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This story is taken from an interview with David Carson Boyd, and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions. The interview and transcription was by Bruce Logan.
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Mr Boyd joined the Royal Artillery in 1942, and served in SE Asia against the Japanese.
He fought at the Battle of Kohima, serving as crew on both Anti-aircraft and heavy artillery.
Once they were under bombardment for a week.
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It was no place for a white man to be!
I didn’t suffer from malaria, because you were getting injections day and night for it. For something!
I was surely.

[Were you not given Leave?]
Well, the only thing was wrong … when you saw anything you see, in case you give your position away. I could have took … there were aircraft coming in to drop messages [and] food.
And I was ready to take the aircraft down. I was told to hold my fire. That’s all I know. Why, I don’t know.

[But the officer who gave the order must have had a good reason]
He must have had. I don’t know why. In case we gave our own position away.

[were you in the 14th Army?]
Yes, 14th Army.

[Under General Slim ... And you were getting supplies in by air?]
The supplies and ammo had to be brought in by air. One time they were dropping by air, and I could have got the [Japanese] aircraft down by AA fire, but I was told to stop in case I’d give our position away.

[The food was just rice?]
You had to take the food that was brought to you, that was dropped.

[Did you have to work with the yanks?]
We worked with the Indians, Americans, the Gurkhas.
We had to get ammunition for those forces.

[who were the best to work with?]
I’d say the Indians were the best fighters of the whole lot of them.

[better than the Gurkhas?]
The Gurkhas was great men.

[And the yanks?]
I wouldn’t say much about the Americans. That’s all I can say about the Americans.

The Gurkhas and the Indians.

[what’s your best memory of the war?]
My best memory was … they were dropping food. The Jap aircraft was firing at it. I was in the position to bring the aircraft down. And I was called from the command post not to do it. To hold fire.

[VJ day celebrations?]
v very little. We were kept behind to look after the islands to see if there was any more japs about. But there wasn’t.

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Mr Boyd was with Lord Louis Mountbatten in 1943-4.
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I fought right through into the final finish. After that we were kept behind to go after the islands to see if there was any more Japanese there.

[What about Singapore?]
I never got to Singapore.

[Did Lord Louis ever inspect your unit?]
Once. He said it was a great unit — he was a great man, a great general.

[did you get to shake his hand?]
Yes. I thought he was a great man, a great general.

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