Pte. Daniel Burns
Pte. Daniel Burns of 142 Commando.
Daniel Burns has always been an intriguing character for me during my research, as he was one of the very few British soldiers from Column 3 (a unit mostly comprised of Gurkha Rifles) to be taken prisoner in 1943. Information about Daniel is scarce in regard to his time as a POW, but he is mentioned in Wingate's full report on the operation under the demolition squads section.
He was part of the Demolition Squad in Column 3 and as such had duties involving the laying of explosives etc. The Column's most important task was to blow up the railway tracks and bridge at a place called Nankan. This incident would be mentioned in all the books about Operation Longcloth and certainly in any book written by or about Major Mike Calvert.
Thankfully, there are some Missing in Action reports which refer to Pte. Burns and his loss from the column on 05/04/1943, whilst the men were attempting to return to India. He was most likely captured at this point and held at one of the many local transitional camps before being sent on to Maymyo where all the Chindits were being gathered together.
Eventually some 200 or more captured Chindits were sent on to Rangoon Jail, where Daniel died in Block 6 on 04/11/1943. He would have been buried first in the English Cantonment Cemetery close to the jail, after the war all the graves were moved, to what is now Rangoon War Cemetery. Daniel's POW number was 469, but that is all I know about his time as a POW. There are record cards for many of the Chindit POW's held at the National Archives, but sadly there does not seem to be one for Daniel.
As mentioned earlier, Daniel was part of the Demolition Squad under the overall leadership of Lieutenant Jefferey G. Lockett, previously of the Seaforth Highlanders and a Wine Merchant from Liverpool in civilian life before the war began. Lockett had proven to be a tough and resilient soldier during his WW2 service and was known amongst the Chindits as an eccentric, this was mostly for his incessant use of 'snuff' and his insistence in wearing the Seaforth's regimental kilt whilst marching through the jungles of Burma. Nankan was an important objective for the men of Column 3 and it was here that they did their best and most effective work during the operation of 1943.
Calvert and his men reached Nankan on the 6th March, his orders were to destroy the large bridge situated just outside of the town as well as blowing up several sections of the railway itself. The Major spilt his party into two sections, he took his men forward to the railway line where they commenced laying 'gun cotton' explosives at 100 yard intervals, meanwhile Lockett, Burns and company took care of the three span steel girder bridge which stretched over the chaung (small river or stream). It wasn't long before an almighty explosion was heard by Calvert and his men, as the sound of Lockett's handy work reverberated for miles around.
Unfortunately the Column's activities had not gone unnoticed in the local area and it wasn't long before two lorry loads of Japanese soldiers arrived on the scene. Calvert had posted roadblocks at either end of the village and the enemy was swiftly dealt with, not wishing to hang around any longer the Chindits moved away eastwards toward the Irrawaddy River. Several men were awarded gallantry medals for their participation at Nankan and other actions during Column 3's journey in 1943, this included Lieutenant Lockett who received a Military Cross.
Shown below is Lieutenant Lockett's report on the activities of the Demolition team from Column 3 during Operation Longcloth. The report is part of a debrief for the operation describing the positive experiences learned and often the failures too. Please click on a thumbnail to bring the page forward, apologies for the quality of some of the images. Please click pause to read any one page at a time. The report has one confusing error in regard to dates, the Nankan demolitions took place on the 6th of March and not the 6th of April as stated on page one of the report. Pte. Burns is mentioned as being lost on April 6th in the last paragraph on page one and again on page four as part of CSM Blain's team when laying 'booby-traps' on the road out to a place called Sinlamaung.
He was part of the Demolition Squad in Column 3 and as such had duties involving the laying of explosives etc. The Column's most important task was to blow up the railway tracks and bridge at a place called Nankan. This incident would be mentioned in all the books about Operation Longcloth and certainly in any book written by or about Major Mike Calvert.
Thankfully, there are some Missing in Action reports which refer to Pte. Burns and his loss from the column on 05/04/1943, whilst the men were attempting to return to India. He was most likely captured at this point and held at one of the many local transitional camps before being sent on to Maymyo where all the Chindits were being gathered together.
Eventually some 200 or more captured Chindits were sent on to Rangoon Jail, where Daniel died in Block 6 on 04/11/1943. He would have been buried first in the English Cantonment Cemetery close to the jail, after the war all the graves were moved, to what is now Rangoon War Cemetery. Daniel's POW number was 469, but that is all I know about his time as a POW. There are record cards for many of the Chindit POW's held at the National Archives, but sadly there does not seem to be one for Daniel.
As mentioned earlier, Daniel was part of the Demolition Squad under the overall leadership of Lieutenant Jefferey G. Lockett, previously of the Seaforth Highlanders and a Wine Merchant from Liverpool in civilian life before the war began. Lockett had proven to be a tough and resilient soldier during his WW2 service and was known amongst the Chindits as an eccentric, this was mostly for his incessant use of 'snuff' and his insistence in wearing the Seaforth's regimental kilt whilst marching through the jungles of Burma. Nankan was an important objective for the men of Column 3 and it was here that they did their best and most effective work during the operation of 1943.
Calvert and his men reached Nankan on the 6th March, his orders were to destroy the large bridge situated just outside of the town as well as blowing up several sections of the railway itself. The Major spilt his party into two sections, he took his men forward to the railway line where they commenced laying 'gun cotton' explosives at 100 yard intervals, meanwhile Lockett, Burns and company took care of the three span steel girder bridge which stretched over the chaung (small river or stream). It wasn't long before an almighty explosion was heard by Calvert and his men, as the sound of Lockett's handy work reverberated for miles around.
Unfortunately the Column's activities had not gone unnoticed in the local area and it wasn't long before two lorry loads of Japanese soldiers arrived on the scene. Calvert had posted roadblocks at either end of the village and the enemy was swiftly dealt with, not wishing to hang around any longer the Chindits moved away eastwards toward the Irrawaddy River. Several men were awarded gallantry medals for their participation at Nankan and other actions during Column 3's journey in 1943, this included Lieutenant Lockett who received a Military Cross.
Shown below is Lieutenant Lockett's report on the activities of the Demolition team from Column 3 during Operation Longcloth. The report is part of a debrief for the operation describing the positive experiences learned and often the failures too. Please click on a thumbnail to bring the page forward, apologies for the quality of some of the images. Please click pause to read any one page at a time. The report has one confusing error in regard to dates, the Nankan demolitions took place on the 6th of March and not the 6th of April as stated on page one of the report. Pte. Burns is mentioned as being lost on April 6th in the last paragraph on page one and again on page four as part of CSM Blain's team when laying 'booby-traps' on the road out to a place called Sinlamaung.
Below is a very short excerpt from a recording I made with Denis Gudgeon in March 2008 whilst walking through the village of Namkwin in Burma. We were discussing how Lieutenant W. Petersen, the only Danish participant on Operation Longcloth, and his platoon from Column 7 had joined up with Calvert at Nankan. This then led Denis to describe where he was at the time of the explosions. Please excuse the poor quality of the recording and the noise from the village chickens in the background.
There are two witness statements detailing the disappearance of Daniel Burns in early April 1943. The first comes from Pte. C. Speight and the other from Pte. G. Hammond. Both men were with Daniel as the column broke up into smaller dispersal units on the return journey back to India and all three soldiers were with Major Calvert's dispersal party. Although the dates vary slightly, both accounts tell of how Daniel was given orders to check the pathway to be taken by the group about 10 miles or so from the same railway they had previously demolished just 4 weeks earlier. He had gone off alone to reconnoitre the area and had not returned, Calvert sent out search parties and waited for over 5 hours, but he never rejoined the group and eventually they moved off westward.
It is highly likely that Daniel became disorientated along those jungle paths and tracks and could not find his way back to the main group. I would think that he would have been captured by either a Japanese patrol or possibly a group of Burmese villagers fairly quickly after becoming lost, otherwise he would almost certainly of been found by the search parties sent out by Major Calvert. Aggressive groups of Burmese villagers often turned over captured Chindits to the Japanese in their area, sometimes for monetary gain, sometimes just to keep the Japanese on side.
Below is a photograph of the actual witness statement report as given by Ptes. Speight and Hammond (both these soldiers were also part of the 142 Commando Platoon for Column 3 on Operation Longcloth).
It is highly likely that Daniel became disorientated along those jungle paths and tracks and could not find his way back to the main group. I would think that he would have been captured by either a Japanese patrol or possibly a group of Burmese villagers fairly quickly after becoming lost, otherwise he would almost certainly of been found by the search parties sent out by Major Calvert. Aggressive groups of Burmese villagers often turned over captured Chindits to the Japanese in their area, sometimes for monetary gain, sometimes just to keep the Japanese on side.
Below is a photograph of the actual witness statement report as given by Ptes. Speight and Hammond (both these soldiers were also part of the 142 Commando Platoon for Column 3 on Operation Longcloth).
Witness Statement for Daniel Burns.
Daniel would have been held for a time at the local Japanese garrison and interrogated by the senior officer present there. All surviving Chindit POW's have remarked about their treatment at this early stage in their captivity and how on the whole their treatment was decent on initial capture, but that this grew steadily worse as they were moved on from holding camp to holding camp. Nearly all the Chindit POW's were sent to a large concentration camp at Maymyo, it was here that they quickly realised what being a prisoner to the Japanese was all about. To read more about their time in captivity and at the Maymyo Camp in particular, click on the following links to separate pages on this website:
Chindit POW's
Maymyo Cemetery
As mentioned earlier there is very little documentation in regard to Pte. Burns and his time as a prisoner of war. There is sadly no Japanese index card for Daniel, which would probably have shown his ultimate cause of death in Block 6 of Rangoon Jail on the 4th November 1943. The only information I can find is his name on the second page of the official list of 'Chindit deaths, Block 6', held at the Imperial War Museum in London. It simply states his date of death and his POW number for Rangoon Jail which was 469. Alongside the entry for his grave number there is only a dash, it must be assumed that he was buried on a day when more than one funeral took place and his exact place of burial went unrecorded or the record was misplaced. He would have been buried in the English Cantonment Cemetery near the Royal Lakes in the eastern sector of the city.
On Daniel's grave memorial plaque, which can be viewed toward the end of this story, it has inscribed upon it the legend 'Buried Near this Spot'. This inscription can be seen on over 60 of the Chindit graves in Rangoon War Cemetery and refers to the men whose remains could not be precisely identified on exhumation from the Cantonment Cemetery after the war, both Daniel Burns and my own grandfather are amongst these men.
Below is a photograph of a segment from page two of the list of deaths in Block 6 of Rangoon Jail including the details for Pte. D. Burns.
Chindit POW's
Maymyo Cemetery
As mentioned earlier there is very little documentation in regard to Pte. Burns and his time as a prisoner of war. There is sadly no Japanese index card for Daniel, which would probably have shown his ultimate cause of death in Block 6 of Rangoon Jail on the 4th November 1943. The only information I can find is his name on the second page of the official list of 'Chindit deaths, Block 6', held at the Imperial War Museum in London. It simply states his date of death and his POW number for Rangoon Jail which was 469. Alongside the entry for his grave number there is only a dash, it must be assumed that he was buried on a day when more than one funeral took place and his exact place of burial went unrecorded or the record was misplaced. He would have been buried in the English Cantonment Cemetery near the Royal Lakes in the eastern sector of the city.
On Daniel's grave memorial plaque, which can be viewed toward the end of this story, it has inscribed upon it the legend 'Buried Near this Spot'. This inscription can be seen on over 60 of the Chindit graves in Rangoon War Cemetery and refers to the men whose remains could not be precisely identified on exhumation from the Cantonment Cemetery after the war, both Daniel Burns and my own grandfather are amongst these men.
Below is a photograph of a segment from page two of the list of deaths in Block 6 of Rangoon Jail including the details for Pte. D. Burns.
Death lists, Block 6, Rangoon Jail.
Daniel seen (I think) in the uniform of the Lancashire Fusiliers.
For so many of the families back in WW2 very little news or information was readily available about the fate of men or women who had become 'missing in action' or who had been reported as probable prisoners of war. Daniel's family suffered the same agonising wait for information.
They must of received the sad news of his death at some point in 1944 judging by this transcription from a local newspaper notice written that year.
"Pte. Daniel Burns (30), King's Regiment, has died whilst a prisoner in Japanese hands. Although he died last November, news has only just been received by his widow and two children.
He joined the forces in 1940 and before that was employed by the Littleborough Oil Works. The family are from Eagley."
The newspaper article came with a photo of Pte. Burns in the uniform of the King's Regiment. The photo seen to the left shows Daniel in the uniform of the Lancashire Fusiliers, that is judging by the cap badge shown, however, his Army service number suggests he was originally drafted into 'The Loyal Regiment'. Only his full service records will have the answers to these observations.
Daniel Burns was the son of Daniel Moran and Elizabeth Burns and was born on the 18th December 1914 in Littleborough (near Rochdale), Lancashire. He lived with his family at 2 Cloughfield Cottages in Littleborough. Daniel, with his piercing blue eyes and brown hair was only 5' 4" in height and weighed around 120 lbs, but he was a very strong and tough character, coming as he did from an outdoor labouring background.
He had met and married Lillian Ellis, a cotton mill worker from Walsden, Yorkshire in August 1937, they had two children the youngest being Patricia, who was born in June 1942. The family have told me that Daniel was a kind and loving husband and father, who adored his children above all else. Patricia was only 18 months old when he left to go overseas, he told his wife that he feared he would not be returning from India and that he wished he could put his daughter into his kit bag and take her with him.
Daniel was known as Danny Moran in his home town before the war, but enlisted into the Army using his mother's name of Burns as this was the name stated on his official birth certificate. On the War Memorial Cenotaph in Littleborough his inscription has him down as Daniel B. Moran, with the B standing for 'Burns'. He is remembered and buried in Rangoon War Cemetery in Burma, his grave memorial plaque can be seen below and lies in Plot 9 along with his fellow Chindit comrades and just two graves down from my own grandfather.
For more information about Rangoon War Cemetery, please click on the link below, the details for Rangoon War Cemetery can be found about half way down that page: Rangoon War Cemetery
They must of received the sad news of his death at some point in 1944 judging by this transcription from a local newspaper notice written that year.
"Pte. Daniel Burns (30), King's Regiment, has died whilst a prisoner in Japanese hands. Although he died last November, news has only just been received by his widow and two children.
He joined the forces in 1940 and before that was employed by the Littleborough Oil Works. The family are from Eagley."
The newspaper article came with a photo of Pte. Burns in the uniform of the King's Regiment. The photo seen to the left shows Daniel in the uniform of the Lancashire Fusiliers, that is judging by the cap badge shown, however, his Army service number suggests he was originally drafted into 'The Loyal Regiment'. Only his full service records will have the answers to these observations.
Daniel Burns was the son of Daniel Moran and Elizabeth Burns and was born on the 18th December 1914 in Littleborough (near Rochdale), Lancashire. He lived with his family at 2 Cloughfield Cottages in Littleborough. Daniel, with his piercing blue eyes and brown hair was only 5' 4" in height and weighed around 120 lbs, but he was a very strong and tough character, coming as he did from an outdoor labouring background.
He had met and married Lillian Ellis, a cotton mill worker from Walsden, Yorkshire in August 1937, they had two children the youngest being Patricia, who was born in June 1942. The family have told me that Daniel was a kind and loving husband and father, who adored his children above all else. Patricia was only 18 months old when he left to go overseas, he told his wife that he feared he would not be returning from India and that he wished he could put his daughter into his kit bag and take her with him.
Daniel was known as Danny Moran in his home town before the war, but enlisted into the Army using his mother's name of Burns as this was the name stated on his official birth certificate. On the War Memorial Cenotaph in Littleborough his inscription has him down as Daniel B. Moran, with the B standing for 'Burns'. He is remembered and buried in Rangoon War Cemetery in Burma, his grave memorial plaque can be seen below and lies in Plot 9 along with his fellow Chindit comrades and just two graves down from my own grandfather.
For more information about Rangoon War Cemetery, please click on the link below, the details for Rangoon War Cemetery can be found about half way down that page: Rangoon War Cemetery
Memorial Plaque of Pte. D. Burns, Rangoon War Cemetery.
Update 10/02/2013.
From the 142 Commando War Diary (January 1943), here is the full list of names for the commando personnel who served in Column 3 that year. Of the men listed Daniel Burns seems to be the only casualty, all the others managed one way or another to reach the safety of the Indian border and some even served in the Chindit operation the following year.
Also shown below is a map of the Nankan and Bonchaung (Column 5) demolitions, pointing out the positions of the various groups involved and giving a good overview of the column movements. The map is also a good indication of how close the two Chindit columns were to each other at that time and why in some written accounts they joyfully remark about hearing each other's handy work.
From the 142 Commando War Diary (January 1943), here is the full list of names for the commando personnel who served in Column 3 that year. Of the men listed Daniel Burns seems to be the only casualty, all the others managed one way or another to reach the safety of the Indian border and some even served in the Chindit operation the following year.
Also shown below is a map of the Nankan and Bonchaung (Column 5) demolitions, pointing out the positions of the various groups involved and giving a good overview of the column movements. The map is also a good indication of how close the two Chindit columns were to each other at that time and why in some written accounts they joyfully remark about hearing each other's handy work.
Column 3, 142 Commando personnel.
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Map of the demolitions at Nankan and Bonchaung.
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Update 16/04/2014
Seen below are a new selection of images relating to Daniel Burns and his story. Firstly, an aerial photograph of Littleborough, his home town which is near Rochdale, showing the industrial make up of the area and possibly the location of the Oil Works where he was employed.
This image is courtesy of the website 'Britain from Above' and was taken in 1925.
The next two images show Daniel's inscription upon the Littleborough War Memorial and the memorial itself. As mentioned earlier in this story he is remembered upon the memorial as Daniel B. Moran, this being his father's surname and with the 'B' representing his mother's maiden name of Burns.
Lastly, an image of his Army Last Will and Testament which he set up and signed in August of 1941. This document shows that he bequeathed all his property and monies to his wife Lillian and records their home address as 12 Wilfred Street, Eagley near Bolton. It also shows that Daniel served with the 10th Battalion, the Loyal Regiment before he was posted to the 13th King's in 1942. The Will is witnessed by a man named J. Bowyer of Manor Drive, Marston, which is located in Northwich, Cheshire. I wonder if J. Bowyer was a Army comrade of Daniel's and whether he too went to India and served with the Chindits?
Seen below are a new selection of images relating to Daniel Burns and his story. Firstly, an aerial photograph of Littleborough, his home town which is near Rochdale, showing the industrial make up of the area and possibly the location of the Oil Works where he was employed.
This image is courtesy of the website 'Britain from Above' and was taken in 1925.
The next two images show Daniel's inscription upon the Littleborough War Memorial and the memorial itself. As mentioned earlier in this story he is remembered upon the memorial as Daniel B. Moran, this being his father's surname and with the 'B' representing his mother's maiden name of Burns.
Lastly, an image of his Army Last Will and Testament which he set up and signed in August of 1941. This document shows that he bequeathed all his property and monies to his wife Lillian and records their home address as 12 Wilfred Street, Eagley near Bolton. It also shows that Daniel served with the 10th Battalion, the Loyal Regiment before he was posted to the 13th King's in 1942. The Will is witnessed by a man named J. Bowyer of Manor Drive, Marston, which is located in Northwich, Cheshire. I wonder if J. Bowyer was a Army comrade of Daniel's and whether he too went to India and served with the Chindits?
An aerial photograph of Littleborough circa 1925.
Littleborough War Memorial.
Daniel's inscription upon the Littleborough War Memorial.
A page from Daniel's Army Will, showing the family details of his wife Lillian Burns.
My thanks must go to Geoff Siddall and Patricia France (Daniel's daughter) for helping me compile this story about an extremely brave soldier and father.
Update 29/05/2016.
Another eye witness account has come to light, that describes the moment Daniel Burns went missing on or about 5-7th April 1943. Squadron Leader Robert Thompson, who is mentioned in both the missing reports by given by Ptes. Speight and Hammond, put down his Chindit memories in the book 'Make for the Hills', which was published in 1989. In the auto-biography, he recounts 3 Column's difficulties in getting over the Irrawaddy, with a Japanese patrol at their heels and then the unit's arduous journey through very dry country immediately after the river crossing. It was shortly after this time that Daniel was lost.
Robert Thompson:
We had no problem towing the mules over the river, including one of Mike's called Mabel. By dusk we were making for the hills on the west side of the river.
Our elation at such an easy crossing of the major obstacle did not last as we found ourselves in a very dry area and were soon out of water. Taffy's (Lt. William Douglas Griffiths of the Burma Rifles) group had separated but Mike and I were still together. We finally came on a dry river bed and found damp in one sandy corner. Frantic digging produced a slow seepage. It took a long time to water everyone and we stayed for several hours. It was here that we killed my third mule and everyone had a good meal. We dried some of the meat so that there was biltong to chew for two days. For breakfast I used to fill a mug half-full with dhal from the night before and soak it in water. By the next morning it was a soggy mess but edible.
At this halt one of the commandos on sentry duty about 100 yards away just disappeared. He must have wandered off and been unable to find his way back. We searched and called for him in vain. We were of course all fairly light-headed at the time. We had given up moving at night and used to start walking at dawn, rest for an hour round midday and stop before dusk where there was good cover and preferably water, but we took every opportunity to fill water bottles, even from buffalo wallows.
Update 29/05/2016.
Another eye witness account has come to light, that describes the moment Daniel Burns went missing on or about 5-7th April 1943. Squadron Leader Robert Thompson, who is mentioned in both the missing reports by given by Ptes. Speight and Hammond, put down his Chindit memories in the book 'Make for the Hills', which was published in 1989. In the auto-biography, he recounts 3 Column's difficulties in getting over the Irrawaddy, with a Japanese patrol at their heels and then the unit's arduous journey through very dry country immediately after the river crossing. It was shortly after this time that Daniel was lost.
Robert Thompson:
We had no problem towing the mules over the river, including one of Mike's called Mabel. By dusk we were making for the hills on the west side of the river.
Our elation at such an easy crossing of the major obstacle did not last as we found ourselves in a very dry area and were soon out of water. Taffy's (Lt. William Douglas Griffiths of the Burma Rifles) group had separated but Mike and I were still together. We finally came on a dry river bed and found damp in one sandy corner. Frantic digging produced a slow seepage. It took a long time to water everyone and we stayed for several hours. It was here that we killed my third mule and everyone had a good meal. We dried some of the meat so that there was biltong to chew for two days. For breakfast I used to fill a mug half-full with dhal from the night before and soak it in water. By the next morning it was a soggy mess but edible.
At this halt one of the commandos on sentry duty about 100 yards away just disappeared. He must have wandered off and been unable to find his way back. We searched and called for him in vain. We were of course all fairly light-headed at the time. We had given up moving at night and used to start walking at dawn, rest for an hour round midday and stop before dusk where there was good cover and preferably water, but we took every opportunity to fill water bottles, even from buffalo wallows.
Update 28/11/2020.
I was delighted to receive an email contact from Luke France, who is the great grandson of Daniel Burns:
Hello,
My great grandad served in WW11, he was in the 13th Battalion, the King's Liverpool Regiment. I don’t have a lot of information on him but I am aware he was a Chindit and died in Burma on the 4th of November 1943. I just wanted to reach out to find out some more information. His name was Daniel Burns.
I replied:
Hi Luke,
I have written Daniel's story already on the website and his daughter Patricia made contact with me about six years ago. Here is a link to his brave story: https://www.chinditslongcloth1943.com/pte-daniel-burns.html
If you or the family have anything more you can add, then please do let me know. Another photograph would be fantastic.
Best wishes, Steve.
Luke replied:
Thank you so much for this information Steve. Patricia was my Nan and she sadly passed away a few years ago. I used to sit with her for hours talking about her father and the Chindits. I will let you know if I do find any more information out and hopefully in the coming years I can visit Burma as this was my Nana's dream.
I again replied:
Hi Luke,
I was sorry to hear about your Nan. She was obviously very proud of her Dad, as you should be too. I hope you get to Burma one day soon and see Daniel's grave at Rangoon War Cemetery. Myanmar is a beautiful country although politically troubled as you may have seen on the news over the last few years. My grandfather is also buried in the same cemetery as Daniel and I was able to take my Mum out there in 2008 to visit where he lies. It was an emotional moment for our family but very worthwhile.
Best wishes and take care. Steve
I was delighted to receive an email contact from Luke France, who is the great grandson of Daniel Burns:
Hello,
My great grandad served in WW11, he was in the 13th Battalion, the King's Liverpool Regiment. I don’t have a lot of information on him but I am aware he was a Chindit and died in Burma on the 4th of November 1943. I just wanted to reach out to find out some more information. His name was Daniel Burns.
I replied:
Hi Luke,
I have written Daniel's story already on the website and his daughter Patricia made contact with me about six years ago. Here is a link to his brave story: https://www.chinditslongcloth1943.com/pte-daniel-burns.html
If you or the family have anything more you can add, then please do let me know. Another photograph would be fantastic.
Best wishes, Steve.
Luke replied:
Thank you so much for this information Steve. Patricia was my Nan and she sadly passed away a few years ago. I used to sit with her for hours talking about her father and the Chindits. I will let you know if I do find any more information out and hopefully in the coming years I can visit Burma as this was my Nana's dream.
I again replied:
Hi Luke,
I was sorry to hear about your Nan. She was obviously very proud of her Dad, as you should be too. I hope you get to Burma one day soon and see Daniel's grave at Rangoon War Cemetery. Myanmar is a beautiful country although politically troubled as you may have seen on the news over the last few years. My grandfather is also buried in the same cemetery as Daniel and I was able to take my Mum out there in 2008 to visit where he lies. It was an emotional moment for our family but very worthwhile.
Best wishes and take care. Steve
Copyright © Steve Fogden 2013/14.