The Chindit Society

That's great news Steve.

 

It really is John!!

 

Well blow me down, who’d have thought that! As John says, great news.

 

Cheers Martin. With the help of PackRat and Jimbo09, I've put a little something together for Eric to look at re: Rear HQ signals.

 

Nice one.

 

The latest Forgotten War Podcast came out last week and examined Operation Longcloth in detail:

13. Operation Longcloth: the first Chindits | The Forgotten War Podcast: Burma Campaign WW2

 

This week was all about Wingate:

14. Wingate - then man, the myth, the legend! | The Forgotten War Podcast: Burma Campaign WW2

 

From curator Bob White at the Kohima Museum.

Supported by the Chindit Society, an exhibition about the Chindits will take place at the Kohima Museum, inside Imphal Barracks at York, from June 28 to August 29 2026. This is a unique opportunity to see artefacts from private collections never previously displayed in public and to listen to Chindit-related talks and presentations. To find out more, please use the following link:

Chindit Exhibition - Kohima Museum - York

 

More about Eric MacKenzie Deacon on the BBC today:

World War Two veteran, 102, among last two known Chindit survivors

 

More about Eric MacKenzie Deacon from the latest Chindit Society newsletter:

The Chindit Society is proud to offer a warm and heartfelt welcome to a surviving Chindit who was previously unknown to us – Eric Mackenzie Deacon, now aged 102. Born on the 14th August 1923, Eric became a Signalman (Royal Signals) and joined Chindit Rear Base Head Quarters at Sylhet in late January 1944 after travelling to India aboard the SS Strathmore the previous October.

Eric was allocated the Army number – 14411679 and did his basic training at Catterick in North Yorkshire before he volunteered for the Royal Signals in 1942 with the hope of joining a tank regiment. After being posted overseas to India, he was part of the first Allied troopship convoy to pass through Gibraltar and the Mediterranean since the start of war, disembarking at Bombay on 29th November 1943. After postings at Mhow, Gwailor, Jalitpur and Agartala, Eric settled into his Long Range Penetration Signals role at Sylhet, arriving on 27th January 1944.

At Sylhet, Eric worked with the Combined Signals Group which supported all Chindit brigades, but provided vital signals support to 111 Brigade specifically during Operation Thursday. He was due to be flown forward to join 111 Brigade at the Blackpool stronghold in late May 1944, but the block was abandoned around that time and so he remained at Sylhet for the duration of the second campaign.

When asked about senior commanders, Eric remembered Walter Lentaigne, the then commander of 111 Brigade during those early days at Sylhet. He also recalled attending a talk by Lord Louis Mountbatten and possibly seeing Major-General Wingate on a couple of occasions passing through the base. Often working on the telephone exchange at Sylhet, he recounted how the Indian and Gurkha troops humorously referred to him as the “tinkle, tinkle wallah.”

In a conversation with Paul Corden on Easter Sunday this year, Eric enjoyed talking about his wartime service, but was keen to stress his awkwardness in being called a Chindit, as he was never sent forward into Burma. Eric told Paul that after the Chindits were disbanded, some units and brigades were reassigned to the newly formed 44th Indian Airborne Division, and Eric went with the 14th Chindit Brigade, which became the 14th Airlanding Brigade on 1st November 1944 and was based at Karachi. Eric again stressed that he did not do any parachute training during this time.

Eric was then switched to the Despatch Rider/Courier trade, and was sent back to Europe where he couriered important documents around post-war Germany and Austria for the remainder of his service. He was eventually demobbed on 9th May 1947 and went on to work in the accounts offices for the railways of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.

The Society would like to welcome Eric into the wider Chindit community and to thank him for the vital role he played in ensuring that communications were maintained between Rear Base (Sylhet) and the men on the ground in the jungles of Burma, and that no lesser Chindit was he.

Kind thanks go to: John Deacon (Eric’s son), Paul Shenton and Paul Corden for their assistance in bringing this short article to the membership’s attention. Seen below are photographs of Paul Corden meeting Eric on Easter Sunday this year and a page from Eric’s wartime notebook, recording entries covering Major-General Wingate’s untimely death and Lord Louis Mountbatten’s visit to Sylhet on 9th April 1944 (coincidentally also Easter Sunday).

 

A new high quality booklet has been produced by the Chindit Society and 77 Brigade to commemorate VJ80 (2025). It contains 120 pages of articles, photographs and narratives describing the events organised over recent years and enjoyed by our veterans and membership.

If anyone is interested in obtaining a copy, please contact Chindit Society Chairman, Paul Shenton on the email address shown on the advertisement below. The Society is asking £3 to cover any postage costs, but any further donation would be most welcome. I hope I have not broken any Forum rules with this announcement, if so please delete as necessary.

 

Still here .

 

Good to hear!!