The Chindit Society

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by bamboo43, Mar 21, 2016.

  1. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    One or two snippets HW. I will send them over when I've sorted it all out. Most of the archive is made up of handwritten letters from Chindits, so the info is somewhat personal in places.
     
  2. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    20 questions...? ;)
    BSA...?

    GDPR sensitivities may apply here and there...
     
  3. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Physical media follows the same rules as virtual: if you don't want anyone to see it, don't post it...

    It's always good to hear of new information seeing the light of day.
     
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  4. Father Peter Clegg

    Father Peter Clegg Padre Peter D. Clegg

    ??
     
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  5. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Me Ol' China noted that these items he's going through contain "somewhat personal" information... Our ex illustrious leaders over in the EU and those down in the "smoke" (that's Londinium to folks that might not know) created rules (General Data Protection Regulation; GDPR for short) that are so confusing regarding data (i.e. something as simple as your email address, Father Clegg; or a phone book with your name and address in it has to be by consent; you used to have to opt out, now it's opt in, or should be) it is almost unintelligible...
    Think of it like this... some information has to be redacted before it can be provided to the general public... some information can never be seen unless it is you wanting to see it... It becomes easier when it is known to be persons now deceased; sometimes it should remain quietly out of public view...
    A personal example: I was slowly getting signatures in a copy of the primary 230 Squadron history book (written by Guy Warner), from past and (then) present Sqn personnel, with them signing specifically where it was appropriate within the timeline, making comments here and there (like "line-books" of old), and asking them to record themselves by their rank at the time they were in the Sqn (largest reduction was from AVM to Flt Lt; he's now an Air Marshal) in the book over my time editing their newsletters and gathering bits of their history; when a secretary of their Association stood down (an elderly Sunderland gent) in 2017, just prior to their 100th anniversary in 2018, he gifted me this large box of letters from various early members of the Association... what to do with such material... most of it was mundane... one was a letter containing 5 pages about Gert and Daisy, specifically about Daisy's loss)... it was all those signatures that were of interest to me...
    So, I carefully cut the signatures away from the old letters and stuck them into the book, in their respective era... all of them had passed and they had no chance of being in the book... the oldest had been flying Short Singapore's with 230 in the 1930's... I eventually scanned the book for others to be able to see and gifted the original to 230's then commanding officer on the point of their 100th anniversary... the signatures spanned 90 years of the Sqn's history... the remainder of the material was shredded as of no use to anyone... here's my cheque, would like to join, new address, etc...
    Hope this helps...
    Kenny
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2021
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  6. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Thanks for all your replies. Thankfully, I have had plenty of experience over the years at seeing what I can and cannot share in these situations. Most of the new items I’ve received can be added to soldier’s stories without concern and add small but invaluable details to their WW2 path.
     
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  7. Father Peter Clegg

    Father Peter Clegg Padre Peter D. Clegg

    Have I got to do anything then?
     
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  8. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Not sure why you are concerned, Father Clegg... perhaps an explanation of why you think this overall situation might affect you or what you are uncertain of...?
     
  9. veronicad

    veronicad Well-Known Member

    Lucky man Steve. Excited for you. Also looking forward to gaining any information you can share regarding Operation Thursday.
    Veronica.
     
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  10. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Thanks Veronica. I will keep all of you in mind if anything comes up that might be of interest.
     
  11. Father Peter Clegg

    Father Peter Clegg Padre Peter D. Clegg

    It's sorted now.
    It's just that the first E Mail seemed rather odd and, to me, a bit accusatory.
    I know understand that it was more of a general E Mail but still wonder about the wording of it (like,"if you don't like 'this or that' don't post it).
     
  12. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi All,

    Just a note to say that the latest Chindit Society newsletter is available on line. All editions of the newsletter, including this latest one can be accessed direct from the CS website, here:

    The Chindit Column - The Chindit Society
     
  13. Wobbler

    Wobbler Well-Known Member

    I don’t know if you caught last night’s Antiques Roadshow, but there was a segment with the daughter of a Chindit, John Stanley Storer, who passed away in 2010. He had joined the TA in Grimsby in 1939, Royal Artillery going by his shoulder titles, and was with the BEF, the 8th Army and then in Burma.

    His daughter had brought along a piece of paper containing a very brief and modest summary written by him about his service, apparently the only thing he ever wrote about it. Most moving where he states purely and simply “three and a half months in Burma - some of us came out”.

    It’s on BBC iPlayer, about 16 minutes in (series 43, Windermere Jetty 1).
     
  14. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Thanks Wobbler, I did after Tricky Dicky gave me the heads up. I have found that John Storer was with 60th Field Regiment Royal Artillery, fighting as infantry as part of the 23rd British Infantry Brigade. This was a Chindit Brigade, but was kept back by Slim after Wingate's death as the Japanese began their march on Imphal and Kohima. The Brigade were used in a Chindit-like manner, attacking the Japanese lines of communication around Kohima.

    Here is John's Burma Star Association membership form, which gives some of the details from above:

    Storer John Stanley BSA membership copy.jpg
     
  15. Wobbler

    Wobbler Well-Known Member

    Another great item of history, thank you for sharing it.
     
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  16. Nicholas Mooney

    Nicholas Mooney New Member

    Hi, My great uncle was a chindit in column no.8 and was captured after an ambush by the Japanese whilst they were crossing a river. the platoon was split from the column when the boats broke loose whilst crossing another river a few days earlier. Half the platoon was killed, there was one man wounded on the opposite bank who was out and the japanese thought dead. he was able to rejoin the column when they entered a deserted village he was hiding in.

    Sadly Pte Lawrence Mooney died six months later in Rangoon Prison. There are 2 photos of him on the Operation Longcloth website under column 8
     
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  17. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Good to see you on here Nicholas, it's been a while since we put Lawrence's story up on the website (scroll down alphabetically):

    Roll Call K-O
     
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  18. Nicholas Mooney

    Nicholas Mooney New Member

    Thank you for the welcome. I have come across a photo that my father of Herbert Renshaw (3656025) also serving the King's regiment (Liverpool), but after searching military records on the internet i can't find him, is there any record of him in operation longcloth. He survived the war and married my Grans sister who was married to one lawrence's brother Joseph William. Bert as we knew him would not talk of his service in Burma, which i can understand given the conditions they were fighting under. Can you or any members shed light on this?

    Thank you in advance

    Nick.
     
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  19. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Nick

    You will not find service records for WW2 soldiers on the internet - you will only find publicly available details such as POW records, missing, injured, wounded lists. If he was an officer you may find something but highly unlikely if he was an NCO

    Service records are only available from the MOD and the forms are here Request records of deceased service personnel you will also need a copy of his death certificate

    So in essence if he wasnt injured, captured or died and was an NCO then its nigh on impossible to find anything on the internet

    TD
     
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  20. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi Nick,

    I have not come across Bert's name on my King's Regiment research.

    Steve
     

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