大象传媒

This story has been added to the People's war website by Marie on behalf of Michael Bagstaff. He has given his permission and understands the site's terms and conditions.

Born Cambridge 18th April, 1921.
Romsey School, Cambridge. Useless in carpentry. Sent out to do school gardens on carpentry lesson day instilled a love of gardening in him.

Joined Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment on 3rd May 1935 as a boy musician. Took up the oboe as his instrument. Made good progress and went to the Royal School of Music, Kndller Hall, in 1936 where he was tutored by Leon Goosens who, at that time was the foremost oboist of the day. Goosens enforced a strict "N0 Smoking" rule which Michael followed all his life.
Returned to Regiment in 1937 and promoted to Boy Lance Corporal, the first in the Regiment's history. Given his stripe on a full battalion parade.

Outbreak of war saw a severe cut back on band activity and Mike went off, with the rank of Sergeant, to the Cambridgeshire Regiment as a Warrant Training Instructor.
First job was to raise a second battalion of some 850 NCO's and men and this was done by pruning the 1st battalion of NCO's and men plus recruiting and call up of civilians. He was then 19 years of age.

Two years of extensive training saw him raised to the rank of W02 of a company of 120 men and, in October 1941, they set sail from Greenock destined for the Middle East, where they were diverted to Singapore to help stem the Japanese who had landed in North Malaya and were moving south at a rapid rate.

Landed at Singapore at the end of December 1941 and set to in painting all transport and equipment from a sandy colour to jungle green. Done in two days. Pushed north from Singapore and met Japanese at a town called Batu Pahat, some 80 miles north. Met remnants of Australian 8th Division and Indian 11th Division streaming south, morale gone.

Dug defences on south bank of river at Batu Pahat and blew the only bridge in area. Held positions for four days and then the Japanese, fed up with being stopped, took ship and landed behind 53rd Brigade lines, thus being attacked on two fronts. After two days fighting with casualties mounting and with no food or ammunition getting through to them 53rd Brigade was ordered to break out in small groups and make their way south to Singapore.

Mike chose six sergeants whom he thought would be useful in future fighting and, with no maps, and only the sun and his watch, set off, for Singapore. Dodging Japanese patrols with occasional skirmishes, they travelled south for two days until reaching a wide and swift flowing river. The problem was one of how to cross it. Mike divided the group into parties and they went up and down the river seeking ways to cross the river. One party was fortunate in finding a partially submerged boat. The party re-formed and raised the boat which proved to be quite serviceable. It had two oars and what appeared to be 19 bottles of Gordon's Gin stacked in the bottom. On opening one, Mike found it to be filled with water that was
to prove a God send. The boat quickly dried out in the sun and the party clambered aboard and set off down river to what Mike believed to be the sea. He was right. After several hours travel they came to the mouth of the river, ahead of which was the sea. At the river mouth was a cluster of huts on stilts where Mike decided to stay the night and catch up on their sleep. They were fortunate in finding some rice and fish and so they cooked up what was their first food in three days. They spent a reasonably undisturbed night but for myriad's of mosquitoes annoying them. It was here that Mike contracted his malaria, something that stayed with him for many years. He was able to clean wounds in both legs and apply field dressings.

Next morning they again set off and were quickly taken out to sea by the tide and again journeyed south. After three days a Catalina aircraft of the Royal Dutch Airforce came over and landed on the sea and, having satisfied themselves that Mike and his party were genuine, took them all aboard and returned to Singapore. On landing Mike was taken to hospital and his party were sent to a depot to be returned to their unit.

During that evening Mike was visited by a Staff Officer from Singapore GHQ and questioned on his journey. The, officer later returned to tell Mike that he was to be awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Later still that night he was taken to Singapore Docks on a stretcher and boarded the S.S Empire Star. The ship was full of wounded men and included a group of Australian troops who had forced their way on board at gun point and refused to leave. The ship set sail for Java and, on arrival, Police boarded the ship and arrested the Australians and took them ashore. Mike was transhipped to a hospital ship and set sail for Colombo, Ceylon. It was much later that he learned how fortunate he was for he heard that the Japanese, on entering Singapore, had visited the hospital he had been a patient in and killed many of the medical staff and patients.

On arrival in Colombo it was found that they could not cope with his problem and he was flown up to Karachi where he entered the British General Hospital. He was treated for his wounds and a general state of debilitation as a result of his troop down through the Malayan jungle to Singapore. Mike spent seven months in hospital and was then medically boarded and released.

He was promoted to the rank of Full Lieutenant and transferred to the Indian Army.

After a two week break at a hill station, he joined a battalion of the Rajput Regiment as a Platoon Commander and went off up into Burma, once again to face the Japanese. He took part in the battles for Northern Burma but was having frequent attacks of malaria in spite of taking the relevant medication. After a time he was invalided out, promoted to Captain and appointed Staff Captain ~ to HO, Lucknow District, part of the Central Command Area at Agra.

In 1943 he was promoted to Major and appointed D.A.Q.M.G to Lucknow District and then in 1944, again promoted, this time to A.Q.M.G. to HQ Lucknow District with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel at the age of 26. He was responsible for supplying troops in his area, the size of Wales, and 14th Army in Burma, as well as British families throughout his area. It was not unusual for him to work a 15/16 hour day but it was work he enjoyed and he thrived on it. His health improved and he was contented.

Then came the end of the war in Europe and Mike was high up on the list for repatriation to the UK. Alas it was not to be.

He was called to GHQ (India) New Delhi and told that he was to head up a group who were to find five suitable sites to accommodate British troops, their families, British civil servants and other British nationals and these sites were to be stocked with all requisite supplies for one year. The British government feared another mutiny as in 1857 and, this time, they were to be prepared for it.

Mike protested strongly and was asked why. He said that he had been out of England since 1941 and had a daughter he had never seen. She was growing up without him at home. He received no sympathy and was given his orders. Off he went.

To his utter amazement, he was called in to his Brigadier's office 48 hours later and told that his wife and daughter had sailed from Liverpool and would join him in 12 days time. Mike was overjoyed, and he set to to find, and furnish, a home for them to live in.

Pauline and Valerie duly arrived and they soon settled down in Lucknow. Mike proceeded to set up two of the sites in his area and had had them ready for six months.
This went on until November 1947 when Mike was told he could now return to the UK and, in late November, the family was back in the UK.

All's well that ends well. His war was over.

As a footnote, Mike was talking with General Sir Michael Jackson, Chief of the General Staff, recently, and when he learned that Mike had been promoted Lieutenant Colonel at 26 years of age, he congratulated him and said that he had to wait until he was 40 before he got his Colonelcy

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