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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Vijiha Bashir, at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland on behalf of Albert Godfrey from Johnstone and has been added to the site with the permission of Johnstone History Society. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

Alex Garden was a Tank Driver with the 116th Regiment — The Royal Armoured Corps which was a Gordon Highlanders Battalion he tells;

‘We were not involved in the Kohima battle but went down the Tiddum Road and crossed the Irriwaddy River at Pokoko, this was about two miles south of Mandalay. Then on to Mehtilla where one of the fiercest battles took place. From there we led the attack right down to Rangoon.

It was very, very hot inside my tank some times the temperature reached something like 130/140 it was hot outside but cooler than in the tank.

January 1942 was when we sailed from the Clyde to India and returned in December of 1945.

Three years & eleven months away from home fighting abroad but I feel that I was one of the lucky ones who did manage to get home an did not have any injuries. No broken bones, nothing like that, I was very lucky indeed and very glad to be home.

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