"Blackpool" and the 111th Indian Infantry Brigade

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by Hebridean Chindit, Mar 6, 2011.

  1. Dad's War

    Dad's War Member

    Hi All

    I’m trying to flesh out what little I know about my father’s activities during WWII.

    He was a private in the 1st Battalion Cameronians – so I think this may be one for Hebridean Chindit.

    I have his 1 page service record, obtained from the MOD in Hayes, Middlesex back in 2000.

    I’ve already read “Jocks in the Jungle”, “The Road past Mandalay” and “A Chindit Affair” and am presently half way through “War in the Wilderness”. My dad also left a one sentence summary of his time in Burma, in which he mentions seeing Pinlebu, the date 14 April 1944, and Blackpool. I don’t think he himself was at Blackpool though (at least not when the Japanese attacked) as he states “the lads had a tussle at Blackpool”. I assume he’d been shipped out sick/injured by then.

    When I started this research, I was hoping to see all the War Diaries relevant to his time in the army, but thought I’d start with April 1944, so ordered the War Diaries for that month for the 1st Battalion Cameronians (WO 172/4873) from the National Archives. I wasn’t expecting to find my father mentioned in there, but I was disappointed that it consists of nothing but blank pages and a few lists of officers’ names. But I don’t think that will come as a surprise to any of you!

    Are there any suggestions on where I can get more information about the 1st Battalion’s activities in general, or information on my father, such as column, hospitalisations.
     
  2. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Hi DW...
    "Chindit" by Richard Rhodes James is an essential...111th Cypher Officer...
    I do not own a copy of "JITJ" as it is a re-hash of other existing material, but Fred Patterson's material (which makes up a chunk of it) is hard to find...
    "Chindit Affair" is very different, for want of a better word...
    Could have saved you the bother re 1Cam diaries... :D
    A very good overview is "War in the Wilderness" by Tony Redding, who's dad was also 1Cam...
    Post up his records and we'll see what we can do...
    Kenny

    PS... as for 26 or 90 Column... fat chance and no chance is my best guess as he never told you... records do not exist...
     
  3. Dad's War

    Dad's War Member

    Thanks HC for the reading suggestions.
    How's your own book coming along?
    Yes, you could have saved me the bother re 1 Cam diaries, but thanks to you I won't waste any more time or money on other parts of the diaries or trying to get personal info about him.
    I'll post my dad's records when I get organised. I've also got a studio photo of him with 3 mates taken in Cape Town in May 1943 but at that time he was in the King's Own Scottish Borderers. There's no name for the mates.
     
  4. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Post away anyway DW... book's severely stalled due to significant other commitments... should have finished the flying-boat book about 3 to 5 years back but it's still sitting there with all the rest of the research material... (hangs head in shame)
    Presently contemplating assembly of 230 Sqn's 100th anniversary newsletter but will be waiting for imagery from the latest Tiger Meet in Poland... :D
     
  5. Dad's War

    Dad's War Member

    Hopefully HC you'll get around to publishing your book about your dad one day, not only to honour him but also to tell the story of all the 1st Cams who seem to have been a bit overlooked in the accounts.
    I've got a few questions about my own father's service I'd like to ask you. They've nothing to do with Blackpool but of a more general nature. Would it be OK to PM you?
     
  6. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Go ahead. no prob, but will be over in the Hebrides for the coming week and may be busy... the book is very stalled at present due to a bunch of stuff... the book went well beyond just dad and 1st Cams and covers the whole of the op now, but from the 111th's perspective nowadays... so it went LARGE, so to speak... o_O
     
  7. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Corrected a historical inaccuracy that has finally been spotted by Mr Wood of the High... ;)
     
  8. Andrew Stewart

    Andrew Stewart New Member

    Hi first time on the site. I was chatting with my 92 year old mum today about my uncles and their service on WW2. I mentioned visiting the memorial at Rangoon was on my "bucket list" as my uncle; her brother, is remembered there. It seems the family kept the news of his death from his mother and that this has led to a deal of misinformation about his death. Previously some years ago I have looked at some information but comming across this site has again grabbed my interest to get to more of the detail. My uncle served in as follows:

    Service Number 1797508
    Died 24/05/1944
    Aged 21
    69 Lt. A.A. Regt.
    Royal Artillery

    The date of his death is ominous as it coincides with the attack at Blackpool and although 2+2 might not =4, any advice on how I might a greater insight would be much appreciated. If he is resting at "Blackpool" then it would be important to me to stand in that place and say "we remember you".

    Regards, Andy
     
  9. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    Andy,

    welcome to the forum.There is another thread here that may help to answer your question: 69th LAA /206 Batt/14th Indian LAA

    Simon
     
  10. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Hi "cousin" Andy and welcome... presume you have already obtained his war records...?
    DOD can sometimes be arbitrary as people listed as MIA, then transferred to KIA would have an approximate date listed... my dad was listed MIA and his name does appear in those records...
    I have the diaries... page in question attached...
    I can give an approximate location near the relevant noted location if you were visiting... he would most likely have been located and re-interred at Taukyan...
    "cousin" Kenny Stewart
     

    Attached Files:

  11. Andrew Stewart

    Andrew Stewart New Member

    Hi "cousin" Kenny.
    Thanks for the info (and thanks to the others that have responded so far). Don't have his war record yet as it was sparked by just chatting with my mum yesterday. She's the last of her generation and we were just talking about her brothers. As she's the last surviving our chat exposed how mixed up the family knowledge is. So I will get it now and also that of my other relatives who served. Paddy was the only casualty the others surviving the war.

    Regards, Andy
     
  12. Vishkar

    Vishkar Member

    My neighbor’s granddad was a Cameronian and he is still alive up to this day. His granddad has a lot of war memorabilia in their home and they can make a museum with those vintage items. I heard that they auctioned one of the badges he has and it costs over a hundred thousand.
     
  13. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Very unlikely... :D
    There is a Cameronians museum and they are always looking for "donations"...
    The Cameronians were also involved in more than one theatre of operations... the Germans nicknamed them the "Poison Dwarfs" due to their lethal tactics and diminutive stature...
     
  14. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Just connecting a few threads here. WDA Lentaigne's family papers are now lodged with the Gurkha Museum at Winchester. Some very nice documents and especially photographs are amongst the archive. You would probably need to pre-book a viewing appointment to view the papers etc.

    Walter David Alexander Lentaigne
     
  15. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Presume this was Sarah Lentaigne's doing... might have her name wrong as it was some years back I met her (Chindit Affair book launch; also present was Richard Rhodes-James...
    Recommended her father-in-law's papers be gifted to the most relevant museum...
    This would be the biggest spanner in the works for my work... just getting down to view them and permission to copy, etc... :surr:
    Your comments infer you may have seen them, me Ol' China...?
     
  16. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    I was amongst a contingent of three to view the papers HC. Some useful items, but nothing earth shattering from a Chindit perspective. I did not look through everything, but there was some papers on Chindit training etc and a little bit on the evacuation of Indawgyi. The photo albums were the most impressive in my opinion, but even here, not to much from a Thursday point of view.

    You would need to take a look through mate. Could be something hiding in a corner that would be amazing for your research. There are 3 box files and perhaps 6-8 photo albums all told.
     
  17. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Inverness to Winchester, and back... o_O
    Where's the Lottery win when you need one... :D
     
  18. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    This is what happens when you place yourself in the wilderness!
     
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  19. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    HC,

    Do you have a copy of CAB 106/171, Lentaigne's Chindit lecture?
     
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  20. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Let's not mention the SNP shall we... :moose: :flagscot:

    and CAB106/171...? Might have about 30 pages of it... :D
     

    Attached Files:

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