Mission 204 - Special Service Detachment 2

Hello Steve

I've recently received my great uncle's (Pte William Melrose 2992003 of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) war record and I see he was posted to 204 Mission as of 15/9/41. There are further notations that he was in Malaysia until 23/2/42 then China 24/2/42 to 30/9/42 and India 1/10/42 to 24/10/44. I found his name in the attachments you placed up in this post under Malaysia Detachment. Are you able to offer any other info on where I could possibly find out what he was doing. He's a couple of pics of him. He was also posted to India in 1936 prior to WWII.

Regards

Sean Gallagher
Melbourne .

 

Hi Sean,
Great that you found the thread. As far as I can tell, the Malaya cadre were draw up from units serving there from before the war against Japan began officially. They were brought together to train and assist Chinese forces in the art of guerrilla warfare and attack Japanese positions inside China. It was all very hush hush at the time for political reasons.

l am currently away from home and so cannot access my files, but there are certainly a few good books you could read which would give you a good idea of what William got up to.

I think being with 204 Mission probably saved him becoming a prisoner of war as many Argyles ended up in that position after February 1942.

Back soon. Steve

 

Hi Sean,

Apologies for the long delay. I had a look through my books and files and we are in luck. William is mentioned in the book Escape to Fight On (204 Military Mission in China) by John Whitehead and George B. Bennett.

It seems he formed up with Pte. J. Anderson as a Bren gun team on the operation. The book quote attached relates to a potential engagement with the Japanese at a place called Nanchaun/Poyang Lake. The book, if you can find a copy will give you a wonderful insight into what he undertook and went through. He did very well to survive his adventures in China.

Other books that will also be of interest are:

The Lost Legion by William Noonan
On Big Flowery Hill by John Hay

 

Hi Steve

Thanks very much for the information. I've tracked those two books down so very much looking forward to reading those when they arrive from the UK. Do you have access to any info of the students that attended the Bush warfare school in Burma?? I was wondering if William was a student there and or was he just caught up with 204 when fleeing the Japanese at another location?

Thanks again for your time

Regards

Sean.

 

Hi Sean,

I've never seen nominal rolls to that extent, but I do have some listings from late summer 1942. I will take another look and get back to you. Glad you found the books, let's hope that they get over to you soon.

Steve

 

Hi Sean,

I have not found anything in regards the BWS for the time that William might have been present. I have attached some odds and ends from papers that show how the 204 MM came about from the political side of things and a one page letter from an officer with the Malaya contingent, that I have in my files. Not much I'm afraid, but perhaps of interest to you.

My interest in the 204 MM and BWS, comes from my research into the first Chindit expedition in 1943. Many commandos who served in Burma during Wingate's first operation had come originally from the BWS and some had served on 204 MM. So my focus in collecting material around this topic is around one year further on than you really require.

Cheers now.

Steve

 

I have not contributed to the discussions on this site for some time. Apologies, I can only plead other distractions!
If it is not too late to respond regarding the origins of 204MM, for the political background, I would highly recommend a Doctorate thesis: - "Britain and the War in China 1937-1945 by Catherine E Baxter, 1993. This is available (still I think) at Hugh Owen Library Desk Store (AC1. W1.B3) at the University of Aberystwyth. This gives a very good insight into the whole complex history. It also covers putting together the "Oriental Mission (first initiative of SOE in the Far East).
All my own researches on 204MM lead back to four men in Norway in the Spring of 1940. Gen. Carton de Wiart in charge of one of the British "Independent Companies fighting in Norway; his adjutant Peter Fleming and Colin Gubbins and Mike Calvert who were described as "observers". Fleming and Calvert had both (together or separately) carried out missions to China to observe the dispositions on the northern frontier and the fighting methods of the Japanese army against the Chinese. On his return to UK, Fleming was detailed to construct the secret stay behind units embedded in the Home Guard. He had been consulted beforehand on what 204MM should look like and it seems that he then came up with the proposal which became 204MM in 1941. He was in Crete in 1941 leading a clandestine unit alongside Layforce Middle East Commandos and on the disbandment of the commando units which fought in Crete because of their huge losses, they became ideal volunteers for 204MM, battle hardened and battle weary.
The aim of 204MM was to put a unit into China to train Chinese troops in guerilla warfare, small fast moving infantry units. The whole initiative in its long planning was a gesture. Chiang Kai Shek had been demanding aid from Britain otherwise he was going to give up. Britain also wanted to involve the Australians in any new Far East initiative, hence Calvert's travelling to Australia to train commandos there.

The first tranche of 204MM was caught out by the start of the Pacific war on 7th December 1941. They should have already all been there by then. SSD1 and SSD2 were formed at the beginning of 1942. Look at the Line of Battle for Burma in January/February 1942 shows their importance. They were the only infantry in Burma with any battle experience and battle training. The 7th Armoured brigade arrived from Syria in Rangoon in February 1942 to form the rear guard of the evacuation to India. SSD2 was deployed to Taungyi in the middle of Burma and SSD1 to Kentung on the far eastern border of Burma close to Thailand and what is now Vietnam. Behind SSD1 was the Chinese 5th Army sent at American insistence and with General Stilwell.

It was hoped that the line Meiktila, Taungyi, Kentung could be held long enough to allow some order in the evacuation. Taungyi came under fierce attack. On the Pathe news website, there used to be some video of the street fighting there with the 7th Armoured Division. There was a combined assault through Loimwe and up the Salween valley where SSD1 were deployed. Their job was to blow up the bridges and booby trap the roads and tracks which they did. SSD1 had been issued with German Mannlicher rifles because the Chinese 5th Army trained and equipped by the Germans used German equipment and SSD1 could get ammunition from them. The problem was that when they fell back on Kentung, the Chinese army had vanished. Some did go back to Yunnan in China and some just disappeared. General Stillwell als had gone acompanied by two American journalists he managed to get to India.

SSD1 still in possession of more than five tons of explosives left Kentung and made their way north to Daluo which was the end of the road. The explosives were detonated all their vehicles destroyed and they crossed the Mekong and followed the old Tea/Opium trail northwards to Yunnan.

The second tranche of 204MM which was put together later in 1942 was officers only. It still had the overt aim of providing training for Chinese Koumingtang troops but there was now a very clear covert purpose to position British military and non military personnel across Nationalist China and to provide a reason for them moving around. The Americans obstructed the overt aims as much as they could. By the end of 1942 they were running China and did not want any British presence. Britain wanted SOE MI9 and MI6 people there and there was a great deal of "Badge engineering" which went on under cover of 204MM to support Hong Kong and to be in a position to retake it at the end.

Of the four men I mention at the begiining of this long rambling tale, Gubbins we know was one of the heros of SOE, Peter Fleming finished up running Section D (Deception) for SIS in the Far East. Carton De Wiart became Churchill's special representative to Chaing Kai Shek in Chongqing as well as running SOE agents and Mike Calvert went on to the Chindits.

 

Hi Folks. I research MIddle East commando/ Layforce and was wondering if this thread was still live?

 

Post 101 in 2015 refers to some photos and one is Captain Dennis Ford, 2nd Battalion, Black Watch Regiment. His nickname was "Haggis" and Service Number 124856.

He died in 2006 and an obituary appeared:

He appears on: The Men of SOE Burma Based on his SOE file