Unofficial reports, based on verbal statements from other survivors of Longcloth state that this man reached the safety of India in mid-1943, but soon returned to Burma to be with his family.
According to the war diary of the 2nd Burma Rifles, Havildar Hpu Hnok, having recovered from his exertions on Operation Longcloth, returned to his village in the Chin Hills on the 20th September 1943. The war diary also mentions Rifleman San Khai, who returns to the battalion at Jhansi on the 22nd August 1943.
Burma Rifleman Tika-Koo was an Orderly in the Battalion Head Quarters on Operation Longcloth in 1943. He was present when Lieutenant-Colonel Wheeler was killed in the Burmese village of Zibyugin on the 4th April that year. Tika-Koo had been Captain Buchanan's batman on the operation and had remained close to his commander throughout. Battalion HQ had entered Zibyugin in search of much needed food and stumbled across a Japanese patrol which was just in the act of vacating the village. The previous day a small party from 5 Column had investigated the possibility of obtaining food at Zibyugin, two of the group, Lieutenant Duncan Campbell Menzies and Lance Corporal Charles Gilmartin were captured by the enemy patrol and held prisoner.
The arrival of the larger Burma Rifles unit had frightened off the Japanese, but not before they had shot Menzies and Gilmartin, mortally wounding both men. As Colonel Wheeler tended the dying Lieutenant Campbell Menzies (Gilmartin was already dead) he too was shot by an enemy sniper. Many years later in 1967, a first hand account of the incident was recounted by Captain James MacPherson, also a member of the 2nd Burma Rifles in 1943. In a letter to his old friend John Hedley, MacPherson remembered:
After we (Battalion HQ) had crossed the Shweli and after an attack by a Japanese patrol who had caught us up, (and which Saw Lader was mainly responsible for driving off) we were pretty weary and very short of food. The Japs were firing, but at random and we did not expect anything untoward as they were some distance away and out of sight. It was at this moment that a stray bullet hit Wheeler in the side of the head. He dropped instantly without a sound and did not move at all.
Peter (Buchanan) and I then saw that the bullet had gone right through his head just above the ear. Peter then gave him some morphine while Tika-Koo ran back to fire a few shots at the Japs. By the time he returned more Japs had arrived and began to attack us. As Wheeler was clearly dead, we decided to follow the path taken by the other Burma Rifles. They were some distance ahead by that time, as they had been told to move on quickly.
Tika-Koo is quite possibly a phonetical spelling of the Burma Rifleman's name as recalled by the officers involved at the scene. A soldier from the 2nd Battalion by the name of Rifleman 6378 Ti Ka Ku was awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal for his services in Burma during WW2. This award was Gazetted on the 22nd June 1944 (see image below) and Ti Ka Ku's name features alongside many other soldiers recognised as serving on the first Chindit expedition, including Havildar-Major Saw Lader.
Rifleman Ba Tun served with 5 Column on Operation Longcloth in the Burma Rifles platoon led by Lieutenant P.A.M. Heald. He had joined the battalion in early 1942 after previously working in the Rangoon District Fire Service.
Another member of the 2nd Burma Rifles in 1943 was Rifleman Kai Do Pau. This soldier survived the first Chindit expedition, but sadly perished later on in 1945, the circumstances of his death are unknown.
Rifleman Mong San was a member of 8 Column in 1943, he formed part of Lieutenant Dominic Neill's dispersal party that year and was largely responsible for the acquisition of rations for the group, obtained from the Burmese villages visited during the march out.
Captain Alexander Bell served with the 2nd Burma Rifles during the second Chindit expedition in 1944. His main role that year was to organise assistance from the pro-British villages in the area around the 'White City' stronghold. There is anecdotal evidence that he may have been part of Chindit Column 4 on Operation Longcloth, but this cannot be confirmed. Another man with possible connections to 4 Column is Havildar Hpau Wi Tu. Unofficial reports, based on verbal statements from other survivors of Longcloth state that this man reached the safety of India in mid-1943, but soon returned to Burma to be with his family.
According to the war diary of the 2nd Burma Rifles, Havildar Hpu Hnok, having recovered from his exertions on Operation Longcloth, returned to his village in the Chin Hills on the 20th September 1943. The war diary also mentions Rifleman San Khai, who returns to the battalion at Jhansi on the 22nd August 1943.
Burma Rifleman Tika-Koo was an Orderly in the Battalion Head Quarters on Operation Longcloth in 1943. He was present when Lieutenant-Colonel Wheeler was killed in the Burmese village of Zibyugin on the 4th April that year. Tika-Koo had been Captain Buchanan's batman on the operation and had remained close to his commander throughout. Battalion HQ had entered Zibyugin in search of much needed food and stumbled across a Japanese patrol which was just in the act of vacating the village. The previous day a small party from 5 Column had investigated the possibility of obtaining food at Zibyugin, two of the group, Lieutenant Duncan Campbell Menzies and Lance Corporal Charles Gilmartin were captured by the enemy patrol and held prisoner.
The arrival of the larger Burma Rifles unit had frightened off the Japanese, but not before they had shot Menzies and Gilmartin, mortally wounding both men. As Colonel Wheeler tended the dying Lieutenant Campbell Menzies (Gilmartin was already dead) he too was shot by an enemy sniper. Many years later in 1967, a first hand account of the incident was recounted by Captain James MacPherson, also a member of the 2nd Burma Rifles in 1943. In a letter to his old friend John Hedley, MacPherson remembered:
After we (Battalion HQ) had crossed the Shweli and after an attack by a Japanese patrol who had caught us up, (and which Saw Lader was mainly responsible for driving off) we were pretty weary and very short of food. The Japs were firing, but at random and we did not expect anything untoward as they were some distance away and out of sight. It was at this moment that a stray bullet hit Wheeler in the side of the head. He dropped instantly without a sound and did not move at all.
Peter (Buchanan) and I then saw that the bullet had gone right through his head just above the ear. Peter then gave him some morphine while Tika-Koo ran back to fire a few shots at the Japs. By the time he returned more Japs had arrived and began to attack us. As Wheeler was clearly dead, we decided to follow the path taken by the other Burma Rifles. They were some distance ahead by that time, as they had been told to move on quickly.
Tika-Koo is quite possibly a phonetical spelling of the Burma Rifleman's name as recalled by the officers involved at the scene. A soldier from the 2nd Battalion by the name of Rifleman 6378 Ti Ka Ku was awarded the Burma Gallantry Medal for his services in Burma during WW2. This award was Gazetted on the 22nd June 1944 (see image below) and Ti Ka Ku's name features alongside many other soldiers recognised as serving on the first Chindit expedition, including Havildar-Major Saw Lader.
Entry from the London Gazette 22nd June 1944.
According to the war diary of the 2nd Burma Rifles for 1943, Jemadar Kamun Maw returned from sick leave on the 7th August, whilst in October, Havildar Kap Err re-joined alongside Havildar Lai Kunga, the battalion was stationed at Jhansi at that time.
In conversation with Denis Gudgeon, the former Gurkha Rifles officer from 3 Column, there is anecdotal evidence that Jemadar La Bang La, was a member of the Burma Rifles section in 1 Column on Operation Longcloth and had worked under the command of 2nd Lieutenant Chet Khin MC.
During the mission into Kachin territory led by Captain DC. Herring, the Headman of Yitsand village allowed Rifleman Sara Maru Gam to use the jungle outside his village perimeter to store arms and ammunition. These weapons were being stored in readiness for a Kachin uprising against the Japanese planned for early 1944. Two other members of Captain Herring's mission in 1943 were 'Louis' Lazum Tang and his almost namesake, Lezum Tan.
756 Lieutenant Lazum Tang acted as Herring's guide and second in command in 1943, whilst the group operated in the territory of his Kachin homeland. He was awarded the MBE for his efforts on the second Chindit expedition in 1944 and was also co-opted into the American OSS, serving with Detachment 101, where he led a battalion of Kachin Levies against the Japanese during the relief of the Lashio. Kachin Officer Lezum Tan also served on both Chindit expeditions, eventually rising to the rank of Brigadier in the newly formed Burmese Army after the nation's independence in early 1948.
Jemadar Munga Tu, formerly with Burma Signals in 1942 also assisted Captain DC. Herring during Operation Longcloth. Headman of Munghka Pa village in Bhamo District, this Kachin soldier supplied both food and shelter to the Chindits and vital information about Japanese positions in the local area. He was arrested by the Japanese and told he must go to Bhamo. He replied that he would not do so and for the Japanese to kill him at Sinlumkaba. He was kept under open arrest in his village for over a year.
Mohan Singh was an Indian attachment to Colonel Wheeler's Head Quarters on Operation Longcloth. His death is recorded in the 2nd Burma Rifles War diary for 1943, during the unit's exit of Burma via the territory of the Kachin Hills:
April 22nd: A day of rest at Kauri Laisa while a party of coolies tried unsuccessfully to buy rice for our party at Nalong. 5520 Farrier Mohan Singh died of an enlarged spleen and malaria.
From an email sent in June 2013 from Steve Tweedie: My dad was William Alfred Tweedie, but he was known as 'Bob'. He was born in Burma and his father worked for the British government there. When the Japs entered Burma they all had to leave in a great hurry. On arrival in India, he lied about his age and joined the British Army. As he spoke fluent Burmese he volunteered for the Chindits as an interpreter, I believe he was part of the Burma Rifles section on Operation Longcloth. I have a picture of him from WW2, but I am not sure if it was taken at the time he joined the Chindits. I only wish I had asked him more before he passed away.
Lieutenant Raymond C. Scott served with 4 Column on Operation Longcloth. He was with commander Major George Bromhead when the column was ambushed by the Japanese on the 4th March 1943 and dispersal was called. Scott's welcome knowledge of the terrain over which the unit then travelled, greatly assisted the dispersal group in their quest to regain the Chindwin River. He also served with the Chindits in 1944, this time with 23rd Brigade under the command of Brigadier Lance Perowne. Raymond Scott sadly died in 2002.
Lieutenant Zau Tun was an English speaking school teacher from the town of Bhamo. In May 1943 he ably assisted 7 Column as they attempted to exit Burma via the Chinese Borders. He and his brother, the Headman from the village of Wawchon provided food, shelter and guides to 7 Column as they passed through the Kachin Hills. Zau Tun was already known to the Japanese and had a bounty of Rs:500 placed on his head for aiding the Chindits escape.
Rifleman Stanley was a member of 8 Column on Operation Longcloth. He was one of the unfortunate men lost at the Shweli River during the column's unsuccessful crossing on the 1st April 1943. One of the RAF boats dropped to the column that day was washed away downstream (see image below), leaving the men aboard in a precarious position; very few survived their ordeal at the Shweli, although happily, Rifleman Stanley did return safely to India. To read more about this incident, please click on the following link: Lost Boat on the Shweli
Entry from 8 Column's War diary dated 1st April 1943.
The following soldiers are all candidates for having served on Operation Longcloth and feature in the pages of the 2nd Burma Rifles War diary for the latter months of 1943. I am happy to include them here on the Roll Call, but their credentials for participating on the first Wingate expedition cannot be confirmed.
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Jemadar Kyaw Nyein
Jemadar Lai Kunga 2nd Lieutenant L. H. Low Subedar Maji Tu Rifleman Maung Chit Rifleman Ma Thin Jemadar Min Maung Havildar Neng Za Ngin Captain G. S. Neville Jemadar Sardar Khan Rifleman U Soe Min Rifleman U Than Tin |
Havildar Saw U
Havildar Son Kho Pao Havildar Saw Tun Gyaw Lance Naik Than Pe Lance Naik Thompson Jemadar Trilok Sing Kumaoni Jemadar U Thaung Tan Jemadar Wilson Jemadar Win Sein Havildar Zaw Pe Captain Alan John Newall Bell |
Major Walter Rigby Andrews
In July 2017, I was pleased to receive the following email from the son of Major Walter Rigby Andrews:
On the large group photo of officers from Operation Longcloth, the man sitting 6th from the left in the front row (with the moustache) is my father Walter Rigby Andrews. I am not sure if he is a Major or a Captain in this photo. My father was born on the 12th February 1916. He was with the 2nd and the 6th Burma Rifles and was a Chindit. He was involved in one Long Range Penetration expedition and wrote a short book about an operation at Tavoy during January 1942.
Another researcher, Steve Rothwell, provided me with some useful information about my father's military career:
Commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant ABRO 087 on the 3rd December 1941. He then served with the 6th Burma Rifles during the retreat from Burma. Captain (temporary Major) with the 2nd Battalion of the Burma Rifles in 1944. As Captain he was Mentioned in Despatches, this was gazetted on the 24th April 1945. He awarded the O.B.E. (Civil), as a resident of Pakistan on the 1st January 1946.
My father died aged 87, during the summer of 2003 in West Surrey.
Kind Regards. Rigby Andrews
Captain Andrews served with 77 Brigade on the second Chindit expedition, codenamed, Operation Thursday. He is mentioned on two occasions in Mike Calvert's book, Prisoners of Hope. Firstly, Calvert recalls sending Andrews to seek out the Chinese 114th Regiment, who had been sent south by General Stilwell to liaise with the Chindits and assist in the removal of the Japanese from the Burmese town of Mogaung:
On the 14th (June), I sent out Captain Andrews of the Burma Rifles, a 6-foot 4-inch, black moustached officer, with his Burma Rifle patrol to the north bank of the Mogaung River. I told him that I never wanted to see him again unless he returned with at least one Chinese Regiment. I also ordered the Tapaw Ferry detachment to bring around six ranger boats with outboard motors up-river to Pinhmi, so that we could transport the Chinese across if Andrews succeeded in finding them.
Calvert's second recollection comes just five pages further on in the book:
Four days later, on the 18th the enigmatic Andrews appeared in my shelter and announced that he had a Chinese Regiment waiting on the other bank of the river. He gave me no details of where he had found them, how he persuaded them, or even how he had managed to speak with them, but he had got them.
We had all come to take these Burma Rifle officers for granted. As a commander you would say, 'bring me six elephants, or a paddle steamer, or a Chinese Regiment, or fifteen bullocks; and they would look at you from behind their moustaches, salute, disappear followed by a worshipful company of Kachins, Chins or Karens, and then appear again with whatever you wanted. They certainly lived up to General Wingate's tribute, that they were the finest body of officers any unit ever possessed.
Seen below are some images in relation to this short narrative. Please click on any image to bring it forward on the page. To read more about the 6th Burma Rifles at Tavoy in 1941-42, please follow this link to Steve Rothwell's excellent website:
www.rothwell.force9.co.uk/burmaweb/6th_burma_rifles.htm
In July 2017, I was pleased to receive the following email from the son of Major Walter Rigby Andrews:
On the large group photo of officers from Operation Longcloth, the man sitting 6th from the left in the front row (with the moustache) is my father Walter Rigby Andrews. I am not sure if he is a Major or a Captain in this photo. My father was born on the 12th February 1916. He was with the 2nd and the 6th Burma Rifles and was a Chindit. He was involved in one Long Range Penetration expedition and wrote a short book about an operation at Tavoy during January 1942.
Another researcher, Steve Rothwell, provided me with some useful information about my father's military career:
Commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant ABRO 087 on the 3rd December 1941. He then served with the 6th Burma Rifles during the retreat from Burma. Captain (temporary Major) with the 2nd Battalion of the Burma Rifles in 1944. As Captain he was Mentioned in Despatches, this was gazetted on the 24th April 1945. He awarded the O.B.E. (Civil), as a resident of Pakistan on the 1st January 1946.
My father died aged 87, during the summer of 2003 in West Surrey.
Kind Regards. Rigby Andrews
Captain Andrews served with 77 Brigade on the second Chindit expedition, codenamed, Operation Thursday. He is mentioned on two occasions in Mike Calvert's book, Prisoners of Hope. Firstly, Calvert recalls sending Andrews to seek out the Chinese 114th Regiment, who had been sent south by General Stilwell to liaise with the Chindits and assist in the removal of the Japanese from the Burmese town of Mogaung:
On the 14th (June), I sent out Captain Andrews of the Burma Rifles, a 6-foot 4-inch, black moustached officer, with his Burma Rifle patrol to the north bank of the Mogaung River. I told him that I never wanted to see him again unless he returned with at least one Chinese Regiment. I also ordered the Tapaw Ferry detachment to bring around six ranger boats with outboard motors up-river to Pinhmi, so that we could transport the Chinese across if Andrews succeeded in finding them.
Calvert's second recollection comes just five pages further on in the book:
Four days later, on the 18th the enigmatic Andrews appeared in my shelter and announced that he had a Chinese Regiment waiting on the other bank of the river. He gave me no details of where he had found them, how he persuaded them, or even how he had managed to speak with them, but he had got them.
We had all come to take these Burma Rifle officers for granted. As a commander you would say, 'bring me six elephants, or a paddle steamer, or a Chinese Regiment, or fifteen bullocks; and they would look at you from behind their moustaches, salute, disappear followed by a worshipful company of Kachins, Chins or Karens, and then appear again with whatever you wanted. They certainly lived up to General Wingate's tribute, that they were the finest body of officers any unit ever possessed.
Seen below are some images in relation to this short narrative. Please click on any image to bring it forward on the page. To read more about the 6th Burma Rifles at Tavoy in 1941-42, please follow this link to Steve Rothwell's excellent website:
www.rothwell.force9.co.uk/burmaweb/6th_burma_rifles.htm
Ngin Za Kap
Back in December last year (2018) I received an email message from Hermon Shoute, who lives with his family in Manipur State, India. Hermon told us:
My grandfather, Corporal Ngin Za Kap served with the 2nd Battalion, the Burma Rifles from 1940 until 1948 and was part of the Chindits. We are looking forward to celebrating his 100th birthday in January 2019 and would like to learn some details about the battalion’s contribution to both Chindit expeditions.
By return of email, I was able to send the family some relevant information about the 2nd Burma Rifles, along with my very best wishes to Ngin Za Kap on reaching such a fantastic milestone. Since then sadly, I have not heard back from the family, but do hope that they received the information and that they might view this update and get back in touch.
Back in December last year (2018) I received an email message from Hermon Shoute, who lives with his family in Manipur State, India. Hermon told us:
My grandfather, Corporal Ngin Za Kap served with the 2nd Battalion, the Burma Rifles from 1940 until 1948 and was part of the Chindits. We are looking forward to celebrating his 100th birthday in January 2019 and would like to learn some details about the battalion’s contribution to both Chindit expeditions.
By return of email, I was able to send the family some relevant information about the 2nd Burma Rifles, along with my very best wishes to Ngin Za Kap on reaching such a fantastic milestone. Since then sadly, I have not heard back from the family, but do hope that they received the information and that they might view this update and get back in touch.
Naik Da Gyi
On the 5th May 1943, the remnants of No. 8 Column, led by Major Walter Purcell Scott were passing through the village of Labya on their dispersal journey to the Chindwin Valley. On reaching the village they were approached by Da Gyi a former Karen soldier with the 5th Battalion of the Burma Rifles, who had been lost to his unit on the retreat the year before and had taken refuge amongst the people of Labya ever since.
After accepting shelter from an extremely violent storm and enjoying the villagers hospitality in the form of a hearty meal washed down with the local rice wine, 8 Column, now with Naik Da Gyi leading the way, moved off in the direction of Mansein. Da Gyi re-enlisted that day and continued to guide 8 Column as they completed their return journey to the Chindwin River, crossing over into Allied territory on the 13th May. For his efforts with No. 8 Column in May 1943, Da Gyi received an immediate promotion to the rank of Havildar.
Seen below is a page from the 8 Column war diary covering the date 5th May 1943, describing the meeting of Naik Da Gyi and the welcoming villagers at Labya.
On the 5th May 1943, the remnants of No. 8 Column, led by Major Walter Purcell Scott were passing through the village of Labya on their dispersal journey to the Chindwin Valley. On reaching the village they were approached by Da Gyi a former Karen soldier with the 5th Battalion of the Burma Rifles, who had been lost to his unit on the retreat the year before and had taken refuge amongst the people of Labya ever since.
After accepting shelter from an extremely violent storm and enjoying the villagers hospitality in the form of a hearty meal washed down with the local rice wine, 8 Column, now with Naik Da Gyi leading the way, moved off in the direction of Mansein. Da Gyi re-enlisted that day and continued to guide 8 Column as they completed their return journey to the Chindwin River, crossing over into Allied territory on the 13th May. For his efforts with No. 8 Column in May 1943, Da Gyi received an immediate promotion to the rank of Havildar.
Seen below is a page from the 8 Column war diary covering the date 5th May 1943, describing the meeting of Naik Da Gyi and the welcoming villagers at Labya.
50327 Lance Naik Lazum Hka remained with the Kachin Levies immediately after Operation Longcloth. In September 1943, he marched to Fort Hertz from where he was flown back to India to rejoin his unit.
Headman Maung Pyu and another resident of an unnamed village located close to Inywa, Maung Pyon Choe assisted Captiain Aung Thin of the 2nd Burma Rifles on the 29th March 1943, as Wingate's HQ section gathered on the eastern banks of the Irrawaddy River. The village attempted to find the stranded Chindits boats to cross the mile-wide river and supplied the party with food and clean water. Maung Pyon Choe described to Aung Thin how the Japanese had raided the village for food and supplies on many occasions and treated the village shamefully. Headman Maung Pyu told Captain Aung Thin:
I am glad you have come to punish the Japanese for all they have done to us Burmese. I could tell you many things. Only three days ago they came in and demanded all our boats and took them to the other side of the Irrawaddy. I now know that this was to stop you all from crossing the river, but I have hidden five boats and you can have these. But you must take them quickly, for if the Japs find out they will kill us and Burma down our village.
In the end, the Japanese suddenly arrived in the vicinity and the Chindits had to move away and could not use the five boats offered by Maung Pyu. Wingate's HQ section would spend several days on the eastern banks of the Irrawaddy, attempting to find a way across this watery obstacle.
Maung Thaung was a resident of the village of Sitsawk, located some 50 miles or so from the eastern banks of the Chindwin River. In the years prior to the Japanese invasion, Maung Thaung had been well treated by the officers of the Forestry Commission in the Katha Division. He had been in dispute with the village elders in regards the parameters of his land and these arguments had been resolved by Herbert Castens. On the pre-operational reconnaissance for the first Wingate expedition, Maung Thaung would prove invaluable in passing on information about Japanese positions and numbers. He also assisted many Chindits on their way out of Burma in April/May 1943, as these men stretched out for the safety of the Chindwin and safety.
Headman Maung Pyu and another resident of an unnamed village located close to Inywa, Maung Pyon Choe assisted Captiain Aung Thin of the 2nd Burma Rifles on the 29th March 1943, as Wingate's HQ section gathered on the eastern banks of the Irrawaddy River. The village attempted to find the stranded Chindits boats to cross the mile-wide river and supplied the party with food and clean water. Maung Pyon Choe described to Aung Thin how the Japanese had raided the village for food and supplies on many occasions and treated the village shamefully. Headman Maung Pyu told Captain Aung Thin:
I am glad you have come to punish the Japanese for all they have done to us Burmese. I could tell you many things. Only three days ago they came in and demanded all our boats and took them to the other side of the Irrawaddy. I now know that this was to stop you all from crossing the river, but I have hidden five boats and you can have these. But you must take them quickly, for if the Japs find out they will kill us and Burma down our village.
In the end, the Japanese suddenly arrived in the vicinity and the Chindits had to move away and could not use the five boats offered by Maung Pyu. Wingate's HQ section would spend several days on the eastern banks of the Irrawaddy, attempting to find a way across this watery obstacle.
Maung Thaung was a resident of the village of Sitsawk, located some 50 miles or so from the eastern banks of the Chindwin River. In the years prior to the Japanese invasion, Maung Thaung had been well treated by the officers of the Forestry Commission in the Katha Division. He had been in dispute with the village elders in regards the parameters of his land and these arguments had been resolved by Herbert Castens. On the pre-operational reconnaissance for the first Wingate expedition, Maung Thaung would prove invaluable in passing on information about Japanese positions and numbers. He also assisted many Chindits on their way out of Burma in April/May 1943, as these men stretched out for the safety of the Chindwin and safety.
Lt. Malcolm Alfred Freshney
Malcolm Freshney was an officer with the 2nd Burma Rifles on Operation Longcloth, serving in the Recce Platoon of No. 1 Column under the overall command of Major George Dunlop MC. He had been issued the service number ABRO 44 at the beginning of his Army service in Burma and had worked in close conjunction with Captain George Carne during the early weeks of the first Wingate expedition. His main role in No. 1 Column was to scout ahead of the main group, seeking out information from the Burmese villages encountered along the journey in regards Japanese positions and strength in the area.
From the war diary narrative written by Major Dunlop on Operation Longcloth:
Bivouac on the 17th February close to the Pabaing Chaung. During the night runners came back from Freshney's platoon, saying that there were 250 Japanese in the vicinity of Maingnyaung and more at Pahe. The track crossing and re-crossing a small stream near Maingnyaung was an ideal site for an ambush, particularly as it went through thick scrub on the valley floor.
Just after midday, another runner came in from Freshney to report that the enemy were coming our way; annoyingly he told me that he had bumped into them and shots had been fired. On receipt of this news I pushed one platoon of Gurkhas forward into a good ambush position and placed a second platoon in an enfilade location under the leadership of Captain Weatherall. At 15.30 hours the leading group of enemy walked into the ambush. Fighting flared up and subsided, then flared again. The Japanese began to withdraw and Weatherall asked permission to push around their flank, which he did. The enemy then opened up with their own mortars and this encouraged the Gurkha Jemadar at the scene to order his mules to be taken back to a safe harbour. This confused the entire platoon and they all began to retreat, all advantage was lost and the ambush was closed down.
On dispersal, Lt. Freshney played a vital role as the column made its long and arduous return to the Chindwin River. His Recce Platoon were continuously in advance of the beleaguered Chindits from Southern Group, sorting out food supplies and discovering information about the enemy's whereabouts from the Burmese villages along the way. He had also been given another task; to lead out the Burmese elephant drivers (Oozies) that had stayed with the column after giving up their animals when the Brigade had crossed the Chindwin on the way in. One such Oozie, was Maung Chit Gyi, who had carried the Brigade Head Quarters' wireless set and battery engine on his elephant ten weeks previously. Another was U Po Sine, who had crossed the Chindiwin in February 1943 with No. 3 Column.
After returning to India, Lt. Freshney spent several weeks in the hill station of Dehra Dun enjoying a period of rest and recuperation. According to the war diary of the 2nd Burma Rifles, he was present at Jhansi in June, but was sent on special war leave on the 13th July 1943. This may have had something to do with the preparations for the second Chindit expedition planned for the following year? Freshney did take part on Operation Thursday in 1944, but his unit is not known at the present time. It is known that he was at some point during Operation Thursday, present at the Chindit stronghold codenamed, White City. Malcolm Freshney was promoted to Major in the latter period of WW2 and served with the 2nd Battalion, The Kachin Levies, as Allied forces continued their bid to expel the Japanese from Burma.
Malcolm Freshney was a member of the Burma Star Association after the war and from Dekho, the Association magazine, I learned that his wife, Nancy was a member of the Women's Auxiliary Service in Burma during the war and that in 1954, Malcolm had left England and taken up new employment in Colombia, working for a company called Listers. By 1970, Malcolm was living in Killiney, approximately 15 miles southeast of Dublin. According to the obituary lists in Dekho magazine, he sadly passed away in 1992.
Malcolm Freshney was an officer with the 2nd Burma Rifles on Operation Longcloth, serving in the Recce Platoon of No. 1 Column under the overall command of Major George Dunlop MC. He had been issued the service number ABRO 44 at the beginning of his Army service in Burma and had worked in close conjunction with Captain George Carne during the early weeks of the first Wingate expedition. His main role in No. 1 Column was to scout ahead of the main group, seeking out information from the Burmese villages encountered along the journey in regards Japanese positions and strength in the area.
From the war diary narrative written by Major Dunlop on Operation Longcloth:
Bivouac on the 17th February close to the Pabaing Chaung. During the night runners came back from Freshney's platoon, saying that there were 250 Japanese in the vicinity of Maingnyaung and more at Pahe. The track crossing and re-crossing a small stream near Maingnyaung was an ideal site for an ambush, particularly as it went through thick scrub on the valley floor.
Just after midday, another runner came in from Freshney to report that the enemy were coming our way; annoyingly he told me that he had bumped into them and shots had been fired. On receipt of this news I pushed one platoon of Gurkhas forward into a good ambush position and placed a second platoon in an enfilade location under the leadership of Captain Weatherall. At 15.30 hours the leading group of enemy walked into the ambush. Fighting flared up and subsided, then flared again. The Japanese began to withdraw and Weatherall asked permission to push around their flank, which he did. The enemy then opened up with their own mortars and this encouraged the Gurkha Jemadar at the scene to order his mules to be taken back to a safe harbour. This confused the entire platoon and they all began to retreat, all advantage was lost and the ambush was closed down.
On dispersal, Lt. Freshney played a vital role as the column made its long and arduous return to the Chindwin River. His Recce Platoon were continuously in advance of the beleaguered Chindits from Southern Group, sorting out food supplies and discovering information about the enemy's whereabouts from the Burmese villages along the way. He had also been given another task; to lead out the Burmese elephant drivers (Oozies) that had stayed with the column after giving up their animals when the Brigade had crossed the Chindwin on the way in. One such Oozie, was Maung Chit Gyi, who had carried the Brigade Head Quarters' wireless set and battery engine on his elephant ten weeks previously. Another was U Po Sine, who had crossed the Chindiwin in February 1943 with No. 3 Column.
After returning to India, Lt. Freshney spent several weeks in the hill station of Dehra Dun enjoying a period of rest and recuperation. According to the war diary of the 2nd Burma Rifles, he was present at Jhansi in June, but was sent on special war leave on the 13th July 1943. This may have had something to do with the preparations for the second Chindit expedition planned for the following year? Freshney did take part on Operation Thursday in 1944, but his unit is not known at the present time. It is known that he was at some point during Operation Thursday, present at the Chindit stronghold codenamed, White City. Malcolm Freshney was promoted to Major in the latter period of WW2 and served with the 2nd Battalion, The Kachin Levies, as Allied forces continued their bid to expel the Japanese from Burma.
Malcolm Freshney was a member of the Burma Star Association after the war and from Dekho, the Association magazine, I learned that his wife, Nancy was a member of the Women's Auxiliary Service in Burma during the war and that in 1954, Malcolm had left England and taken up new employment in Colombia, working for a company called Listers. By 1970, Malcolm was living in Killiney, approximately 15 miles southeast of Dublin. According to the obituary lists in Dekho magazine, he sadly passed away in 1992.
Another Burmese Oozie to assist the Chindits on Operation Longcloth, was Saw Na Mu, who had worked alongside Major Hugh Seagrim in 1942. This former elephant driver discovered a party of exhausted and stranded Chindits in April 1943 on the west banks of the Irrawaddy. He then led this group which included several men from the 2nd Burma Rifles (Karen section) from the Irrawaddy to the safety of the Chindwin River.
Rifleman Mongsan served with No. 8 Column on Operation Longcloth and is mentioned by Lt. Dominic Neill as being active in the engagement with Japanese at the village of Thatha in April 1943. He was also at the forefront of the column, as it entered the Meza Valley on the return journey to India that year, obtaining food for his unit and information about the strength and location of enemy patrols.
Rifleman Posi served with No. 8 Column in Burma and was lost on the second boat at the Shweli River crossing on the 1st April 1943. For more information about this incident, please click on the following link: Pte. Henry Taylor
U Sein Tun was the village Headman at Inywa at the time of Brigade Head Quarters' outward journey across the Irrawaddy River in early March 1943. He and another villager named, Uhn Khan Maung provided the unit with both information about the Japanese positions in the area and food supplies. U Sein Tun went on to become the District Police Officer for the Inywa area in 1956. Another villager called, U Thein Ohn from Katha also assisted 77 Brigade on Operation Longcloth.
Rifleman Posi served with No. 8 Column in Burma and was lost on the second boat at the Shweli River crossing on the 1st April 1943. For more information about this incident, please click on the following link: Pte. Henry Taylor
U Sein Tun was the village Headman at Inywa at the time of Brigade Head Quarters' outward journey across the Irrawaddy River in early March 1943. He and another villager named, Uhn Khan Maung provided the unit with both information about the Japanese positions in the area and food supplies. U Sein Tun went on to become the District Police Officer for the Inywa area in 1956. Another villager called, U Thein Ohn from Katha also assisted 77 Brigade on Operation Longcloth.
Postscript
As a somewhat sad footnote to the courageous deeds of the above mentioned soldiers; after independence came to Burma in early 1948, there were many political and tribal groups moving around the country seeking both to influence and in some cases gain autonomy from the newly formed authority. One such group was the Karen National Defence Organisation who quickly mobilised and struck out, seizing control of the important trading port of Bassein in the Irrawaddy Delta. Their hope was to form their own Karen State and operate independently from fledgling Burmese government and for a time it seemed they might succeed.
The Burmese recognised the fact that almost all its senior Army officers were Karen and all of these men had fought with the British during the war. The new regime, looking to rid the country of any hangover of British influence took urgent and in some cases brutal steps to remedy the situation. This resulted in former comrades, including those who had served in both Chindit expeditions, now facing each other in the field.
As a somewhat sad footnote to the courageous deeds of the above mentioned soldiers; after independence came to Burma in early 1948, there were many political and tribal groups moving around the country seeking both to influence and in some cases gain autonomy from the newly formed authority. One such group was the Karen National Defence Organisation who quickly mobilised and struck out, seizing control of the important trading port of Bassein in the Irrawaddy Delta. Their hope was to form their own Karen State and operate independently from fledgling Burmese government and for a time it seemed they might succeed.
The Burmese recognised the fact that almost all its senior Army officers were Karen and all of these men had fought with the British during the war. The new regime, looking to rid the country of any hangover of British influence took urgent and in some cases brutal steps to remedy the situation. This resulted in former comrades, including those who had served in both Chindit expeditions, now facing each other in the field.