大象传媒

My father wrote this letter, in response to a radio request. He was born in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, lived in Kempston, Bedfordshire after he married, and worked at London Brick Company at Stewartby, Bedfordshire for almost all of his working life. He died in 2003 at the age of 89 years.

I pass this letter on to your database as he wrote it 鈥�

4 July 1995

Dear Sir

I heard on the radio that you required stories for VJ day. I thought that a few of my memories of my 鈥淐hindit鈥� days in Burma might interest you.

I was sent on a 鈥榙raft鈥� to the Beds and Herts Regiment in India when we were picked for the British Chindits. There being little thick jungle in India, marching was mostly the order of the day. I was 30 years old, and at 30 you were considered to be a bit old for the job. At the start of the training I had the misfortune to go down with a succession of boils which the MO put down to change of blood. I had two on my arm and three on the legs. Although I missed most of the training, our MO passed me as tough enough to go into Burma.

There were two columns of our Battalion. I was in the No 2, on the Vickers machine gun. No 1 was a Scot from a machine gun battalion. He was, of course, 鈥淛ock鈥� and I was 鈥淲hitey鈥�. We also had a 鈥渕uleteer鈥� to look after the mule which carried out machine gun and tripod. Mules carried all the kit, medical supplies, etc.

We had to take tablets to keep Malaria dormant and also salt tablets. For anything on the outside we used Calamine lotion.

We were flown into Burma from India. The mules were all devoiced before we went to keep them quiet. We were at first surprised to find that Jock and I had three mules in our old Dakota. We were given a revolver each 鈥渋n case鈥�. Our pilot was the film start Jacky Cooper who informed us that the old 鈥渂us鈥� would 鈥済et us there all right鈥�. We were about to take off when an American came in the door with a box of grenades. He remarked that he had seen the film at the camp so he thought he鈥檇 come for a ride. The pilot told us it might be a bit 鈥渂umpy鈥� over the 鈥淐hin鈥� hills (he could say that again!). Our American friend at the back door put us in the picture.

鈥淚n a minute you will see a row of lights. It鈥檚 a Jap column going up to Imphal. They will put their lights out in a minute. If they don鈥檛鈥�, he said, 鈥淚 will鈥�.

He proceeded to throw the grenades out of the door (nice work). We had a shout from Jacky and the bottom seemed to fall out of our stomachs, and then down in our boots. This happened two or three times before we cleared the Chin Hills.

We landed in Burma on a 鈥渂umpy strip鈥� and, not knowing what to expect, we quickly got 鈥渇ell in鈥� and made for the trees.

We were supplied by air and used the American K Rations which consisted of a double cardboard case 鈥� the inner one being waxed. Burnt from the top it was sufficient to heat your water. The box contained a small tin of various meats and biscuits, candy bar, cigs, soap and toilet paper.

Two things I remember. The whistling of one bird which was with us every day throughout the campaign 鈥� and we never saw it once. The other thing was the blow flies which buzzed round the bush hat of your mate in front of you. They also were with us throughout!

For a start the going was easy with plenty of water We lost a carton or two in the trees during an air drop, but the locals soon climbed up and brought them down in exchange for a parachute. Then the women came round for our 鈥渉ousewives鈥� (needles and cotton) which we exchanged for rice!

The going got tough as we went on, but our little mule didn鈥檛 mind giving us a pull by the tail. She was a little beauty. There were several columns on the same job as we were. I know there was one west African and we also came in contact with a Chinese column. One job we had was to keep Japs away from an area where sick and wounded were being flown out. There were several columns on this job. We were also on hand when our boys cleared an air strip called 鈥淏roadway鈥� 鈥� one of the first strips to be made. Everything was flown out by Dakotas and our CO knew the last plane. A quick 鈥済et fell in鈥� got us on our way. A couple of snipers鈥� bullets were all we collected on that occasion and they were well out of line.

Then came the monsoons and it was a different kettle of fish. Mud, leaches and flies were our biggest worry. Travel was slow and often we were up to our knees in mud. On one occasion our mule was almost up to her belly in it. Leaches were a problem and our antidote for them was the cigarette which, of course, went out in the rain. One day our mates had a laugh. We decided to hang out blankets out to 鈥渟weeten鈥� them a bit, as a week or two of rain and sweat made them a bit on the smelly side. When we returned from picking up an air drop, our jungle green blankets were white. Every inch had been fly blown. Jock鈥檚 remark was 鈥渁h well, something less to carry!鈥�.

They tried to give us a change of diet once. This was bread and onions - straight from the oven to the Dakota. We could not eat it. Mouldy right through. Jock said 鈥渓ovely onions though鈥�.

We saw the end of the rains and then we had our 鈥渂est鈥� bit of action of all. Just before dusk, some of the boys placed some dynamite under a railway line and Jock and I got our gun lined up on a building which we were told was a barracks. Also behind us was a large dump of oil barrels which some of the boys were ready to fire with incendiary bullets when the time came. It came about 3.30 in the morning when an engine came up the line and blew up. Jock opened up on our target and the boys on the oil barrels. It only lasted a couple of minutes and the order to get loaded up and fell in was quickly obeyed. We did the longest march of the campaign that day and didn鈥檛 stop until evening. A few tracer bullets were fired at us but they were way off target.

A few days later our last little bit of action happened. One of our aircraft was bombing some Japs on a hill and he asked us for a bit of help. We obliged with some tracer bullets and the mortar boys also put some mortar bombs on the target.

A rumour went round that we were soon going out and we had a surprise one day to see a Chinese column draw up beside us. They took over all our weapons and all the mules we had left. We had lost half of them one way or another. As our little mule disappeared with the Chinese, a few drops dripped from my chin, and for once it wasn鈥檛 sweat. It was interesting to see the end of the Chinese column that carried all their rations. They carried a bamboo pole on their shoulders. On each end was an old-fashioned tin bath full of tins of bully beef. Jock鈥檚 remark was 鈥淎nd we thought we had a load鈥�.

It was obvious something was happening and one of our officers told us what was going on. We heard a lot of gun fire in the distance. It was the fighting troops of the ? DIV cleaning up the Myitkyina air strips. They moved fast and we could hear the guns getting nearer. They were moving down the Mogaung Valley. We were facing the Valley but were three or four days march back in the jungle. We heard the gun fire passing our position and going fast and we knew that we were 鈥渉istory鈥�. With no weapons to carry and no mules things were a lot better.

During the last three or four days in the jungle we had one small air drop, which included some new boots. (I brought a pair home to civvy street.) There were also razors. We had not shaved during the campaign and we did look 鈥渁 bit scruffy鈥�.

Three or four days later we came to the edge of the jungle and our officer gave us a few words.

鈥淵ou have a few miles to go to the air strip and it will be hot. Don鈥檛 forget to take your salt tablets.鈥�

We came down a track from the trees and it was like entering an oven. The temperature in the valley was about 120 degrees in the shade and the only shade there was was from burnt out Jap trucks, of which there were quite a few. They made a bit of shade to sit under. There were also a few bodies too. It was my last route march in the Army, and the worst one, but we finally made it 鈥� climbing into the old Dakota again and taking off back to India.

We were all down in weight but up in spirit.

Yours faithfully

Horace Francis White

ps Burma did have some beautiful butterflies 鈥� huge things, all colours.

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