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Before we went into Burma we trained in Assam and there’s jungle out there. So we practiced in jungles.

On one occasion one of our sections of men got lost. Several of us went out to see if we could find them, but of course night fell, and we hunted around and shouted, but we still couldn’t find them. Then we had to make our own way back out of the jungle in the dark.

What you did was: the man at the front with his ‘Dah’ or machete would hack his way through as far as he could, then fall to the back, then the next man would take over and then fall to the back, and so we worked our way through. And eventually came out into the open.

Those boys who were lost that day were found the next day, but they were bitten, almost to death by insects; but they survived.

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Becky Barugh of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Richard Jones and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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