hi everyone New to forum and would appreciate help understanding dads war in Burma - copy of record attached. Thanks in advance Brenda
Any idea of his name? The war diaries would give you more on his journey A few members here do a copy service at the National Archives at a reasonable rate. Forum Member Shiny 9th has and interest and I have sent her a private message. regards Clive
Welcome to the forum. Shiny 9th will be able to tell you much more about 9 Royal Sussex itself, but it was part of 72 Infantry Brigade, 36 Infantry Division. Here's a history of the Division, written just after the war ended (and mainly for the men who took part) by its A.D.M.S. (Chief Doctor): 36 Div. | WW2Talk At the time your Dad joined, 36 Division was deployed on 'Operation Propaganda' in the US-led Northern Combat Area Command of Northern Burma. 72 Brigade had suffered very heavy casualties in a tough fight against the Japanese rearguard at Gyobin Chaung and Pinwe at the end of November 44, so I would guess he was brought in as part of a replacement draft. By the end of the December, 72 Brigade was in the midst of crossing the Irrawaddy River. At this point they were amongst the British troops farthest from home. This was a (relatively) quiet period but by February, 72 & 26 Brigade were at Myitson attempting to make an assault crossing of the Shweli River. Here the Japanese rearguard fought to the death, employing flame-throwers and 'banzai' charges in their last-ditch action to prevent the crossing. Myitson was completely destroyed by close air support from B-25 bombers. I don't have the Royal Sussex's diary, but here's a few pages of the 36 Division HQ (G Branch) diary from around the date your Dad joined:
I'd reapply to the MoD for his records, nowadays you get copies of the documents , with more detail, than the old days of a typed out summary.
The entry 'Posted to No 1 Wing' is possibly (I could be completely wrong) a posting to No. 1 Wing of the Homeward Bound Trooping Depot at Deolali, prior to repatriation to the UK. He reverted to Private on the same date so was likely 'Struck off Strength' of 9 Royal Sussex at that point and Taken on Strength of India Command. Here's a map of HBTD (I think this is courtesy of bamboo43) showing No. 1 Wing.
Thank you pack rat. I’m sorry to be so stupid but at what date did he go to Burma? I will apply for dads records again- thanks for the tip Brenda
Brenda, I have a good level of knowledge about 9th Royal Sussex.My father served with them and survived. I see your father was posted to the 9th 25.12 1944.
Brenda,I know exactly where 9th Royal Sussex were on 25.12.44 and am thinking your grandfather was probably already in Burma with his previous unit, The East Surreys.Need to check where they were at that point.
Thankyou Shiny 9th. I wasnt sure who Dad was with as when he joined in 1942 he was transferred to Royal Artillery and then he seems to have been moved around! so I was never too sure when he went out to Burma. I remember him talking about being on a ship to India and bits of life in the jungle - mainly that he was always hungry! by the way where was Dad Christmas 1944?
Well, If he had actually joined the 9th by that date, he would have been in a place called Katha in Burma. The 9th had a brief pause after the protracted battle of Pinwe. They celebrated Christmas very well actually with quite a feast. I have maps and descriptions of their preparations for the day. Also accounts of what they did. There are some photos of them on the banks of the Irrawaddy, and we know that they crossed this river on 26th Dec. Once all over they raised the Union Flag. The first unit to do so as they recovered territory from the enemy.
Brenda,Am perplexed by the posting to 2nd East Surreys. As far as I can see this Btn were not in Burma in 1944. Am sure there will be someone along soon who can confirm that. Might be worth finding where other units he was with were. The 9th Btn Royal Sussex continued fighting into Burma early in 1945 eventually getting to Mandlay. They left that theatre of war and went back to India to prepare for Operation Zipper which took them to Malaya shortly after the surrender. They were disbanded in 1946.
I was reading up on 2 East Surreys earlier. They were lost in the Malayan campaign in 1942. Reformed from the 11th Bn & never left the UK. edit added link East Surrey Regiment - Wikipedia
Well he never mentioned Malaya - I’ll get his service records again and see if any help Thanks to you all
He wouldn't as he wasn't with them when the 2nd Bn was lost. He hadn't even enlisted then. He was posted to the new reformed 2nd Bn.
Hi Brenda, It's impossible to say when he went into Burma from this summary - as Owen says the full service record is really what you need, and it may give a few little extra clues that are missed in the summary. They can be difficult to read and full of abbreviations, but if you post them up here the forum members will have a crack at interpreting them! He did move about a bit at first. I believe most men temporarily went into the General Service Corps upon enlistment by this point in the war to do six weeks of basic training, and were then assigned to a regiment once that had finished. Your dad was sent to the artillery, first a training regiment then the 109th Field. Artillery needs a lot of signals personnel, so the posting to the Signal Training Regiment may have been a course. By 1943/44 a lot of gunners were being turned into infantry, and that may be the reason for your Dad's transfer to the East Surreys. As Owen and Shiny9th say, 2 East Surreys don't seem to have gone to India at all so his overseas deployment is a puzzle without the full records. It gives his dates in India as 4.5.44 to 6.9.46, which (assuming the MOD clerk read and typed them up right in the summary) will likely be the dates he boarded a transport ship in the UK and disembarked back in the UK again - time at sea was included in the overseas service dates. The first sorties of the brigade he eventually joined in December 1944 - 72 Brigade - flew into Myitkyina airfield in Burma in July 1944, and flew out from Meiktila in early May 1945 after being pulled out of the fight along the Shan States Road in order to get back to India before the monsoon broke. If your Dad was transferred to 9 Royal Sussex on 25.12.44 it probably took a while for him to get up to the battalion, as they were in seriously remote and inaccessible terrain by that point and relied heavily on air supply from the USAAF. Some of 36 Division's rear echelon was in Shillong, Assam, so that might have been where he first arrived with the Division on Christmas Day 1944. From there, one way to the front was by truck along the Ledo Road to the Mogaung Vally, jeep train down the recently captured 'Railway Corridor' to Naba/Katha, then road again down the Katha-Mongmit road until he reached his unit. More likely he'd have been flown by Dakota direct from the airfield at Ledo to whichever forward airstrip constructed by 36 Div and American engineers was closest to 72 Brigade at the time.
Brenda, I do know that the 9th were in serious need of reinforcements by the time your father appeared on the scene. They had just fought through as far as Pinwe and lost many men, but then had a brief break over Christmas. After this they crossed the Irrawaddy and carried on as far as Mandalay. Again there were engagements with the enemy- but on 7th May 1945 they flew out from Meiktila firstly to Imphal, then after some leave regrouped in India where they prepared for Operation Zipper. This took them to Malaya. If you can get hold of a copy of Murray Gilling's The Shiny Ninth ( see pm how to track a copy down) and also consider getting the book below, you will have a good idea of the 9th's role in all this.
