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October 1944 - Burma
Went from Chittagong to Ramry island in Burma. Here they used to run naked from their tents into the sea every morning for a wash. One morning an officer bought some women to look and the chaps, embarrassed had to stay in the sea. Dad says

’it was alright for the officer who was obviously doing it on purpose but there were sharks in those waters!’

White women were a very rare sight. Men used to cook own suppers on a petrol can. The sand was soaked with petrol which they then stirred. Dad was with the advanced party at Ramry which meant they had to put the tents up. There was a smell as putting some of the tents up. Someone was emptying petrol on the grass. A welsh chap said to another, have a fag, they lit up, dad was on the floor knocking pegs in., Dad turned round to see the click of the light and the tent disappear in a blinding flash. The two of them went to hospital, dad lost his chest hair and eyebrows. Dad just wearing his shorts and sandals. They didn't die. A vapour exploded not the petrol, this had risen and formed a cloud in the tent. Went bang high up in the tent. Cos dad was crouched on the floor banging pegs in he escaped okay.

‘I Don't remember ever seeing them again though’.
Parry was the name of the Welsh one. Was on Ramry island for 3 months. Went out of Ramry on one trip - kicking the stuff out of the side doors over Burma. Remember seeing a shark ten miles in land in a river in a Chung an inlet off the sea, from the plane. Spent three months on Ramry island.

At some point during his time in Burma dad came under fire in an aircraft and was wounded -

‘I’d gone up and we were kicking stuff out of a Dakota at 90 ft off the ground. They were supplies for the British Army. A Japanese shot at us, he must have been in a tree and there was an explosion in the aircraft. I got some frag in my back and an Indian who was with us got hit in the shoulder. The pilot said ‘We’ve had some chocolate, lets get out’. We had no weapons and no parachutes. When we got back we had to keep quiet about it all, I wasnt supposed to be on the trip and would have been courtmarshalled. I was in maintenance and not supposed to go up to where the fighting was, I wanted to go for the trip though... When I was hit I thought I was dead for a few seconds, I could feel the blood flowing down my back cos I had no shirt on’

Dec 1944
Arrived at Mhawbi and were there for ? From Mhawbi it was the offensive to Rangoon, and then to Thaliand and the Bangkok Mulmain railway - the death railway. Were dropping propaganda leaflets for the Burmese and Thai populace about the Japs. They showed the Japs as a snake coming up the country. Showed a huge snake covering the country and the allies kicking it out. The planes that dad looked after carried food, ammunition, men, mules, ‘even Chinese bloomin ornaments’. Not very happy about the last of these. Remember a Chinese woman - someone important. Had to go on duty for her at night having worked all day. This was when Japs fighting Chinese. This woman had large importance a v.i.p Chinese. Prob at Mhawbi. 10 yr war between China and Japan. Dad had 6 Jap prisoners later. One spoke good English had been away for 9 yes, showed dad a picture of wife and children. Did an engraving out of perspex for dad of Fujiama. Must have had these Japs at Mawbi. By this time the squadron had broken up, after having picked up POW’s from the British army at Bangkok.

Dad flew to Bangkok to pick them up. They were brought in on Jap lorries from the camps. All fo them had worked on the Death railway......

‘They were walking skeletons, standing up in a suit of patches’.

Dad couldnt believe his eyes. They showed the prisoners newspapers with V.E day headlines and pictures. The prisoners from the railway had no knowledge that VE day had happened. As they flew back to Rangoon they looked down on the railway the prisoners had built. Whilst dad and the crew looked the prisoners couldnt bring themselves to.

Aug 45 to Aug 46 - the wars over, but not for dad.
Although the war was over Dad stayed on in Burma and Siam until Aug ‘46 from Aug 45 to 46

‘one year - it was the worst yeart of my life’.

Squadron broke up in Aug 45. A miniature coffin with the RAF ribbons was dropped from a plane to signify the end of the sqaudron, it only existed during war time.

The unit was split up, didn't go with any of his unit and was on own. Working with people didn't know and v. miserable. Went to so many places during this time that he lost track. No longer working on aircraft, had to do all sorts e.g carpentry, garage maintenance of lorries etc. Getting the Jap prisoners to work.Really just doing anything to fill the time up. ‘I couldnt sleep at night, felt like I was going round the twist, everything was disjointed, we were just walking round like morons’

Three and a half years all together.

There was the election (1945/6) - we had no idea if our votes would count. The sargeant told us to vote labour, so we did, but didnt really know why.

‘I volunteered to go on and occupy Japan, which would have taken me on to USA but I didnt go cos I was ‘too near the boat’, I’d been out there for nearly four years’

Mom, Monica was very worried during this time as Dad stopped writing.

‘I had jungle sores and an absyss right across my chest’

Had a leave out of Burma and went to Darjeeling all that way. Hitched a flight to Calcutta and then up to Darjeeling.

Dad not really done any driving before. A sergeant instructed dad to take a truck of 50 Japs at Mhwabi airport. A sergeant Jap jumped in a alongside. Off we went, juddering along all over. The old Jap was pointing, Dad worked out what it was the hand break was still on. Huge smile on the Jap sergeants face. Also drove a stacker truck, never done that before.

The first drive ever was on a Chevy truck, must have been after war whilst working in a a garage. Someone said you can drive cant you so dad said ye. Off went by himself in the truck. Driving down a raised rd on a paddy field. Got going on rd but then realised there was no where to turn on this rd. Had ridden motorbikes before. Realised only thing could do was to drive down into paddy field and then back onto the rd. There were no comments when got back to garage. Then driving all sorts - fire engines and petrol tankers and so on.

Dad has strong memories of the Japanese POW’s, particularly the power of the commanding officers. In one incident a soldier ran backwards, rather than turn his back on a senior officer. The POW’s had no knowledge of what was happening in Japan, neither did dad, he got to hear that there had been massive bombing in Japan. Dad thinks he saw a plane fly over at one pointing with a banner proclaiming Japanese cessation.

Another incident in Burma - saw a Cobra coming through the grass right next to him. Told never to get near. So stood absolutely still whilst the snake went passed.

Another time jumped off the wagon in Ramry to revive a Buffalo, the locals thought him mad. He was dying when tried to give him water. Dad used his hat to give water. Was a working Buffalo lying by side of rd.

Elephants in the teak forest in Burma - working as logging etc. Rubber plantations near Chittagong

The night an officer, out of his head on gin took hold of a young soldier and put a gun to his head, ‘the kid was terrified’

Home Coming - Aug 1946

It took 3 weeks to come home. Arrived at midnight in Tilbury docks. They were asked if they had anything to declare. ‘I had 800 cigarrettes. The officer told me that I had to smoke 600 of them by 11 o’clock the next day’ ... ‘My trunk had been soaked in the Bay of Biscay, I spent the next day trying to dry it out, we took the train up to Huntigdon’. Finally Dad arrived in the Bull Ring Birmingham in the early hours of the morning the following day. ‘The place was deserted, I saw an army lorry and waved it down. They were going down the Coventry Road and dropped me off at the Swan Yardley’

Dad walked from The Swan to Monica’s house in full kit at 2 or 3 in the morning. Waiting there were Mom (Monica) and baby Susan, Dad’s niece.

Dad died of Cancer in November 2003. Throughout his illness like everyone, I wondered if I could do more and whether I had made the most of our time together. Knowing I had written started these notes some years earlier and completing them six months before his death was certainly a form of comfort.

- Michael B Clifford May 2004

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