´óÏó´«Ã½

--------------------------------------------------

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Bramley History Society and has been added to the website on behalf of Alfred Haygarth with his permission and he fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

--------------------------------------------------

I was born in Lancashire and my elder brother was in the first lot of the Militia to be called up, and I longed to join up as well. I had left school aged fourteen where I had been a schoolboy international footballer and I was six foot four inches tall.
When I was fifteen I joined the King’s Own Royal Regiment and was sent to France. I was sent back to England immediately when they found out I was under age and not allowed in the firing line. Aged sixteen I got as far as Dover. I was then posted to the 5th Battalion Border Regiment at Whitehaven, Cumbria which was a Territorial regiment and would not be sent out of England.
In 1942 I was sent to India as a corporal with the Border Regiment Territorials. Then I was chosen to go to Burma under the command of General Orde Wingate, who called his forces ‘The Chindits’, in the time I served there was little contact with the outside world or relatives at home.
We operated in deep forest and were constantly wet, often behind enemy lines, we were always on foot, and used mules to carry our things. All navigation was done by compass, food supplies were dropped every three days by parachute. A tent held eight to ten men and we slept on paliases filled with straw. We beat them each night to check for snakes! Often two pals would sleep in a bivouac.
There was fierce hand-to-hand fighting with the Japanese, many men were killed and they buried them in the forests, and neither side took prisoners. My brother was also in Burma and I later learnt that he and a friend, who had been captured, tried to escape and were recaptured. The Japanese flogged my brother to death, whilst his friend watched. Strong bonds were formed amongst the men, I was offered promotion, but preferred to stay with my comrades.
In 1945 I returned home by boat. The sick and wounded were flown back.
I had three months service left to do and I was posted at St Luke’s Hospital, Guildford that was still a military Hospital. I did office work and dealt with supplies, and it was there I met my wife who was a nurse, and we were married in 1947.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.