1st Bn, Essex Regiment - Burma 44th & 56th Columns

Thanks! I will look into getting the service records, thanks again for your help!

 

Let us know how you get on.

 

Hi Richard

I am looking for information about my Grandfather Alfred David Hammond we have medals a few pics of him and with others in Burma, but on his return until he passed in 1972, he spoke very little of ever about his time. We recently found more pictures and I am hooked on finding details to share with my dad and of course the family.

 

Hello Kevin,

All I can add to this for you is your grandfather's Burma Star Association membership form. Sadly, it does not include his Army number, which might help you research him further. There was a soldier with the 1st Essex, Pte. A. Hammond whose number was 6016606, but I cannot be certain this was your grandfather?

 

Thank you

 

No worries Kevin. The member who started this thread, Richard, has not been here for over two years unfortunately. It might be possible to contact him by starting a private conversation with him using this function in your profile page. Any message you send him will be sent to the email address he provided when he joined the forum. Good luck going forward.

 

The HQ of the 539 Searchlight Battery was located in the centre of the village of Lapford, Devon. There were Nissan huts on what is today Moorland view and additional huts for ATS girls on present day Park Meadow Road. The Village hall was the Mess with the Malt Scoop Inn becoming the Officers Mess and billeting. Stores were located at Malt Scoop Cottage and the Congregational Church Sunday School which was the designated mortuary in case of attack.

The village only had a population of about 700 so the base made quite a difference to village life. The battery put o entertainment, dances and shows and the Malt Scoop Inn did a great trade. There was quite a bit of socialising with the two village home guard units: the village runs up a long hill and there was a group for the top and one for the bottom (where the Ambrosia Cream Rice was invented and made).

The 539th were one of 3 batteries to successively use Lapford. They were searchlight batteries responsible for searchlight operations on hilltops across mid-Devon. I think there was a close link with RAF Winklieigh, a secretive airfield used for transporting spies in and out of France. Canadian Radar experts were based at Winkleigh and I think some of the radar developments were rolled out to the Lapford searchlight operations. The ATS girls at Lapford were trained radar plotters.

The service records that were uploaded show the name of Major A Beresford who was i charge of the 539 operations at Lapford.

 

Its been a while since I have posted any information here regarding the the Essex Regiment in Burma.

What I have found that may be of interest to others here, is from the service records of my grandfather is states that while with the force he traveled by 'self' 466 Miles (nearly 750km!!). I'm not sure if this is accurate but shows significant ground was traveled.

In the second document attached it state that he was A.L.O for Maj-Gen Symes (in interesting point on its own), Platoon Commander and muleteer. The second document also points that his period of being attached to 44 Column from 04JAN44 to 07JUL44 where he went to hospital. The first document shows he has 27 hours over 12 sorties in the the Stinson L5 that would be the A.L.O work.

In the record it also states that he went from 146SQN to 5 LRPC from 01NOV42 - 25NOV43 . I am guessing that is Long Range Penetration Column? I'm not sure if this was the training phase of the operation. Other my know more.

On his return many of his reports suggest the toll of this action, with one superior writing that "gives the impression of having "had" it."

 

Any idea if 6027516 George Leonard Laing was a Chindit? his number is in the Essex block, he was discharged from the Essex (so probable - but not certain - he stayed with them in between) his discharge cert doesn't mention any other units served in and gives him in India 27/7/42 to 13/3/45 (I know location can be quite loose on these things) which if Essex would I believe make him 1st Battalion. Early 1945 he was being treated for sprue malaria and his unit is given as 60th Field Regiment RA and some earlier posts mention 1st Essex having some men attached to 60th Field.

edit to add on the note about him being with 60th Field it has his rank as Pte which also backs up him being attached as if that was his proper unit he'd be Gnr (although the clerk filling in the form may just have made a mistake)

 

He doesn't appear in any of the rolls I have, either the Burma Star, Chindit Old comrades or the 1st Essex and 60th FR RA war diaries I'm afraid. Still a very good chance he might have been all things considered.

 

Thanks for having a look, another one whose story will be (to a degree) revealed when the Service Records come out.

 

The above photos include my Great grandfather Cecil de Vall, this is the unit he was put in once leaving operations with chindits acording to my grand father Iam still awaiting his records hope, someone can identify a family in this pic.

 

Hi there - This is the only picture that I have of my dad serving in 56 Column, 1st Essex in February 1945. He had previously been a gunner, and then marched into Burma as part of Operation Thursday as a Chindit. As a Chindit he was in 69 Column, 51/69 RA Regiment, 16 Brigade. When the Chindit's were disbanded he transferred to 1st Essex in October 1944.

 

Hi Darren,

Thanks so much for posting this picture, can't quite believe it but my Grandfather is in this photo! Second row far right, Farmer. Absolutely amazing to see this, I am blown away, is there anyway you can send me a high res scan of this photo? I'd love to get a print made. Also if you have any other info about 1 Essex to share that would be great...

I have been trying to piece together my Grandfather's movements from his war records for a while, here's what I know:

1114033 Sergeant George John Farmer
Arrived in India May 1942 with 69th Anti-Tank Regiment RA
Combined with 51st to form 51/69 Field Regiments, Royal Artillery (fighting as infantry)
I then assume he was part of 69 Column, according to wiki 69 column took part in Operation Thursday and crossed into Burma on foot from Ledo in Assam, arriving in the Indaw area after a nearly 500km trek, in Feb/March '44
He was then posted to 1st Battalion Essex Regiment on 14th October '44, he stayed with 1 Essex until the end of the war

Apparently 1st Essex were with 23rd Brigade until June '45 when they transferred to 29th brigade, and arrived at Camp Uruli near Poona on 21st June 1945 and stayed there until they went home

If anyone has anymore info that can fill in the gaps here it would be greatly appreciated?

All the best

Tom

 

Tom

My dad Gunner Private Fred Berry 1130601 had exactly the same assignments / postings as your Grandfather in terms of service record until March 1945 when he left 1st Battalion Essex Regiment to join 77th India Paratroop Brigade. Do you have any details or photographs of your Grandfather's locations upto his posting to 1st Essex from May-1942 onwards? I need to get to Kew to dig out the war diaries. I have identified most of the ones that I need to copy. But the most frustrating is when our relatives were Chindits with 51/69. I have a copy of the 51 Column War Diary for that period Jan-1944 through Nov-1944. But 69 Column appears to be sadly missing

 

Hi Robert,

Here's what I have pieced together from several articles:

May 1942 – 69th Anti-Tank Regiment RA arrives in India as part of 19 Indian Division

6th August 1943 - 69th Anti-Tank Regiment RA becomes 69 Light Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Tank Regiment RA(TA)

18th October 1943 – 51st and 69th Regiments RA combine to form an Infantry battalion 51st/69th Regiment RA, which trained in the LRP role, 16th Infantry Brigade

December 1943 - 16th Brigade moved to Ledo, its concentration area in Northern Assam

5th Feb 1944 – 51st/69th Regiment RA begin long range march into Burma as part of Operation Thursday, operating as 51 and 69 Column, with 6 other columns (8 total, forming 16 Brigade)

8th March 1944 - 51 and 69 Columns detach from 16th brigade and head 40 miles eastwards to raid the Japanese base at Lonkin; this they successfully did, the Japanese garrison fled and quantities of stores were destroyed, while the rest of 16 brigade continues towards Indaw

10th April 1944 - 51 and 69 Columns arrive at 'Aberdeen' stronghold and regroup with the rest of 16 Brigade

Late April/ Early May 1944 - 16th Brigade stayed around Indaw, ambushing the Japanese but with no major objective. This did not change until late April, with the move north. On 18th April two Chindit Brigades, 14 and 16, launched fresh, loosely-coordinated attacks on Indaw, 14 from the south and 16 from the north, with Indaw West airfield the priority target.

Early May 1944 - 16th Brigade airlifted out from Aberdeen and Broadway airfields to Comilla in East Bengal

17th May - 16th Brigade arrives Bangalore


14 October 1944 - the 51st (W&C) Field and 69th Anti-Tank regiments reverted to their original designations and formally passed into suspended animation. Posted to 1st Battalion Essex Regiment, under 23rd Brigade (seems this transfer happened in Bangalore...)

October 26th - 1st Battalion Essex moves into a training camp at Orcha, near Jhansi

March 26th 1945 - 1st Battalion Essex leaves Jhansi for Depetuli Camp, near Ranchi in order to elicit volunteers for parachute units but few men from the 23rd Brigade volunteered. After a short stay there, the brigade moved to Barembe, near Ranchi.

21st June 1945 – 1st Battalion Essex moved to Uruli Camp near Poona on 21st June 1945, when it joined 29th Infantry Brigade.

I found these articles useful:

T2nd Bn The Queen's With The Chindit Force
The Chindits - Operation Thursday - The Chindit Society
51st (Westmorland and Cumberland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery - Wikipedia

Hope thats helpful, obviously there's still gaps and its not quite specific to 69 column, with most of the movements referring to 16th Brigade. Some of the dates don't quite match between articles so there's a bit of overlap . The war diaries for 69th Anti tank RA do seem to exist on the national archives site, I would like to go up to Kew at some point myself and have a look. I will try and get my Dad to dig out my grandfathers photos from India/Burma and post them here when I can

 

Tom, from the info you have supplied, it would seem that our relatives followed a very similar if not exact route to Burma and the Chindits, i have only just received my great grandfather war records although the are limited in the info it does shine a light on his career, it would be interesting in knowing where he enlisted to see if they even knew each other before the war, as for the photo i dont have the original how ever Iam seeing my grand father this coming weekend and will see if i cant get a better image to send to you.