Thanks sol! will check it out. My local library has it in the reference stacks. Is it often referred to as the M.D.S Hill? and what do the initials mean? Yes it is. M.D.S. means Main Dressing Station.
Yes it is. M.D.S. means Main Dressing Station. Sol, thanks for clarifying. I have been poking around and found this link to a film that contains footage from after the atrocities at the dressing station. Just wondering if anyone has seen it and maybe someone knows the process for being able to see it. [14TH ARMY BREAKS JAPANESE COUNTERSTROKE IN THE ARAKAN: BATTLE OF THE ADMIN BOX] [Allocated] | Imperial War Museums Also, my father and I have been collecting things together, piecing data together and we can only find 3 R.A.M.C Officers listed on the CWGC who died on February 7th 1944 and are buried in the same cemetery as my grandfather - Taukkyan. There are also 2 R.A.M.C Privates, a Clerk, a Cook and an "Ambulance Sepoy" in the Indian Army Medical Corps. There was supposed to be 4 doctors who were killed. Not sure what an Ambulance Sepoy is. We thought that maybe one of them had been buried elsewhere, so we have looked at a few other cemeteries for the same dates but not sure what to do next. I've been reading Burma: The Longest War by Louis Allen. Well reading might be misleading, I skipped ahead to the relevant chapter, and even skipped a little further ahead. It's so much military lingo, I am having trouble wading through it. Anyway, it's helpful to paint a picture, and gathering info. I have posted in another thread some pictures of the original 2 graves of my grandfather. I'll look for it again, and paste the url into this post later. Here it is: http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-grave-photographs/32155-original-cwgc-cemetery-photographs-9.html#post499347
Also - just in case my previous post came off as only being interested in the aftermath/gruesome footage - I should clarify that the description of the film talks also of wounded Japanese being tended to - and would very much like to see if by some amazing luck, it contains footage of my Grandfather. My dad has indicated that he might like me to watch it first and then let him know if it's a good idea for him to see it or not given what it does contain. Should I have started a new thread for this? Don't want to hijack anothers post but figured it was all relevant to Admin Box. EDIT: found out you can order the film from the Imperial War Museum and so I am doing so.
My father ,Sgt. William Adrain MM, fought in the Admin Box and was awarded the MM. Capt. Reid was awarded the MC in the same action. They were volunteers and members of the 21st battery , the 8th Belfast HAA who were cut off at the Nykedoke Pass and moved to defend the Admin Box. More information is available if you search 8th Belfast HAA and click on the LENNON WYLIE site. My father's diary is on the site with an account of the battle and casualties suffured by the Regiment. the 8th Belfast were known as "12 mile snipers"
Oh! those are your father's private papers available at IWM then! Private Papers of W Adrain MM | Imperial War Museums We were going to order them at some point. Thanks for the search info - I just looked it up, what a gift! Will send it to my dad right now and read it myself over the next while. Very good to meet you!
Hi zeezee, Many thanks for that URL [14TH ARMY BREAKS JAPANESE COUNTERSTROKE IN THE ARAKAN: BATTLE OF THE ADMIN BOX]. That was a very interesting film. Also See RAF Regiment - Battle for Meiktila This link covers mostly operations in Burma by the RAF and RAF Regiment and there is mention of integration of Regiment resources within Army units. EG: Quote "At the end of each day all personnel and equipment had to be withdrawn into the box and preparations made for standing and fighting patrols to be sent out after nightfall. 2708 Squadron’s 3” mortar flight was absorbed into the brigade artillery line and carried out fire tasks in conjunction with Army field guns and medium mortars." Regards, Mick D.
rockape - glad you liked it. my dad bought the whole reel which included other reels as well. I'm trying to identify whether my grandfather is in the footage or not. He was an RAMC officer. There are a few clips that kind of look like him, but so hard to tell. If anyone can identify uniforms, pips, etc of the following clips, i would be most grateful - even if to eliminate the possibility. 2:35 - medic of some sort dressing wound and 4:07 - guy on the lower right hand side it's a long shot, but they both kind of have big noses ;o) the second clip looks the most like him, but if the footage is after the atrocities - which it looks like it might be given that they show the destroyed MDS on there, then it wouldn't be him either. I'm a big fan of the long shot - sometimes it pays off! ps. I have a higher contrast version if it would help.
Hello Gentleman, I have been doing a lot of research on my fathers army life, He was in the 25th Dragoons, So I bought a bit history about the regiment and other stuff tracing what was going on around the area in Burma. Then found he was moved back into his own regiment the Green Howards, So if any one intrested in one book I have for sale called " Battle Of The Box " by Patrick Turnbull, I found nit to be a great book, but don't need it any more, also selling a lot of my research books to pay for a wall plague for dad in museum, It is a very clean book, with dust cover, top condition. Postage will be about £3-25 that's what I paid a while back, cost of book, well we can sort that out. Would like it to go to a good home, as it has had for a while. If intrested, reply here, or ddgates@hotmail.co.uk
hi all, when the japs started their 'ha-go' offensive and attacked the admin box, my fathers battalion [1st queens] were a few miles SE and formed the 'Braganza box'. things were not so hectic here and I read their main task was patrolling to stop any supplies travelling north. I have a few books including the excellent 'fighting through to kohima' but would like any more info of the fighting in the kalapanzin valley. I went to kew and looked at the battalions war diary, alas the adjutants hand writing is like mine! totally illegible.
Hi. You can try in these two online books An Infantry Company in Arakan and Kohima The Queen's in Burma 1943 - 1945 First is a basic simple version of Lowry's "Fighting through to Kohima" but have one or two map inside. Don't know what other books you have read, you can write them so that other members could suggest you some additional books that could be interesting for you, Yes, seems like common problem with all handwritten diaries and recommendations. They are usually very hard if not impossible to read. Good luck with your research.
thanx for the reply sol, yup, ive read those 2 links mate. wish the 'queens in burma' was more detailed. have read.... 'fighting through to kohima' 'forgotten voices of burma' 'battle of the box' am reading 'the raiders of arakan' and ill buy 'Burma 44' next week. lowrys book is excellent and would be much better if I had the war maps as he gives a lot of grid refs for company movements. not seen them anywhere. thanx, jim.
Lowry's books is probably the best source for anyone interested in 1st Queen's time in Arakan. They part in the defense of Kohima is much better covered than they previous campaign. You can find some info about the Second Arakan Campaign in some other books but I'm afraid not much about the Queens specific. Some other books I could suggest you are "Spearhead General" by Henry Maule and "The Desert and the Jungle" by Geoffrey Evans. Geoffrey Armstrong, who was an artillery officer in 33rd Indian Brigade in his book "Sparks fly Upwards" also cover his time during the battle in 2 chapters but I couldn't find any reference to 1st Queens. Naval & Military Press recently republished official history of the 7th Indian Division http://www.naval-military-press.com/golden-arrow-the-story-of-the-7th-indian-division-in-the-second-world-war-1939-45.html You can try to find something there. Hope that other members could be able to give you more info. Best wishes Enes
Forum member jonwilly has not been on the forum for over 3.5 years drop them a private message if you can assist
Surely other Units defending the Admin Box,..Were..8th Belfast HAA, 6 Medium, 136,139 Jungle Field and 24 LAA/AT, Royal artillery.
Yes. more units, either partly or entire where there. 24 LAA/AT was there, but 136th Field Regiment RA was with 33rd Indian Brigade, at least some parts. Yes it was. HQ of the 24th Indian Mountain Regiment, with 11th Battery and one section of the 12th Battery arrived with 25th Dragoons. Brigadier G. Evans, commanding Brigade, arrived and took over command of the garrison, to which were now added two squadrons of 25 Dragoons and the 24th Mountain Regiment H.Q. with the 11th Battery and Punjabi Mussulman section of the 12th Battery. These guns were formed into a six-gun battery. The Sikh section of the 12th (Poonch) Battery fought its way through an ambush with great determination to reach the box, and had suffered some casualties before settling into a small box on the edge of the main Admin. Box occupied by "B" Echelon, 3/14 Punjab, and a mule company and a half. A platoon of the West Yorks joined them a little later.
