大象传媒

The latter part of March 1944 the West Yorkshire Regiment who comprised part of the 5th Indian Division, the Div. Sign being a round red circle surmounted by a black square, (better known in soldiers terms as the Flaming Arsehole). The Division were flown into an airstrip called Dimapur in the north east of India. From here we were transported by road first to Kohima and then on to Imphal. 50 years later April 7th 1994 I once again landed at Dimapur, this time as a civilian carrying a camera not F.M.S.O. our party consisted of a few veterans along with a small number who also had various interests at these last bastions of the Japanese advance namely Kohima and Imphal.
Arriving at Dimapur we were given an armed escort and so they remained with us until we departed from Imphal by air on the 12th April, the weapons carried by our escort consisted of Lee Enfield Rifles and Bren Guns. (probably passed their best).
My memory holding good after such a passage of time Dimapur remained pretty much the same Bamboo Bashas and small gardens bordering each side of the road. Kohima has greatly altered in status it is now the capital of Naga Land bursting with a population of over one million people. The country side around has been completely stipped of jungle and the hillsides are terraced by roads also a moderate form of houses. There is a piped water supply also a very unreliable electricity supply. Television has also spread its tentacles to this remote place, but of course viewing is in the hands of the electric power.
The education seems to be taken care of reasonably well as most of the children attend school, fortunatley there is also a university for further advancement, incidently English being one of the main subjects taught.
8th April - On this date we visited the War Cemetery which is built on Kohima Ridge where the Royal West Kents held out against overwhelming Japanese numbers thus halting their invasion of India. The cemeteries built on the hillside, terraced with lawns and flower beds all well attended, another place that will be for ever ENGLAND. Then we toured Kohima by coach visiting Garrison Hill, Kiki-Piquet and other features of the area which witnessed serious fighting.
9th April - Once again we are off sightseeing before lunch visiting the new Cathedral, a memorial stone for the Royal Scots Regiment also an old Lee Grant Tank remaining exactly where it was finally put out of action, this tank is now a memorial. That afternoon a service of Remembrance was held at the cemetery, present was a Military Band and Escort in full dress, this was most impressive also very nostalgic also in attendance there was a vast number of Nagas who had come along to pay their respects. After this another moving service was held at the 2nd Division Memorial this lies at the foot of Kohima Ridge.
The town is dominated by the Dimapur Imphal Road which goes right through its centre, trucks of all shapes and sizes rumble along most of which carry timber and firewood. Buses are quite common here too, (they call them buses I myself term them as wrecks). One of the main industries appears to be assembling transport from chassis, bodies, engines and wheels - old bits and pieces which had they been in this country would have been confined to a scrap yard long ago.
10th April - Another day journey once more by road from Kohima to Imphal a distance of approximately 90 miles, time taken seven and a half hours, what a ride! what a road!
very little different from 50 years ago. It is a little wider with an untold number of live bodies toiling away keeping it open with everything being done by hand even the mixing of concrete. Once more there are lots of small villages bordering the road, the jungle being conspicuous by its absence, the hillsides are covered by huge brown scars, in some places attempts have been made at cultivation and then abandoned so consequently bushes scrub and secondary growth are attempting to reclaim what was theirs in the first place.
At Kanglatongbi we stopped to pay our respects at a memorial in memory of a number of Royal Engineers who were at the recieving end of the onslaught by the little yellow men when they first cut the road at the Imphal end in 1944.
11th April - Since our departure from Calcutta we have been living, or for better words existing on an Indian Vegetarian diet and bottled mineral water, this might be alright for some but certainly not for HENRY. As a point of interest there is no BEER available either - THE COUNTRY IS DRY (bring on the Char Wallah).
This morning we made a personal visit to the Imphal Cemetery, followed a short while later by a service of Remembrance, one more by a Military Band and the escort of the Assam Rifles, once more this was a very heart rendering experience. In this cemetery 129 comrades of my old Regiment (West Yorks) rest in peace, wreathes of poppies were placed on the Memorial and on individual graves, respects were also paid at the Indian Services Cemetery. At this point I took a number of photographs. Imphal has also increased in size it now has a population of 750,000 people far larger than 50 years ago, but has failed to move with the times, the hotel here has the honour to date of being the worst we have been accomodated at.
12th April - Today we sallied forth on a short coach tour down the Tiddim Road as far as Bishenpur, (The mention of the Tiddim Road should I imagine bring back memories to you who have passed this way). Well let me tell you something it is nothing to write home about, a big smelly village, with an equally foul smelling market nothing would induce me to buy anything here. We went along the Silchar track as far as possible in the coach after which it is only negotiable by Jeep or Mule - Oh happy days.
This statement will please you! The sons of nip are back in Bishenpur - they are having a large war memorial erected here, some of our party went over and had a look at it, but not I, for my inner concience would not allow me to go so I remained in the bus. On returning from this trip, the afternoon being upon us it was time to take our departure from Imphal landing in Calcutta late in the evening.
13th April - I spend most of this day in Calcutta it is another stinking city, literally teeming with people and traffic, beggars and buck she wallahs by the thousands, shanty towns all over the place, any peice of open ground houses them, they even live on the traffic islands, this city has gone backward, the cow still roams at large, the inhabitants wash and bathe wherever there is water.
13th April - We departed by air from Calcutta bound for Delhi, my first time here and having a certain amount of free time I took the opportunity to go sight seeing, this was a pleasure for it was in my mind far superior to Calcutta. This city possesses some remarkable fine old buildings also plenty of open spaces but having said that it still has a fair share of poverty.
14th April - Wandered around a little more seeing what I could for it is doubtful if I shall pass this way again. Before leaving this city which will I am sure at the very mention of it conjure up memories of days of long ago, we attended a reception given by the British Military Adviser to India. (That is a Plum Job). After this we left for Heathrow arriving on the morning of the 15th April.
This was a most exhausting tour from the very first day, all told we would have travelled something like 17,000 miles, spent hours just waiting at airports and time wasted by Indian red tape. As I have said earlier food and drink was one of our major problems.
In conculsion I would like to say - we all got along very well calling each other by our christian names, almost immediately this made a much friendlier attitude amongst the party. The party consisted of 29 plus a Doctor a Nurse, Standard Bearer and Escort of the party itself a Major General and his lady. 2 ex Battn. Commanders, relatives of men who had died and some veterans like myself.
All the cemeteries we visited were in most excellent condition every credit due to the War Graves Commission with the assistance of some of the local people. I am pleased that I went on this pilgrimage, I shall not be going again, unfortunately trying to recognise landmarks of 50 years ago was almost an impossibility. So now I wonder how we lived and fought in a country like that - we must have been mad - WELL WEREN'T WE.
Just been informed that R.H.Q. P.W.O. York would be pleased if I can furnish them with any information and photographs of this tour I will attempt to do my best to give the relevant information.

HENRY FOSTER
2nd Battn. West Yorkshire Regiment.

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