Photos of 81st West African Division in Burma

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by sol, Sep 1, 2010.

  1. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Here are some more photos of West African soldiers in or around the time of operation Thursday in 1944. These are all Chindit images as such, but with no real information regarding, who, what or where!!
     

    Attached Files:

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  2. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    Nice photos Steve, thanks for sharing
     
  3. Frankiesgirl

    Frankiesgirl Junior Member

    Hi Sol, I looked at the photo's when I first joined this group and like you I found them very interesting. I like it that they are so clear so many of the photographs I have seen previously are rather difficult to make out.
    I took up your tip about the war diaries at Kew and a researcher is looking into it for me. In the meantime I have received some information that I wrote off for a while ago and this has made it clearer to me that 6th brigade was part of 81st Reconnaissance Division and this has made it clearer to me where to place Dad in the context of the efforts in the Kaladan. I think now the video footage I saw must be of Myohaung and the documentary makers must have just got footage of the 'Burma campaign' to illustrate their point about reinforcements at Imphal. I must have got it wrong about what Dad said, he must have just meant that two famous battles of the Burma campaign were Imphal and Kohima. He wouldn't lie about such a thing and it seems 6 Brigade were not there so it must be that I got it mixed up somehow. I'm looking forward to hearing from the researcher about the diaries. I'm sure you have probably seen the YouTube video's but I'm posting a link here just in case you haven't. YouTube - WWII BURMA CONDUIT TO INDIA 1 of 3 RARE COLOR FILM
    Thanks for all the help .
    Carol
     
  4. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi All,

    Trying to help a contact narrow his Grandad's Burma time frame.

    Sergeant in the 12th Nigerians in the India/Burma theatre from November 1943 to August 1945. Ended up in the 81st West African Division on 22/12/1944.

    With his original regiment and placement into the 81st WA's what are his likely involvements in the conflict. This might seem an obvious question but I am trying to pin him down a bit here.

    Might be able to get more precise documentory info later?:)
     
  5. Peccavi

    Peccavi Senior Member

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  6. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

  7. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

  8. Amnewlan

    Amnewlan New Member

  9. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    I have recently looked again at Frederick Joseph Loftus-Tottenham, mainly for when he was commander of Force 401, the last expeditionary deployment of the Indian Army to Basra, Iraq in August 1946. On a quick read through the following sources have not been mentioned:
    1. Why Force 401 - the context: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00263206.2015.1124417
    2. The memoirs of Nigel Buxton, his ADC, describing a longstanding plan to launch such an action into Iran and more details. Plus life afterwards in Basra. See Ch. 11 on: Nigel Buxton
    3. Family details and movements: Family of Frederick Joseph Loftus TOTTENHAM and Marjorie Fielden DARE
    4. The 2003 book 'Unusual Undertakings: A Military Memoir' by James Wilson refers to his time in the Pakistani Army, post-Partition and refers to Loftus-Tottenham commanding till 1949 one of Pakistan's two divisions, the 7th Division based @ Rawalpindi (via Google Books).
     
  10. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member


    Major- General Frederick Joseph Loftus-Tottenham
    1898–1987
    BIRTH 4 MAY 1898
    DEATH 11 APR 1987 • Norton Bavant Warminster Wilts

    I see he lost 2 of his 3 sons during the war

    Lieutenant Ralph Frederick Loftus-Tottenham
    1923–1944
    BIRTH 1923 • Uckfield, Sussex, England
    DEATH 18 FEBRUARY 1944 • Cassino, Provincia di Frosinone, Lazio, Italy

    Lieutenant John Richard Loftus-Tottenham
    1925–1945
    BIRTH ABT 1925 • Ranikhet, St Bonaventure, Bengal
    DEATH 22 JULY 1945 • Rangoon, Yangon Region, Burma

    TD
     
  11. High Wood

    High Wood Well-Known Member

    I was at school with a lad called John Loftus Tottenham, mad as a box of frogs but a great bloke. I particularly remember two things about him. One, he had a very advanced taste in music for a thirteen year old and was buying albums by such bands as Little Feat, The Grateful Dead and Caravan when all that was being played on Radio One was T. Rex and Slade.

    The other thing is that he would do anything for a dare. About six of us in the Lower fourth shared a dormitory and just along the corridor was the flat where our House Matron lived. I should point out that our house matron was a very attractive french woman in her mid twenties. Late one evening, after being dared by a room full of giggling schoolboys, he walked, stark bollock naked down the corridor and knocked on the front door of her flat. When she answered the door, he coolly asked, "Matron, have you seen my pyjamas?". Most of us had followed him down the corridor and I have never forgotten her exclaim, Oh, Johnee. what are you doing?
     
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