大象传媒

2nd of Foots White Guards of India - Surrey Regiment.

Was in Irish army, went on a drinking spree in 1940, crossed from Eire to Ulster and across to England.

In Belfast joined Royal Sussex, then transferred to Queen's Royal Regiment. Came across to Liverpool, then to Chichester. Went to Queen's Depot at Guildford, then to Suffolk; joined 2nd/7th battalion who had just come back from Dunkirk. Volunteered to go abroad.

Went to Greenock in Scotland. We weren't told where we were going but I guessed and was right - Far East.

Stopped at Freetown - 5 weeks on ship - known as White Man's Grave. Every disease imaginable was there so we weren't allowed off ship.

Pulled in at Durban. Lady in White was there to meet us - I don't know her name but she met every ship. We all got off for a night by my draught boat and we had 3 months there - fifteen of us. We had a life of luxury until they caught up with us and we went on to Bombay.

Went to transit camp in Bombay - Doolali. Anybody who lived there would be doolali, I can tell you. All under canvas. 1st Battalion Queen's were on the northern front but they came down and I joined them as reinforcements. Got on a troop train, hard wooden seats, and went to Madras - 7 days. No beds or anywhere to lie down. Stopped at some station for food. At Madras we took a small ship to Chittagong. That took two weeks.

At Chittagong we marched a hundred miles in great heat to the Burmese border. Got just inside the border and fortunately found there wasn't much fighting. We had to start to push the Japanese out and that got very rough. Hand to hand fighting.

In this area for six months because the Japs got behind us and cut off our supplies but we were supplied by air. Very scary when they dropped at night, particularly ammunition. It could have been the Japs.

We fought our way out and then the Japs couldn't get any supplies. We were told they were eating monkeys. We killed a lot of the Japs.

We took over local villages.

We had a garrison at Kohima in the north and the Japs attacked there. We were flown up there because we were experienced. We actually went to Siam where the Japs were and we had to push them out.

When we got to Kohima we suffered air raids. The Japs bunkered into an old jail there and we attacked early in the morning. We were losing too many men so we had to stop.

Two days later we were ordered in again. This time we took the jail. We had ghurkas with us as well. The Japs fought to the last man.

After Kohima we were very short of men. We were taken out of the line and were taken to Shillong to a peacetime barracks in the hills. We were there for a rest and to await reinforcements. The CO then announced good news - that we were going back to line. What a way to say it!

Still trying to push the Japanese out of Burma we were trying to get back the oil fields which the Japanese wanted.

Shortly after we got to Rangoon and the Japanese surrendered in Burma but there was still skirmishing as the Japanese didn't all get the order to surrender.

Japanese still had Malaya and Singapore and that was when the atom bomb was dropped.

We were sent to Bangkok and that was luxury. Thailand was never bombed and they were very friendly to us. We were sorting out the Japanese and sending them back home.

I was due to come home and was sent to Singapore. I was in the Far East for 4 years without seeing England.

I got malaria and was sent to hospital and was treated. Then I would go back but many prisoners weren't treated which was why they died.

When we were cut off and being supplied by air we had to rush out quickly and collect the supplies because the Japs knew what was going on and would shell us. Wasn't only the Japs we had to worry about but snakes, scorpions, leeches. After you had been on patrol you would come back and your legs would be red with blood and leeches and leeches would be sticking on you. You had to use a cigarette to burn them off - if you pulled they would leave the head stuck on you. We had very white socks and they were always dyed red.

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