大象传媒

We were given a permanent headquarters on Juhu Beach a long strip of land north of Bombay, a large house on the northernmost tip, plus a number of palm thatched huts for sleeping accommodation. A Commanding officer was sent in from a Gunner Regiment, Lt. Col. A McEwen Window, a veteran of World War One and holder of a Military Cross. Also two majors with experience of landings in Sicily and Salerno, John Manning and Maurice Timms. My old friend Freddy Marsh was also appointed as a Major. Thus we were designated as No.5 Combined Operations Unit (C.O.B.U.) with Lt. Col. Window in charge.
One minor change which came about at this time was the Americanisation of our titles. In order to obtain uniformity in allied operations and as the Americans had numerical superiority in other parts of the world the F.O.O.s became F.O.B.s (Forward Observers of Bombardment) and the A.L.O.s became B.L.O.s (Bombardment Liaison Officers). Our phonetic alphabet changed too, 'Ack, Beer, Charlie, Don, etc.' became 'Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, etc' but otherwise the basic essentials remained unaltered.
As soon as the command structure was establised we began to receive intakes of British gunner officers, and Naval telegraphists both British and Indian. Then too came British drivers and assistants, toegther with a small groupd listed as physically C.3. for domestic duties around the camp.
The Forward Observation Party was increased. Whereas in Madagascar I had walked everywhere with two telegraphists and a signalman, now the party would consist of two officers, a Captain and a Lieutenant, a reserve in case of casualty, the usual three Naval ratings, and an army driver complete with Jeep and trailer. In addition all six had to learn, and obtain reasonable proficiency in sending messages in Morse Code and operating the wireless set. We tried hard but never could match the skill and speed of the Naval telegraphists.
One morning the Colonel told me that a certain Lt Crompton was coming to join us and he wished me to teach him all I knew. I said I would be pleased to do so, but how should we occpy the afternoon. Like Queen Victoria he was not amused. I met Rex Crompton the next morning and we became friends immediately, a friendship which has lasted to this day. He was appointed as my 2 I/C in F.O.B.3 party in 'A' Troop commanded by Maurice Timms and over the weeks we participated in numerous exercises, practising communications, river crossings, setting up observations post and observing shoots with R.N. and R.I.N. participation.
The latter occupation brings to mind an occasion which caused a little anxiety at the time. After one of these naval shoots it was reported that an unexploded shell lay out on the mudflats with a request that it should be disposed of. I had learned something about handling explosives when I had been with No.5 Commando so I was deputed to go and attend to this shell. My equipment consisted of a quantity of gun cotton, a length opf 'Cordtex' (an instantaneous explosive), detonators and a length of fuse, and, most essential, a box of matches.
The driver and I went out to the site indicated and found the 6" shell. I packed gun cotton around it, bound that with Cordtex, fitted the detonator and checked the slow burning fuse. The method is to cut off exactly six inches and see precisely how long it takes to burn through so, if it takes, say, thirty seconds to walk away to safety then you cut a length of fuse to take that long plus a safety margin. To light the fuse the end is cut diagonally and the match head is pressed in. The box is then struck on the match instead of the usual vice versa, to ensure instant ignition, whatever the wind.
I followed the procedure precisely, lit the fuse and walked away as nonchalantly as possible. The desire to run was strong but had to be resisted. I joined the driver behind some rocks and awaited results. We did not have long to wait. There was a bang, but not as loud as I had expected, and then we saw the shell flying through the air in our direction, landing again in the mud. After a discreet interval I went out to examine it and then I saw what I think was the reason for the initial failure. Instead of it being a normal High Explosive shell with a relatively thin casing and the maximum amount of explosive, it was a ship to ship shell, with a much thicker case to facilitate armour piercing, and the usual measure of gun cottom had not been sufficient to do the job.
The second attempt with three times the amount of gun cotton did the trick and it went up with a most satisfying 'crump'.
On another of these naval shoots a stray shot exploded in a large mango tree making a real mess of it and instigating a long running lawsuit between the owner and the army authorities. It went on for some months and I suppose eventually it was settled but I never heard on what terms. As relations with India were somewhat delicate at that time I would think the army would have inclined to generosity.
The news from the Burma front was sobering. In February the Japanese had made an advance in the Arakan region, making a wide sweep avoiding two Indian Divisions and making for the store depot of the Fifteenth Corps well behind the lines. Their intention was to capture these stores intact and with them advance up the coast to the railhead of Chittagong, and thence into India, aided by troops of the Indian National Army who would advocate the end of British Colonial Rule. Unfortunately for the Japanese, they were met with a spirited defence and were unable to take the depot. They had bought rations for just a few days expecting to replenish them with their victory, but it never came and when all their supplies were exhausted they had no choice but to retreat.
The blackest deed of this action occurred when they penetrated the Field Hospital. They bayoneted the wounded and the doctors attending them. They coerced the Indian orderlies in to carrying the Japanese wounded back to their own lines and killed the orderlies. This event more than any other provoked the feeling that as they had shown no mercy they would be shown none in their turn.
Having failed in their 'March on India' via the Arakan and Chittagong, the Japanese tried again much further north against Imphal, Kohima aand the railhead of Dimapur, but there again they were held by a solid defence until their supplies ran out, and when the monsoon broke, and with their extended lines of communication their position became untenable. The Fourteenth Army then began their pursuit.
Meanwhile, in England the plans were made for the Normandy landings and a number of No.5 C.O.B.U. were flown back to augment the bombardment personnel headed for that great operation. My friend Hector Emerton who had joined with me at Inverary in 1941 was included in the party, but I was not, to my great disappointment. 'D' Day in Normandy coincided with the breaking of the monsoon in Bombay, where within a couple of days the parched brown earth changed to rich grass and ubiquitous mud. It was the start too of the brief Rugby Football seaason, the few months when the pitch was soft enough for play. Most of the regiments in the area fielded a team, the South Wales Borderers and the Welsh regiment both had excellent teams and Combined Ops had one too in which I was lucky to get a place. The army had no ban on rugby league players and we had a solid second row forward from Halifax named Jimmy Grace and two League Internationals, a scrum half named Case and a fly half named Jenkins, a highly skilled performer of Welsh nationality. A knockout competition was held in September and we won every match we played, but before the semi-finals I was called away for other duties.

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