TH Morehen

Called up July 26, 1940 Colwick Park, Nottingham. Cleethorpes, Grainthorpe, Somercotes, Saltfleetby, Somercotes (South), South Usselby, Grimsby, Redcar, Yarm, Tow Law, Middlesbrough.

Sailed September 28, 1942 Liverpool. Ship ‘Capetown Castle’. Two days stay, Durban. Went into town, very nice, place.  Anchored off Freetown for a while, too.

Arrived Bombay November 27, approximately. Bakrhees Sahib, not a very good impression. Two days here. Sailed from B. Arrived Keamori Dock, Karachi December 3, approximately. Baluch Band piped us to barracks, about 4 miles or so and we’d most of us just about had it when we arrived at Napier Barracks.

Quite the best place I’ve been in the army, bags of b-s though, but could do it again. Very nice hospital too, I was there, dysentery twice. Birthday spent in Dock.. 32.

Left K. approx August 28, 1943. Arrived Jharri. On. of the hottest places I’ve been in India, not much here. At Jharri approx 3 weeks. Went to starvation camp. 70 Div. Terrible place, couldn’t get enough grub for quite a while.

From starvation camp to Ken River. Ken River Xmas 43. Very good time. Major Lochete, Major Vandispar joined us here. Two of the best.  From Ken River to Yankee Camp, sometime January 44.

From Yankee Camp, scheme finished, Lallitpur. February  (birthday here 33.)

Left Lallitpur. Arrived Lalligat, still Feb or early March 44. Left Lalligat Marsh 28, 1944. Arrived Aberdeen, Burma same night by Dakota transport plane. Grand experience, flying.

Can’t really remember all the places we were in or near or the right sequence, but of them, not in their right Order were Aberdeen, Manton, See-yu, Nanmon, the big pass. Never forget it. Bill Ellis badly injured, our first morning up there, but just beat Jappy to it. 13 Platoon did a good job there; 14 Platoon did a good ambush up there. Just piled the little yellow baskets up at the side of the pass; we in position, all around and what a smell. Still, it was either them or some of is and self preservation was very strong in all of us. Hell of a place though.

13 Platoon again, went to blow Jap ammo dump in village, other side of pass, but nothing at all there. 13 Platoon on forward block on pass. Just got there (and not in position), sighted Japs coming down pass towards us (about a dozen or so). Let them have all we’d got, brens, rifles and even the Piat, fired it like mortar. Accounted for a few and either one or two of our boys caught it, too, including Albert Russel, who we found dead at side of track. He was taken prisoner earlier on, while on a recci and the Japs were just taking him along.

Some other places were Mokro, hell of a journey from there to a place we called Hill Top, few lively towns around here, too.

Went out on another block, Akwan, 13 Platoon and 15 Platoon. Poor old Tommy Bennett killed here and L/C Simpson died from wounds and Johnson, a Bren gunner, killed by a Jap patrol. Hell of a place too. Nothing but trees and silence.

Then came Pungan, on a job with the Black Watch. They were at Nagurhoron. They took their place. When we got to Pungan, found that had been taken by the York and Lancs. I believe it was them. Harry Winfield died around this time.

White City (Mawlu). Had a bit of a time there too. Jap Zero’s came, machine gunning. Clive Forbes killed here too. Went on a job, place called Timkri. Charlie Hutchinson missing on this, never found him.

Earlier in a place I should have mentioned, Tatlwin. Never forget it. Jock Emmerson, Bill Yorke, two more lads and myself on a Piat, doing an ambush. At one end of a block, on a track, two platoon ambush, 13 Platoon there again and we, five of us, in a terrible position. Very lucky to get out alive, but we made. it, with Gods help. Japs all around us when the show started and pitch black, approx 1.30 in the early morning. Was a case of lying low, till light and a risk of being captured or killed or making a dash for it in the dark. We chose the latter and made it. Hell of a lot of Japs on this do. Did a good job, I believe, but Jappy is good with his mortars. Got lost from the column on this do; linked up (three of us, Jock, Bill and myself) with Nobby Clark, who was in the same predicament with four of his boys. Found the distant Rendezvous, but no column there.

Eventually linked up with 47 Col, through the help of Burmese Lead-man. He was certainly a good help to us, took us about 12 to 14 miles and we paid him silver rupees (away from our column approx 7 days).

Last place we were at, before coming out- (this was August) Taungi-Burm. A few Japs around here, but wired ourselves in and was here about fortnight, roughly. From here, went Taungi.  Contacted 36 Div here, quite a messher too. Heaps of dead Japs.

Started off along the. road to walk out. Stayed at small village a day or two, Labu Set off again, walked along the road to Pakok. Arrived here approx 10.30 morning. Set out again from here at 1.30 in the next morning. Arrived Mogaung about 8 o’clock the same morning. Chinese troops all around here. Crossed Mogaung river by boat and so to the railway.

Went the next morning by Jeeptrain to Mytchina. Had a head on collision with another Jeep-train on the way. One Indian soldier killed and a few injured. Arrived Mytchina. Yank soldiers, picked most of us up on lorries and so to the airfield. Detailed off, for planes. Had photos took by Yank. ‘Sure, the folks back home think quite. a lot of you guys”, he said.

Our plane left, without our section. Had to unload a lorry chassis from another plane and then we were ready. So off  we went, bags of room in the plane; only about 10 of us, including Capt. Perkins, who by the way gave us a turn when he was piloting the plans. Got into an air pocket and we just dropped (our stomachs did too), but it was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed. Can’t say what the name of the aerodrome was, but noticed as we left the name of a station (narrow gauge) just outside and was Chabu.

Arrived Tinnukii rest camp about 6 o’clock at night. Dumped all our kit; new kit all ready for us, had hot bath etc and felt good again. There about, fortnight and left. Arrived Bangalore, sometime early Sept. Went on months leave to B. (Sept 28).

Broken by attack of malaria, came back Nov 12, ‘WHITE TANK’. Straight in dock, malaria again. Came out beginning Dec. (7th Bn broke up). Joined 2nd Bn. Shargark early Dec, two days there. In dock again. 34th birthday spent at this camp.

Leave at Bangalor. (from Uruli) 18 June-15 July. Private digs. Miss Narrk. Arrived Uruli approx May 9th. Admitted 73.B.G.H. Sep 12. Discharged Sep 19. Left Uruli camp Sep 20 and arrived Passhan camp same day, Tuesday Sept 25. Demobbs up to and inclusive, 20 leave today. Shan’t be so long myself now.  Wednesday Oct 3rd, 33 demobbs signed today. Time out here getting shorter for me, next on the list to sign papers. Wednesday, Oct 17. Had medical today. Friday, Oct 26 , orderly room signed papers.