List of Officers of the 6th Battalion Nigeria Regiment

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by High Wood, Jun 4, 2019.

  1. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    I am wondering if anyone knows of, or has access to, a list of the officers of the 6th battalion Nigeria Regiment who formed 66 and 39 Columns of the 3rd (West African) Brigade during Operation Thursday.

    I am particularly looking for information regarding 267199 Lt John Francis Hall of The Queen's Regiment, who may have been attached or transferred to the 6th battalion Nigeria Regiment.
     
  2. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi HW,

    Yes, see attached list with Hall present. This is from the 6 Nigerian War diary 1944/45 and is the list for October 1944. This is the clearest image from the document. Let me know if I can assist further.

    P8150260 copy.JPG
     
  3. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    Steve,

    many thanks, that has confirmed a theory regarding the original owner of some recently purchased ephemera. There are some very interesting items that I will share including a list of the personnel of the H.Q. Coy which includes home addresses.

    Simon
     
  4. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Simon,

    Sounds intriguing, I look forward to seeing these.

    Steve
     
  5. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    Here is the only document with the original owner's name amongst the ephemera. It took me a while to realise that the first initial was a J and not an I.
     

    Attached Files:

  6. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    The 81st West African Division Association were clearly presented with some regimental silver by the R.W.A.F.F. Association of Rhodesia in 1967. Nigeria Regiment 001.JPG
     
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  7. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    Unfortunately, the list of members of the H.Q. Battalion of the 6th Nigeria Regiment is undated.
     

    Attached Files:

  8. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    Here is the first page of the list which runs to 16 pages. I am happy to post all the pages if anyone is interested.

    Nigeria Regiment 004.JPG
     
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  9. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

  10. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    An excellent find, I am not sure if mine is for the Burma campaign or perhaps later. I have not yet found out when J.F Hall relinquished his commission. Do you have the complete War Diary for the 6th Nigeria Regiment as it might be useful to see if any of the names on my list appear in it.
     
  11. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi Simon,

    Yes I do. I'll send it over as before using We Transfer.

    Steve
     
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  12. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    Steve,
    thank you for sending the War Diary which I have now read through. It would seem to confirm that the list of men serving in the H.Q. Coy did indeed serve in Burma. There are few mentions of African Other Ranks but one list of 19 men contains the names of three men in the H.Q. Coy list.
     

    Attached Files:

  13. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    Lt J.F. Hall gets three specific mentions.

    7th September 1944. Lts Keren and Hall go on leave.
    4th October 1944. Lieuts Keren & Hall return from leave.
    I wonder if they spent their leave in Kashmir as apart from a photograph album of photographic views there was this booklet amongst the ephemera.

    The third mention states:
    13th November 1944. Lt Hall leaves for signal course at Special Forces Training Wing (Signals), Dhukwan.
     

    Attached Files:

  14. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    A further reference after the evacuation of the Aberdeen stronghold on the 6th May 1944 shows that Lt Hall was the O.C. 15 Platoon, 39 Column.
     
  15. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Good to see that the diary has a few bits and pieces for you Simon. It has been an interesting year so far for Nigerian Regimental personnel, as far as family enquiries via the Chindit Society have been concerned.
     
  16. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    There is a superb hand written section about the evacuation of Aberdeen and their route out of the Meza valley that I will have to study carefully.
     
  17. Chrisdon

    Chrisdon Member

    I apologise for being somewhat late to this discussion - I believe my father (Captain Donald Stanley Hollands) served with 6 Bn The Nigeria Regiment in Burma. He died in June of this year (2023) although he never really spoke about his time there. I have found a Christmas Dinner menu, dated 22nd March 1946 in his old stuff which I believe took place in Nigeria when they came home. It has some signatures of attendees (Pat Hughes) but most are illegible and it was stored badly BUT I believe John Francis Hall attended, his signature is on the bottom.

    If anyone is interested I am happy to try and upload a PDF. I am also trying to find out a bit about my father's time in the West African Division. My father was young (only 21) in March 1946 so not sure how long he spent in Burma before that.
     
  18. arachnid

    arachnid Member

    Hello HW
    I do not wish to trouble you for a full copy of your list, but I would like to ask if the name Thomas M'Bote (or something similar) appears therein, and if so could be posted. Many thanks
     
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  19. arachnid

    arachnid Member

    Hello Chrisdon. My father (Capt. Donald WH Smith) also served with the 6th Bn in Nigeria and Burma as I recently discovered after obtaining a copy of his service record from the MOD. Do you have any info. on his Burma locations/theatre of operations? Your Dinner menu reference reminded me of a story he told about an official post-war dinner in Nigeria where he was obliged to eat a fish eye complete with nerves, veins, etc., that he was expected to swallow whole with great gusto to express his appreciation. This he did, with the inevitable consequence!! Was that 'delicacy' on your menu?
     
  20. Chrisdon

    Chrisdon Member

    This may be of interest to anyone following this thread, John Francis Hall signed at the bottom.
     

    Attached Files:

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