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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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The stand at Kohima The road to Mandalay

by wolfbane

Contributed by听
wolfbane
People in story:听
Bob Blenkinsop
Location of story:听
Burma
Background to story:听
Army
Article ID:听
A2052181
Contributed on:听
16 November 2003

I was a corpal in the 2nd Battleion of the Durham Light Infantry. I was stationed in Burma not far from a village called Kohima on the road to Mandalay. It was just before dawn I was in a raiding party ready to attack a Japanese position at dawn, as I and the rest of the party where doing our last minute checks, the call went up that the Japanese were attacking us. We rushed to meet them coming forward, the battle was very intense and very bloody. I found myself in the middle of hand to hand fighting with a Japanese soldier. I knew if I did not kill him, he would kill me without another thought so my survival instinct came to the front and I plunged my bayonet into the Japanese soldier and move on to the next. Their were a lot wounded but we could not help them as we had to keep fighting. This lasted until the sun started to shine at the first glimpse of dawn.
At the sight of daylight the Japanese withdrew, some of my battleon followed them into the jungle. I stayed to help the wounded.

In another battle at the same place but a little while later I was in charge of a big gun up on one of the hills. We were been fired upon by the Japanese and I was shouting orders for my gunner to carry out when a shot came towards us, we both ducked but the bullet passed right threw the front of the helmet my gunner was wearing and out the back of it. When we had a look the gunner was not marked, the bullet had skimmed threw his hair without going into his head.
He said he throught he was the luckiest man alive that day, I think I agree with him.

There were alot of other battles I fought with my battleon over there as it was a very hard and long war. I survived on a pint of fresh water a day and 2 slices of bread a month. I don't know how I did it but I did for my queen and country.
I managed to survive to this day and I am glad I did but many of the lads I served with did not and I hope that in doing this story or stories, their memories are preserved until the end of time.

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