3/17th Dogra Regiment in Malaya

I am researching the 3/17th Dogra Regiment during the Malayan Campaign, specifically its role in defending the beaches of Kota Bharu. I am trying to find out about the officers from the regiment. If anyone knows anything about both the British and Indian officers i would be well happy.

I have discovered a fair amount from various sources, but would love to find out more about Lt.Col G.A. Preston, their commanding officer at Kota Bharu. According to Colin Smith's book "Singapore Burning" the CO of the 3/17th Dogras was wounded on the first day of fighting but i am unable to find anything more on him. Was he evacuated to India or did he become a POW?

If anyone knows anything more i would greatly appreciate it.

 

Hi Stan found this Axis History Forum • View topic - 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

 

Hello Stan and welcome to the forum. I hope that somebody will be able to help you in your research. Using Geoff's Search Engine I found names of 471 officers and OR from 3/17th Dogras listed on different Singapore memorials. I didn't check all of them but this are British officer from battalion:

Captain DESMOND PETER THOMAS HAYNE
Captain BERNARD IAN RICHARDSON
Lieutenant JOHN MEIKLE
Second Lieutenant OWEN EDWIN THORPE
Second Lieutenant PATRICK DESMOND GEORGE FRAZER
Second Lieutenant ANDREW GEDDES CELLARS

Also Liddell Hart centre for Military Archives and Imperial War Museum had some documents (some documents of Lt Col Oliver Brian Masters North, Capt Jock C Haigh and Lt Col Alan Preston at Liddell Hart centre, Private Papers of D V Hines who was lieutenant in 3/17th Dogras and W H Baillies who served as a Company Commander with the 3/17th Dogras at IWM) and maybe you can try to contact them.

 

A bit more on Lt Col Preston:

 

As a confirmed POW with the help of idler's citation sheet, it is very likely that George Alan Preston would have a Japanese index card and possibly a Liberation questionnaire.

These can be found at the National Archives under the file references WO345 and WO344, the files are then numbered in alphabetical order. Also at the Archives you might be able to search out War diaries for the Dogra battalion?

 

Only other award to some member of 3/17th Dogra Regiment I could find

Lieut. (T/Captain) Angus Frederic Ward
EC 296
3rd Bn, 17th Dogra Regiment

Awarded with the Military Cross

On Jan 10th 1942, at Serendah, when in command of the Carrier Platoon he covered the rear of the Battalion while they attacked the village of Simpang Choh where the Japanese had cut the line of withdrawal, and subsequently under fierce fire succeeded in leading the carrier platoon through the midst of the enemy lines.

By so doing he was able to rally the remnants of the Bn and take command from till the end of the campaign. Throughout this period he showed exceptional powers of leadership for a junior officer and it was his example which enabled the Bn to continue fighting as such.

 

There's at least one other: an MC for Major North gazetted March 1942 from memory. Not checked to see if it's in the WO 373 index (probably not if you haven't found it), I suppose the citations for the contemporaneous awards were lost with Singapore.

 

There's at least one other: an MC for Major North gazetted March 1942 from memory. Not checked to see if it's in the WO 373 index (probably not if you haven't found it), I suppose the citations for the contemporaneous awards were lost with Singapore.

His citation isn't in WO 373/47 file, and I couldn't find him in mentioned in the London Gazette. I think that those citation in the WO 373/47, for Malaya and Singapore, were (re)written after the war.

 

Welcome aboard, mate.

Nice subject you chose to get into this nuthouse

 

Thankyou all so much, this has been really helpful. These clues have led me down a dark hole of research! Been buried in there for a few months!!

 

Idler posted a while ago about some books he got while visiting the Peninsula, and I guess the first two can help you:

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/365047-post274.html

 

Lt Col Preston, together with Captain Ward and couple of other NCOs ans soldiers from the battalion, was captured after the fall of Singapore while trying to escape from Malaya trough Siam. More details about his capture you can find here

The gallant Dogras: an illustrated ... - Google Books

See page 64.

 

Hi

I had done research on this battle and some others nearby since I live in Kota Bharu. I had done some excavation around the sites including the airfield and found some WW2 relics. On the beach where the battle took place I found both British and Japanese bullets and one British ID disc most probably from a Dogra soldier but the sea water eroded any marking on it.

Regards

Zaf

 

Selamat datang ke ww2talk, Zaf!

I'm guessing that you are the Zaf of the kubu kebal blog, so I'm pleased that you have found us.

Now I need to go and practise my bahasa...

Abe Andrew

 

Terima kasih Abe Andrew!

You guessed it right and it's really wonderful to find this site! I myself still trying to find these very information on the Dogras such as their war diary etc.

Zaf

 

As POW, the following received an MID:

AI.834 Captain O R Jenkins


Regards

Simon

 

Welcome to the forum Zaf! Seems that war diaries for 3/17th Dogras in TNA only cover period from October 1940 to November 1941.

 

Thank you very much sol! I appreciates this! How can I obtain a copy and send to me in Malaysia?

 

Is it closed for 29 years?

 

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