C Squadron, 3rd Carabiniers,

I'm looking for any information on C Squadron. They served in Burma and India I think. They were part of the RAC. I'm looking into my great grandfather Rober Melville's time in service and would love any help anyone could give me about this squadron. Thank you.

I can recommend "Letters From Burma - The Story of The 25 Dragoons at War" Some Letters from Burma the 25th Dragoons at War
It's choc full of info on C squadron.

 

For those of you that dont know my Dad was at Mandalay Hill/Fort Dufferin, http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/burma-india/19281-mandalay-hill.html which brings us onto this....."C Sqn 3rd Carabiniers were also around when Fort Dufferin fell. In fact, their HQ Tp escorted 5 Bde's commander to raise the Union Jack over the Fort. The rest of the Regiment were not far away." Well today I bumped into a former member of the 3rd Carabiniers selling poppies who had joined up in 47, but was well aware of thier wartime role in Burma, and after a 15 min chat I promised to pop back and see him in the morning as he is selling poppies for a couple of weeks in my local Morrisons, and show him the pic of my Dad I have he was quite eager to offer any help he can so watch this space.

 

My father, Lt Eric Miles or fully, Eric Shakespear Miles was Troop 4 Leader of B Squadron, 25th Dragoons. See John Leyin's excellent book. "Tell Them Of us." Battle of the Admin Box etc,. He was Anglo Argentine and a volunteer.If anyone can find any links or photos of the Lee Grants of B Squadron,25th Dragoons or xxv Dragoons I'd be very grateful. His own tank had "SEAC" emblazoned on it, which some of his men were worried might draw fire from the Japanese! One of his troop, John Monger got the MM and another Tom Grounds wrote "Some Letters from Burma, the story of the 25th Dragoons at war".I remain in touch with John Leyin.(Now deceased).

 

Richard
I'm confused, and so too is this thread.
Surely your dad was in 25 Dgns, not 3 DG.
I know they are old posts, but I don't think 3 DG were at Fort Dufferin, either. I think Ava Fort is meant. That would tie-up with the mention of 5 Bde, too.

 

From the horses mouth....."C sqn were ferried across the Mytinge from Ava and advanced to Mandalay. Fort Dufferin was still holding out but very quickly fell and the HQ troop of C sqn escorted the commander of 5 Brigade when he entered for the ceremony of breaking out the union flag."
Lionboxer

 

Fair enough; I mistook it for an implication that they and 5 Bde had taken part in the capture of the fort.

 

Yes, was confused. I had understood that the 25th Dragoons were formed from a cadre of the 3rd Carabiniers. My father died aged 92 on the 25th March. Possibly he was the last survivor of "The Battle of The Admin Box"

 

Would add that his gunner/loader,John Leyin died in June 2013.John wrote the excellent book, "Tell them of us".

 

I have posted a picture of my father, with a note in his handwriting on the back that he was with "Henry" and "Charles" in my Gallery page of the 25th Dragoons. I am pretty certain that Charles was like my father, a volunteer from Argentina and was Captain Charles Trevor Vesey Fitzherbert , who was in the 3rd Carabiniers and killed on the 13th February 1944 in the Battle of Imphal, leading B Squadron after the officer commanding had been killed. I would only ask why Charpoy Chindit is confused as to the involvement of the 3rd Carabiniers as a cadre of the 25th Dragoons.

 

It was your post #23 that had me confused.

 

Lt Fitzherbert was actually killed at the Battle of Nunshigum which took place on the 13th April 1944. There is an account of the battle under a separate thread on Nunshigum.

 

FITZHERBERT, CHARLES TREVOR VESEY

Rank:

Captain

Service No:

226167

Date of Death:

13/04/1944

Age:

25

Regiment/Service:

Royal Armoured Corps



3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards)

Grave Reference

9. C. 11.

Cemetery

IMPHAL WAR CEMETERY

Additional Information:
Son of Beresford William and Alice Gwendoline Fitzherbert, of Buenos Aires, Argentine.

 

I believe Malcolm Connolly's son , also Malcolm, laid a poppy cross for him when we were at the Imphal Cemetery last month.
Lionboxer

 

I am looking for any living relative of EDWARD SANFORD, B Squadron Leader 3rd Carabiniers who was KIA at Nunshigum. Grateful if any member can help.

 

John Carver was my father's tank driver in Burma when they were blown up at Ninthoukong Kakanu, near Bishenpur in June 1944. This was the action in which Ganju Lama won his VC for knocking out the Japanese tanks that had attacked my father's troop (B Sqn 3rd Carabiniers). I have tried the link but no joy. I wonder if you can provide any more information as to how I can see John's recollections?

 

Unfortunately that was old link. Since then site was completely redesigned. Maybe you can try to contact site administrator of info about article. Now I can only curse myself because I didn't save it before.

 

Here's the photo

Lt.Eric Miles,25th Dragoons with Henry and Charles RAC depot, Poona 1943 by richardmiles posted Apr 27, 2014 at 8:23 PM

 

Are you really sure this is Carabiniers pic? Reason I'm asking cause 25th Dragoons used metal bars over operators roof(and seems like there's also bars over gunners place) as soon as they did testings about japanese mines on side and roof of their tank.

Mikko

 

This is listed as tank 25711. Interestingly 25712 and 25713(Destroyed by enemy action) were 25th Dragoons tanks. 25th Dragoons did test Japanese mines on the top of one of the destroyed tanks and it penetrated the top armour which was a lot thinner. Hence they added the cages on the top.

 

Is there list of somewhere T numbers of 25th Dragoons Lees? Or names? Your father had SEAC(?) written on it? I'm model builder and building a Lee atm. Would like to make 25th Lee from it. Ordered books mentioned earlier in thread, but not yet arrived. 25th pics are very scarce and some show that there could be names on em, but unfortunately unreadable except Schrewsbury.

Mikko