I would like to know if anyone would know any information on the 14th regiment(SEAC) South East Asia Command. The Forgotten Army. My grandfather David Boyle was in it. He was from Dundee, Scotland. I know he went in 1938 and I think he came out 1945-48. I have alot of pictures of him. He must have had a camera with him. But I would like to know any information pertaining to his regiment. I thank you so much for your time and help. WendyE My grandfather is the one getting married in the picture. His brother George "Buster" Boyle was also in WW2 and was the best man.
Is that what it is called? His brother "Buster" told me this information.He said he was in the 14th,The Forgotten Army,SEAC. When he said 14th,I just assumed it was a regiment. WendyE
Originally posted by WendyE@Aug 22 2005, 09:38 PM Is that what it is called? His brother "Buster" told me this information.He said he was in the 14th,The Forgotten Army,SEAC. When he said 14th,I just assumed it was a regiment. WendyE [post=37993]Quoted post[/post] Wendy That's cleared up then. What you want is information on the 14th Army, known as the "Forgotten Army" that fought in Burma etc. By just putting "14th Army" and/or "Forgotten Army" into Google you should come up with thousands of hits. Do you know any more about your father, have any old photo's of him or letters to him, with an address? Any cloth or metal badges? Do you have his army number? You are going to need a bit more than which Army he was with to learn that much about what he did. Hope this helps.
Yes I do have photos of him in Uniform. No I do not have his number. How can I find that out? Is there somewhere I can send away to get his records? Thankyou WendyE
Wendy, if you can come up with his identity information, you should be able to get his records from National Archives, as a descendant. Welcome to the boards, and thank you for your family's service to Crown and Country. I can assure you, the "Forgotten Army" is forgotten no longer.
Wendy, Welcome to the boards and good luck with your quest. Many contributions made by service men and women from many countries have been conveniently forgotten however this forum brings many issues and those valuable contributions into to the light of day.
Today I was at the cemetery taking pictures. I do that for people that can't get to Detroit Michigan. I was approached by 2 old men that started talking to me. They both were in WW2. We started talking about my grandfather. They told me that where he went was very very hard. That he went through hell there. This made me very upset. Maybe this is why my grandfather never told me very many stories about his time in India, Burma. Does anyone know how I could find out his experiences over there. Is there a book out on the 14th Army, the Forgotten War SEAC? WendyE
You are in luck, as some of the best books about the Second World War have been written about the Burma campaign. They include what is widely regarded as the best General's memoir of the entire war : 'Defeat Into Victory' by Field Marshal Sir William Slim. 'Bill' Slim was the 14th Army commander and arguably the best British general of the war. There is also one of the finest books written by an ordinary soldier:'Quartered Safe Out Here' by George MacDonald Fraser, which is on the recommended reading list at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. I would also recommend 'Unforgotten Army' by Michael Hickey as a relatively short, straightforward history of the campaign. 'Burma: The Longest War' by Louis Allen broke new ground in looking in detail at the Japanese side, as the author was a Japanese speaker and later University academic who was involved in interrogating prisoners. Unfortunately it is a rather long and involved book. 'Burma: The Forgotten War' by Jon Lattimer was published recently but I must confess I haven't read it as yet. My father, who died in 2004, was a proud Burma veteran.
By the way, can any of our insignia experts work out what regiment your grandfather served in from his lapel badges and lanyard in the wedding photograph?
Wendy, If you want to read books there's a whole library of them dedicated to the Burma Campaign at the Memorial Library at the School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG. If you ask they will provide a catalogue. Be prepared for a good read as there are over seven hundred tittles in the bibliography!! If you go to the Burma Star website there is a load of info there too. I'm no expert but It looks to me as though the collar dogs could be RA. The white lanyard is a further clue for someone in the know. Lionboxer
Originally posted by lionboxer@Aug 24 2005, 07:35 AM I'm no expert but It looks to me as though the collar dogs could be RA. The white lanyard is a further clue for someone in the know. Lionboxer [post=38057]Quoted post[/post] Yes, "Ubique" collar badges and a white lanyard. This makes it Royal Artillery, which does not help much.
You can write off to the Army Records Office for his Service Record if you are a blood relative. I think that they currently charge £25. I am thinking of sending for my dad's. I don't have the address to hand but no doubt someone (e.g. Paul Reed) will supply it. Am I correct in thinking that you are based in the USA, Wendy? SEAC, incidentally, stands for 'South East Asia Command', which was the allied designation for the theatre of war which included Burma. The commander of SEAC was Lord Louis Mountbatten, so he was Slim's overall boss.
Yes I am located in the US, Detroit Michigan. I do have a picture of him up closer. Maybe it will help identify his regiment. Did you guys know that they had to not only deal with fighting the Japanese, but they had to fight to stay alive from tribes that would hunt them down in the bush. My Uncle told me some stories last night about my grandfather. He told me 3 stories. I only thought of WW2 as what I seen on TV in movies. NOT anymore. My grandfather and his buddies were absolute heros. The conditions they were in was a living hell. He had 2 buddies that saved his life, carried him 50 miles to a hospital. I wish there was a way to find out who they were. Is there a place in the forum to put the stories? I would like to share them. Well heres the picture. WendyE
Originally posted by WendyE@Aug 24 2005, 09:31 AM Yes I am located in the US, Detroit Michigan. I do have a picture of him up closer. Maybe it will help identify his regiment. Did you guys know that they had to not only deal with fighting the Japanese, but they had to fight to stay alive from tribes that would hunt them down in the bush. My Uncle told me some stories last night about my grandfather. He told me 3 stories. I only thought of WW2 as what I seen on TV in movies. NOT anymore. My grandfather and his buddies were absolute heros. The conditions they were in was a living hell. He had 2 buddies that saved his life, carried him 50 miles to a hospital. I wish there was a way to find out who they were. Is there a place in the forum to put the stories? I would like to share them. Well heres the picture. WendyE [post=38062]Quoted post[/post] There absolutely is space on this forum, and please share the stories.
I don't know if this helps in identifying his regiment but I just got his marriage certificate and it states his occupation as Gunner Royal Artillery. WendyE
Wendy Do you know when the two pictures were taken? It's definately a Royal Engineers badge so maybe he transferred from RA to RE or vice versa. Lionboxer
Wendy Another good book is the imperial war museum book of the war in Burma 1942-1943 by Julian Thompson. It gives many eyewitness accounts of the fighting and conditions in Burma. My grandfather was also in Burma with the REME in 2nd division. He too never spoke about his time there.
He could have been with a searchlight unit. They were originally a Royal Engineers unit. In 1941 they were moved to the Royal Artillery. That could explain the photo of him in RE uniform, badge etc but that his wedding certificate states Gunner RA. Will my theory hold out against the date of his wedding? After 1941? Wendy hasn't been here since 25-8-05. Oh well.