大象传媒

I was on nightime sentry duty guarding a gun position in Arakan in the Far East. We were fighting the Japanese and during this time of duty we had two men on guard in the slit-trench. We had a box of hand grenades on top of the trench and with the humid temperatures they had become a bit rusty. This was about 2 o' clock in the morning and dark as there was no moon. I decided to check the grenades because of their condition, thinking that the pins may not easily be withdrawn in an attack. I pulled the pin out to test it and held the spring-clip of the grenade for security. Trying to replace the pin to make the grenade safe, proved to be rather difficult- it was dark, I only had one hand free, and the pin was rusty. I realised I wasn't going to get the pin back in, so I asked my comrade to remove my leather bootlaces to tie around the grenade to keep the spring clip in place. The problem now -was it secure enough to stop it exploding? The solution was to place it outside the perimeter in the bush in a known position. I now had to inform the other sentries on duty that I was creeping outisde the limits and for them not to fire at me. Foturnately the next morning I was able to retrieve the grenade and my firends made sure that the incident wasn't reported- otherwise I would have been on a charge.
On another occasion a young officer suddenly shot out of the dugout like a jack-rabbit, whate as a sheet. Almost immediately there was a large explosion in the dugout causing dust and dirt to fly everywhere. It turned out he had been cleaning a grenade and it slippted from his hand. He had a lucky escape.
Fighting in the jungle tested your nerves and sharpened your concentration. And sometimes you were plain lucky. The most frightening times I suppose was on 'Stand-to' in the morning which was half an hour at dawn when you were most likely to be attacked and also for half an hour at dusk. It wasnt just the Japanese you had to be wary of- there were snakes and scorpions which had a tendency to find their way into your boots at night. YOu had to remember to check them before you put them on in the morning.
Even when the war was over in Europe we were still fighting and we definitely felt that we were the Forgotten Army. We hoped that soldiers would be re-deployed from Europe to help us but as far as I know that didn't happen.
If it had not been for the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki- which persuaded the Japanese to surrender- I could have been with one of the many units of assault troops destined to make a landing on the Japanese mainland.
After the war I was sent to Singapore to help re-instate civil rule after the Japanese occupation. Whilst there I designed the centre-piece which supported the Union Jack flagpole, for the Japanese surrender ceremony at Jahore Bharu. More than 20 Japanese officers ceremoniously laid down their swords on a white strip in front of the Union Jack, before the commandor and units of the Second Division.
I didnt get home to England till March 1946 and I was finally demobbed a year later.

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