大象传媒

It was the beginning of June,1944. The capture of Jail Hill, Naga Village, Arandura Spur and finally Kohima, was exhilarating to us all. The advance of the Japanese had at last been checked and they were now retreating.

It was eighty miles between Kohima and Imphal, and we knew that the Japanese would try their best to prevent us from reaching our objective. We still had three 鈥楽herman鈥� tanks. We knew that the Japanese would do all they could to prevent our advance. And so, protected by an armed escort, the 鈥楶ioneers鈥� cleared the road of mines.

It was General Slim鈥檚 plan for us to proceed lead by the tanks. The 7th Division (Indian) provided protection to the left of us, the 23rd Long Range Penetration Regiment to the right and it was hoped that we, the 2nd Division, would force the Japanese off the road to be ambushed by these two units.

We now had superiority in numbers, artillery and armaments and absolute superiority in the air. But the jungle, the single track treacherous mountain road, and the monsoon, made the advance slow and difficult. Victory was sweet and we were confident having beaten the Japanese once, that we could do it again and get through to Imphal.

With the tanks in front of us, and wary for surprise by the enemy, we had not moved more than several miles along the narrow winding Imphal road, when several fanatical Japanese jumped out of the bushes in front of us. They had mines held to their chests, and eluding the firing from our lads, threw themselves against the sides and front of the first tank. Their mines exploded and they killed themselves in a suicidal attempt to disable the tank.

The second tank opened fire with its machine gun, but the mines had blown a track off the first tank and it was out of action. The crew tumbled out, thankfully all alive. To clear the road we pushed the tank over the edge into the valley thousands of feet below, and we proceeded even more cautiously.

A few miles on, we again came up against Japanese opposition, in much greater strength, and in a defensive position. It took the whole of the 4th Brigade consisting of ourselves, the 7th Worcestershire Regiment, the Dorsetshire Regiment and the Cameron Highlanders, with the support of the artillery, to clear the way ahead. That night we dug in by the road and used the large leaves from a wild banana tree to protect us from the pouring monsoon rain.

Our next encounter with the Japanese was at Maram, where rounding a sharp bend in the road, a shell from a 25mm Japanese gun on a hill to our right, demolished one of our 30cwt trucks. We learnt later this pocket of Japanese with a mobile gun had been ordered to delay our advance for ten days. 鈥楥鈥� Company, 7th Worcestershire Regiment, under the command of Major F.G. Burrell was ordered to clear this obstruction.

Finding a clearing off the road, we 鈥榙ug-in鈥� and made tea, while the Platoon Officers and Sergeants were briefed by Major Burrell. It was early afternoon when 鈥楥鈥� Company set out climbing slowly up the slippery mud-covered side of the hill, urged on by the loud voice of C.S.M. 鈥楥halky鈥� White. It was the unusual situation of an encounter taking place while the rest of the Regiment watched from the road below.

Shots from both sides could be heard while the men from 鈥楥鈥� Company closed in on the enemy. Eventually a runner came back and reported to the Regimental Commanding Officer that the position had been overcome, with only one killed and several wounded. The wounded included the Company Sergeant Major, 鈥楥halky鈥� White who had a bullet through his thigh. Stretcher bearers were sent up to fetch the wounded down. As they appeared there was a cheer for C.S.M. White, who had hobbled down because he said that his 18 stone was too heavy for the stretcher bearers to carry!

The Japanese gun was dismantled and brought down as well and now resides in the Worcester Museum. For this encounter, Major F.G. Burrell was decorated with the Military Cross for 鈥渋nspired leadership, coolness and determination鈥� while C.S.M. J. White received a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his gallantry.

As a result of this encounter the road was now clear to proceed to relieve Imphal, which had been surrounded and under siege for several weeks. On arrival at Imphal we celebrated in the R.A.F. mess where I made friends with a 鈥楽pitfire鈥� pilot, Homar Sinclair. (I still have the photo of him that he gave me) The only alcohol left to drink was 100% rum鈥� we all got drunk! 鈥楥halky鈥� White shot glasses lined up on the rafters with his pet revolver, and we hauled a drunk R.S.M. into the rafters on a 鈥榗harpoy鈥� (an Indian bed).

Quite a night and I have never fancied rum since!

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