Gallery: Men of Brigade Head Quarters
Below are some photographs of the men of Wingate's own Brigade Head Quarters on Operation Longcloth. Some of them like Seargeant Carey and Captain Aung Thin literally escaped alongside Wingate right up until the point of swimming back across the River Chindwin in April 1943. Others, such as Longmore, Fidler, Hutchins, Tooth and Dermody all found themselves in the last boat to cross the Irrawaddy on the return journey and with the enemy hot on their heels, Longmore was captured, whilst the others escaped by the skin of their teeth.
It is true to say that the men of that last boat have very varied views on the way they were treated by Wingate and the manner in which he had left them after dispersal was called.
Graham Hosegood and Allen Wilding had dispersed together and tried in vain to keep their group of men away from the clutches of the Japanese, but after many days of moving back and forth along the eastern banks of the Irrawaddy and one failed attempted crossing, they were all to become prisoners of war.
George Bell, John Fraser Wilson, Edward Whittaker, Jack Berry and Captain Hastings were part of the HQ for the whole of the Northern Group, led by Lieutenant Colonel S.A. Cooke and should not be confused with the main Brigade HQ.
Please click on image to view personal information caption. NB. I have had to reduce the amount of information written on each caption, this is due to the web host changing the caption position from underneath the image to the new format seen presently. If you are interested in any particular photo then please get in touch using the contact form found on the home page.
It is true to say that the men of that last boat have very varied views on the way they were treated by Wingate and the manner in which he had left them after dispersal was called.
Graham Hosegood and Allen Wilding had dispersed together and tried in vain to keep their group of men away from the clutches of the Japanese, but after many days of moving back and forth along the eastern banks of the Irrawaddy and one failed attempted crossing, they were all to become prisoners of war.
George Bell, John Fraser Wilson, Edward Whittaker, Jack Berry and Captain Hastings were part of the HQ for the whole of the Northern Group, led by Lieutenant Colonel S.A. Cooke and should not be confused with the main Brigade HQ.
Please click on image to view personal information caption. NB. I have had to reduce the amount of information written on each caption, this is due to the web host changing the caption position from underneath the image to the new format seen presently. If you are interested in any particular photo then please get in touch using the contact form found on the home page.
Copyright © Steve Fogden and contributors 2011-14.