Heroism in Burma - tale of a survivor

Bill's Story.

The sergeant lay there, poor bloke, after the first fight was over because he tried to carry out training procedures. I had seen plenty men die and kn ew to survive myself I must carry on and fight. In training we had been told that the Jap had his own positions covered with his guns and if we took a Jap position he would fire on it, therefore we were supposed to haul the dead Ja ps out of their foxholes and get in ourselves. This sergeant did just that but the dead Jap had been holding a grenade in his hand with the pin out and wh en he was moved the grenade fell, went off, and killed him. We had left England in April 1942 in a large convoy bound for India with th e news that the Japanese Army were hastily capturing the Colonial possessions of Britain and Holland. The news was not encouraging and many of the men including myself were filled with disbelief as we had not long returned from Europe where fighting was still continuing over Germany. ( Due to administr ation disagreements the Division remained in India until March 1944, mainly involved in jungle training). After jungle training in Belgaum Jungle (Southern India) we were sent to Ahmednagar Fort and thence to the railhead of Dimapur in Asssam. This was a concentration area for troops of various nationalities - British and Indian Gurkha.

Two days later we boarded trucks which carried us along the Imphal Road for approximately 30 miles to a place called Zubza. During this journey the men had little to say to each other, because there was a certain amount of apprehension since we had no way of knowing what was waiting for us at the e nd of the journey. All we did know was that we were heading for action. The action was not long in coming when the Camerons took a hill from the Japs at the 32 nd Milestone. It was referred to as Cameron Hill afterwards. Our first baptism had taken place and it really opened our eyes to what nonsense all we had been taught really was. We were told during training th at the Jap was a little bloke with big spectacles and buck teeth. Here we found huge men averaging well over six feet. Later we found that they were Imperi al Guard Troops (elite Japanese troops). Our casualties had been light because General Grover the Division Commander firmly believed that shells for the guns were cheaper than men and much mor e expendable and therefore before an attack the objective was pounded unmercifully. Here we were in Kohima and the reality of the moment was war and I had very little time to do anything but fight; only in moments like this can I look back and wonder why. We stayed on that hill for two days in which time we were glad to bury the dead Japs, because of the stink and the frustration of the bluebottles buzzing around the bodies.

When we moved out we did not advance south along the road towards Kohima with the rest of the Brigade, we moved East across country, descending into a valley approximately 1,000 ft. lower down then climbing the next ridge which was much higher than our original position. At the top of this ridge was Marima Village astride the Bokojan a nd Jessimi tracks. We did not reach the top that day and dug in about two-thir ds of the way up. During the night a man named McLeod in 10 Platoon had gone outside the perimeter to relieve himself and a man on stag (sentry duty) in 11 Platoon saw the movement in the dark and shot him. Up until this point we were still green in as much as we used firearms at night. We learned our lesson quickly because the fire from the gun betrayed our position to the Japs and grenades became our chief weapon during darkness.

The following day we moved up the ridge then ran into opposition. The Japanese were waiting for us in much heavier numbers so we pulled back to our last dug-in positions. For the success of this operation we had the guns to than k. As we retreated the guns kept a horseshoe of shells around and following us down, each platoon leap-frogging the other. However, the day after, we did take Marima, then the patrolling started in earnest. On reaching Marima and clearing the area, whilst the main body of the Battalion dug in and consolidated the position, the three sections of the 10 Platoon were each given an objective where we had to carry out a recce patr ol. My objective was a ridge running parallel to and overlooking the Bokojan track to Kohima.

I was to find out if it was occupied or not by the Japanese, if so where, and in what concentration, and pinpoint positions, grid bearings on references for targets for our guns which were still positioned near Zubza. (Our guns were 25 pound howitzers and deadly accurate ). The patrol lasted about two hours to clear to the end of the ridge and back, wi th the men grumbling all the time, because I led them along the slope of the ridge instead of on the top where it would have been much easier walking. On the slope we were below the skyline and our silhouettes clearly out of reach of any Japanese looking out for us. However, the ridge clear and I returned wi th the men to give my report to the Company Commander, Captain Davidson. Back at the area designated for 10 Platoon the Platoon Commander, Jimmy Hay, tol d me I was to lose three men. No.1 and 2 sections had casualties and two of m y men were sent to No.1 Section and one to No. 2 Section to level out the numbers, this then left me with seven men. We were then given our positions to dig in and complete the perimeter. In front of these positions was a dense belt of reeds, about six feet high and roughly 10 feet deep. No. 1 and 2 Section s were on my left and as one man was digging in each of the three foxholes, t he other was cutting down the reeds in front to give a field of fire. I firmly believed it wiser to leave the reeds until the men dug in, because the reed s also acted as a shield against the enemy. This proved to our advantage even more than I anticipated, because behind the belt of reeds was a flat piece of ground, bare for about 20 yards with heavy undergrowth the other side, and as the men in No.1 and 2 Sections cleared the ground in front of their positions, so the men digging in were exposed to a Jap position across the clearing.

The first we knew of this was when their machine guns opened fire on No.1 and No. 2 Sections. Two men were killed, one in each section. Sadly they were both taken from my section an hour before. A routine became established, which led to some boredom on our part. We wer e hot, uncomfortable, dirty, yet we could never relax our vigilance, going ou t each day on recce patrols. Occasionally there was a diversion of ambushing a Japanese patrol, with the constant thought that if we did not remain alert we might in time be ambushed. After several days spent in recce patrols and in ambushing the Japanese we moved off towards Kohima and, in spite of several skirmishes on the way, reached a hill within two miles of it, called Garage Hill which we took from the jap after clearing them out of their bunkers. H ere we had our first drop of rations and ammunition. The air turned a ghastly colour of blue with cursing and swearing because they missed our position b y about half a mile and my company were given the job of recovering the supplies. We slowly made our way to the area, found a small gathering of Ja panese and immediately opened fire on them. A battle commenced and we killed them all. To the surprise of us all we sustained no casualties and returned to our posts with no other thought than having survived another moment of this cra zy war. Prior to this air drop, our supplies had been brought in by mule train s, but we were now so far from the road and virtually surrounded by Japanese t hat the mules could not have got through so easily. During our first night at Garage Hill ( my section was dug in about twenty feet above the track where the hill had been cut away), at approximately 0230 hours, we heard men marching along the track towards Kohima and as they drew near we could hear them talking. They were a Japanese patrol, so we allowed them to come level with our positions. We had our grenades ready with the pins out and threw them direct ly in their path. Further along the hill the Manchester heavy machine guns also opened up on them, and as far as we could hear, they all died, with no sound s of an escape. When morning came the mess of bodies soon became apparent, an d not even the glory of the new sky could make me optimistic of the treachery of men to one another. The Camerons had a section of Manchester heavy machine gunners with their Lewis guns attached to Battalion Headquarters throughout the campaign. Thes e gunners always dug two positions when digging in, so that if they had to fi re at night they could move to their alternate position after. There was also an officer and Signaller from the guns (25 pounders) attached to Battalion Headquarters and he filled the necessary role as Forward O.P (Observation P ost) for the guns. This was how they were able to support us so accurately on Ma rima Ridge, because he was able to send bearings, ranges and type of fire to the guns. It was on Marima that the pattern was formed whereby the guns ranged on our left flank, front, and right flank every evening so that when the Japs attacked during the night, the O.P. could simply call up his Battalion and tell them, A. B. or C. pattern and the support was there in the area it was required. However by the time we settled in on Garage Hill things were happ ening which were not quite according to plan. Every now and again during the evening ranging, one was falling short and landing among us, and the gunners were coming in for quite a bit of abuse, until one evening as they were ranging in they stopped firing suddenly, and a few moments later we heard Japanese gun in the distance and one of these ' shorts' arrived. The Japanese had been using our guns to camouflage his own firing. The enemy was quickly dealt with, and thus again we were shielded by the use of the Manchester guns.

Whilst the Camerons were engaged in their left flanking movement on Kohima, the rest of the 2nd Division had advanced along the main Imphal road and we re fighting and clearing various ridges overlooking the road. The Dorsets from 5th Brigade were battling for the tennis courts at the District Commission er' s bungalow; they were dug in on one side and the Jap had the other, but the y were not playing tennis. Meanwhile we had one major obstacle between us and Kohima, a high conical hill with very steep sides about 1,5000 ft. up on th e left of the track about a mile from Kohima. This hill was later called Bald Pate (I should laugh because the top was nearly blown off it with our guns) . It was very strongly defended by the Imperial Army, bunkers covering bunker s all the way up. We attacked the hill with one Company then with two and finally the following day with all four Companies of the battalion and stil l failed to take it. The powers in control of our army decided it best we by-pass it , so that no more men would be lost, and this we did the following day. We moved on to the fringes of Kohima and dug in quite near a small pool of fresh water where a little spring came out of the hillside. I was sure heaven had sent this fresh water, so passionately drunk with dee p gratitude. One or two men at a time could go and have a real wash and, best of all, get their boots off and soak their feet. It was wonderful! We stayed in this position for several days and enjoyed to a certain extent the ecstasy of heavenly fresh water. The Platoon Commander cut short my idleness and sent for me. I was to take a patrol of three men back to Bald Pate and find out if it was still occupied by the Japanese.

One of the three men was to be getaway man, that is, he was to trail 50 yards behind the other two men and myself and, if we were killed or captured, he was to get off his ma rk and report back. We were not keen on this assignment, as you may imagine, b ut an order in the army must be obeyed. I felt at no time could fear overtake me because I was, I felt, a survivor, and if I kept my head then no man would ever take my life from me. It took about an hour to cover the mile back to the base of the hill because I kept to the bushes at the side of the track watching all the time for signs of the Japanese. When we had a rest, we star ted up the hill very slowly trying to keep to the undergrowth and under cover as much as possible and in this way we got up about six or seven hundred feet. Suddenly a machine gun opened fire on us. A cat could not have moved faster than we did, we dived, rolled and ran like hell downhill, so fast that we were falling headlong and rolling again and again to the bottom but we got away. Whoever that fool of a Jap was, he did us a good turn, he could have let us come on until we were properly trapped but I think he panicked. When we got back to the Company I did not need to report that the hill was still occupied; they had heard the machine gun as it fired on us. The next day three hurricanes came over and bombed and straffed the hill. Whether they did any good I don't know as we never went back but, as far as I know, when the Japs realised they were isolated they cleared off quickly. I had lost another two men by this time, one each again to the other two sections. Heavier patrols were coming out to ea st and south east and although I took out a couple of them I only contacted th e enemy once to the south east of our position and that proved to be an isolated post. Their main forces were in Kohima and to the south and west overlooking the Imphal Road. One depressing fact at this stage was that our wounded had to stay with us. Cut off as we were, we had no way of getting them back to hospital at Dimapur, or even across to the Imphal Road where we heard a first aid stati on had been established near Jotsoma. These men faced great pain and depended on us to fight on, but no words of comfort could be passed on to them, because we never knew what the next day would bring in this everlasting battle. The monsoons added to our misery and the rain lashed down on the sad faces of the men. Our clothing and boots were taken any many of the sick looked l ike ghosts. Lifeless bodies were scattered amongst us and the fighting spirit o f the men looked almost gone. The scene created such a gruesome picture, that we would have made hell look almost attractive. Our foxholes had to be bailed out every so often, however once we were thoroughly soaked it did not matter anymore, it just became a way of life. Meanwhile regular nigh t patrols were going out through and around Kohima led by officers (this was a standing order, all night patrols must have an officer in charge). Due to these patrols we were able during darkness to slip right through Kohima. We were able to do this through the strategy of our superiors. We buried our boots and put on gym shoes which had been brought to us secretly by mule train. Unfortunately we were delayed because we had to make our move when the Japa nese slept. The moon was near full this particular night and movement could only take place when the clouds obscured it. We were ready just before midnight and were led along the track looking upwards at a ghostly moon with patches of mist before us. We kept expecting trouble on the zigzagging tracks and, alt hough the journey itself was short, the night to us seemed endless. The night patrols had been right.

The Japanese slept as we made our way to the south end of what was left of the native bashas (wooden huts built by the original inhabitants), whilst the rest of the Brigade crossed right across the Japan ese front and took up their positions on the west side. With the first light th e enemy had the rudest awakening of their lives, nearly a whole Brigade (5th) had taken up position on the highest section of Kohima. Where I was, on the sou th edge of what was virtually the flat top of the hill known as 5120 ( which was its actual height in feet), we could look down the slopes on some bashas an d as we watched some Japs come out, obviously just waking up as they were stretching and preparing to wash. This target was too good to miss and we let loose with brens, rifles and sten guns. No more came out but neither did any go back in. We had another battle and another moment of survival.

From this operation we gained new strength and inspired determination to resist the stubborn Japanese. We had killed all who had shown 'face' as enemies and given those devoted men an ill reward for their loyalty to a harsh leadership that expected nothing else but death in battle. We could see the Imphal Road stretching from Kohima, south past Aradura Spur towards Vesnema. From our new position, and we were able about an hour late r to watch a Japanese mule train come North then turn into the Nulla ( a deep waterway in the hillside) near Aradura. When this was reported to the Battalion Headquarters the Guns' Observation Post came forward with his signaller and we pointed out of the Nulla. He took the bearing and range then sent th e information back to his battalion then told them , "one round rangi ng fire".

Fire they did and the shell landed right in the Nulla. It was incredible. Immediately the OP told them "same range ten rou nd rapid" and they did. We could not see the exact results of this exercise but we all felt glad that at this stage these guns were on our side. Shortly 10 Platoon were moved to the left of the south front between 12 Platoon on our left and 11 Platoon on our right with D Company to their rig ht and here we dug in with our positions looking across a valley to a heavily wooded ridge about 50 yards away from the Jap snipers made us keep a low pr ofile.

They tried to execute us with mortars but without success. I still do not know where they were brought from, but a section of Lancaster Fusiliers were positioned between 11 Platoon (B Company) and D Company when darkness fell. All this ti me the rains were pouring down as they had never done in Britain, and not one umbrella between the lot of us. All was quiet apart from the noiuse from nat ure when at 2300 the enemy attacked, mainly in D Company"s area and, sho rtly after, my Platoon Commander gave orders to take up the position vacated by the Lfs section between 11 Platoon and D Company. The Japanese continued attacking until 0300 hrs then everything went quiet. Just after 0500 hrs the 11 Plato on Commander (as far as I can recall his name might have been Carbonell) crosse d behind my section to D Company"s area and was just about to go round a basha when he suddenly stopped, ducked down and ran back to 11 Platoon. The next thing we knew 11 Platoon were pouring out of their positions and moving bac k down a slope behind us. What had happened was that D Company had fallen bac k during the night and left the position to the enemy and when 11 Platoon Commander saw the Japs there in the morning he ordered his platoon to fall back.

This proved to be a costly mistake because, as his platoon moved back down the slope C Company, who were further back on the right flank, saw the men comi ng, thought they were Japanese attacking, and opened fired on them. Meanwhile having quickly noted an idea of what had happened I moved my section out do wn behind the position D Company held. It meant we had to jump about 10 ft int o a nulla, which we did then we circled back to 10 Platoon. By this time the Manchester"s had opened fire when they saw what they believed to be the enemy. We were desperately in trouble when those guns were aimed in our direction. B Company Commander gave the order for us to move back. This we c ould only do at a slow pace as we were carrying wounded men with us. The light grew stronger around us and, at last, the firing stopped. Someone realised the blunder, but in the mix up B Company lost 28 men and I do not know how many wounded. This experience was never recorded back home and some may have for gotten the incident to get on with the fighting, but I shall remember.

My section's luck still held; we found no casualties when the Company reformed, but in the subsequent reshuffle I lost two more men to other sect ions. I was now down to three men, a Grenade Charger, Bren Gunner and Lance Corpora l. We began digging in 100 yards from our original positions, when we hit on a large slab of what looked like slate, so we dug around it, cut it out and carried on digging; then we found we were throwing out some old bones but it was not until we found a skull that we realised we were in some poor devil's grave. However, it was too late to change sand it did not really matter any way because the war had made us immune to sentiment and all that mattered was ourselves. At 1400 hours the Platoon Commander came round looking for volun teers to go back over our old positions to check for wounded. He got two men from 12 Platoon, two stretcher-bearers and myself. There were no Japanese on these positions so we collected the identity discs from the men who had been kill ed then promptly went over the area which had been occupied by D Company and the enemy. Ther e in a basha we found one of the Lancashire Fusiliers with his jaw blown off; there was also a bare foot lying on its own, we never found the owner. I found a pair of Japanese binoculars and kept them because, although not a necessity, they could be very useful in the months to follow.

During that night the Japanese again attacked but they were attacking our old positions and it was not long before we realised we had moved and the rest of the night they had patrols creeping all around trying to pinpoint our positions. They had a few casualties too because, apart from when could hear them and sometimes spot a movement against the sky, they occasionally called out "Hello Johnny " hoping we would reply, giving away our positions. Our only reply to their moves was to pull the pin from a grenade, let the lever off quietly, count one, two, and then throw, which meant it only had two more seconds before it went off. This ensured that it exploded in the air and they wouldn"t know whch direction it had come from.

By this time there was not a basha left standing on top of Kohima and we were using what we could of the debris to try and keep the ra in off. In the midst of this by some miraculous means they got some mail through to us and I got one from Peggy telling me all about our first son Bill, who had been born the year before. I laughed and cried when I read of her complaints about the heavy rain back home. The other men muttered sounds of laughter and some of grief and some of sadness or wishing to be with their loved ones. We all joked about our families and their small complaints of the wea ther and each of us wondered if any of the people back home could ever imagine what we were doing here, and just how dangerous this terrain was in fighting the enemy and the ghast ly climate of a monsoon. Still I was glad to hear from home and to know, for m e, things were fine. A day or two later our guns hammered the Japanese at our last position. The nwe attacked and cleared them. They did not come back. Due to the shelling, the remains of an old basha was burning merrily as darkness descended, then back towards Battalion Headquarters we heard a shout " Put that blo ody fire out" . The voice was easily recognisable as Major A S K Douglas and here I need not say what the men said; also, needless to say, the "bloody' fire burned all night. The day after we were on the move once more, south east, again a way from the road. We did not go far, only to a ridge overlooking Assam barrack s, which in peace time was occupied by the Assam rifles but was now occupied b y the Japanese.

At this stage I must clarify one major point. At no time throughout this campaign have I tried to be explicit on dates, except for the 10th April, 1 944 the day we started down the Imphal road from Dimapur. From that day on, it was just a case of living another day. In many books on Kohima authors have given dates or the actions carried out by the various units but this was be cause they were given access to records from the diaries kept by top brass. The troops were not allowed to keep diaries in case they were taken prisoner; besides every time we went out on patrol, we had to empty our pockets of al l materials which could be used by the enemy to identify our unit, brigade, e tc, therefore I have approximately given time and dates, whereas in reality a longer period may be nearer the actual facts. In truth my story is recalled because my mind has never forgotten, and I need no record or diary to remember the fight that took pla ce forty years ago. Out on the ridge where we now dug in overlooking the barracks, we first encountered another discomfort with which we were learning to live. This was leeches.

Due to the monsoons, any hill or ground covered with natural vegetation was moving with leeches; they got in our boots, in our clothing, everywhere but somehow we never ever felt them on us. They dare not be picked when we found them stuck to our bodies, otherwise where they had been sucking would bleed all day. These sores could be dangerous and could lead to amputation or death if dealt with in this way. The routine was to stick a cigarette on th em or salt, then they would drop off and the bleeding stopped right away. Thank God for cigarettes and , strange as it may seem, we never ever ran out of t hem. We used them day and night and passed them back and fore between a man goin g off stag and an other taking over; this was to check the watch, one hour on , one hour off.

Life was certainly not easy and no comforts or home would be ours until we returned. I was promoted to Lance/Sergeant after the attacks on Bald Pate hill but the extra pay in Kohima meant nothing, for what could I spend it on? Also as far back as Marima all badges of rank were removed again in case of capture. At the other end of the scale, the only form of punishment that co uld be imposed on the troops was a Royal Warrant (normally 21 days) involving loss of pay. As far as I know this punishment was only meted out on men who were caught sleeping on stag. How long we were out on that ridge I cannot remember but our next move took us back near the road with the rest of the Battalion. However, a standing patrol was kept in the ridge area. The Japanese were more active at our new positions and attacked repeatedly but we held them. It was at this position after an attack that one of them was badly wounded just in front of my position, and he lay and moaned and groaned all night. As soon as it was light one of the blokes on my side finished him with a single shot. Life had gone from t his man. His body would swell with the heat and the grotesque smell would soon fill the morning air. We unashamedly had killed him for being the enemy but if his moans had gone on much longer, they may have haunted us forever, and no w he was dead. Our hearts could not give in to his sad death, for all we coul d think on was another death, and another move to our winning this war and eventual peace. Alas peace would come but the price paid was surely not worth the killing.

A million bluebottles arrived in our vicinity and the smell of dead bodies was strong. Our bodies were dirty but we continued fighting and accepted our inevitable torture. We moved again and handed our positions to Indian troop s to carry on where we left off. They were fresh from Dimapur. Their uniforms were clean and tidy, and their equipment and weapons shining as new. We wer e like tramps, unwashed, unshaven, in fact bearded with mud all over our bodi es. Much to my surprise, these new troops looked at us visibly trembling with horror. They got into our foxholes without sating anything but we knew from the look on their faces, they were not sure what to expect.

We moved south of Kohima between Assam Barracks and the road and took up position along the foot of a hill known as Big Tree Hill. This was our next objective. By this time we had received some tanks, Assam Barracks had been cleared and the tanks were sitting there to back us up with guns (75m/m). S ome big guns (105s) had also been brought up and they started off the bombardment, then our 25 pounders followed up. Then we started to advance up the hill, t he tanks 75s opened up ahead of us. From their position at the barracks they could see us and their targets. So they were firing (artillery description) over open sights, whereas the 25 pounders and the 105s could not see where they were firing, relying on their observation posts. Apart from the casualties we suffered from the Japanese fire, we had quite a few from the shrapnel from the shells and our own guns. However, we kept advancing and took the hill a fter about two hours solid fighting. Major A S K Douglas was killed at this location and after this piece of action A Company was disbanded and split b etween B, C and D Companies. I had once again five men in my section. Aradura Spur had been taken by some other troops of the Division by this time so in the next few days we pushed on and took Fesama and Fichama. As we were advancin g to attack them, the two A Company men in my section were amazed at the fact th at B Company Commander, now Major Davidson, was leading the Company in attack. Apparently A Company Commander followed his Company in attack.

The battle for Kohima was now virtually over; 5th Brigade had a new Commander, (Nicholson) since Brigadier Hawkins had been wounded just after 5th brigade had moved on to Kohima. The 5th Indian Division had been flown into Imphal and started north to meet our drive south. Kohima lay approximately 50 mile s south of Dimapur on the Imphal road and Imphal lay about another eighty mil es south of Kohima. We met the 5th Indian division at the 109th milestone. However, just after we took Fuchama, the tanks were ordered to drive down th e road but the Japanese soon stopped that by dropping grenades on them from th e cuttings along the road. A section above the tanks on the hillsides and one alongside of the tanks on the road. It was murder pure and simple. The road was also covered by the Japanese guns and whether the marching sections were to the exposed side of the tanks or between them and the hillside they were blasted, because if the shells missed the tanks, as the majority did, they exploded on impact with the hill. We were not just subjected to shrapnel, me n were left in pulped, mangled heaps. Our tanks withdrew, again, how or why I shal l never know, No. 3 section, my section, suffered no casualties.

Flanking troops were sent out, both to the east of the road and the west to try to clear the area so that the tanks could get moving. This time B Compa ny took right flank which meant a hard climb for a thousand feet or more then clear along the ridge to come down to the road again at Veswema. About a th ird way up we ran into Jap bunkers, with again, bunkers covering bunkers. We withdrew, moved north along the road then went up again. This way the way was clearer to the top o f the ridge, then we moved south until we were above the bunkers and then came down on them. Since they were sited to withstand attacks from the road, we c ame down on their blind side and seized control with the use of grenades. Someho w at this point I felt more aware of the differences in the mentality of fighting qualities between the Germans and Japanese. Having returned from D unkirk and then being posted to Kohima I had battled hard with both enemies. If a small isolated group of Germans were surrounded and cut off, they would surrender, but here in Kohima the Japanese would fight until the last man w as killed.

They had been ordered to stay and fight and fight they did. Nevertheless we had the Japanese on the run and we pushed on hard after them. The battle for Kohima was over but for us it was only the start of a long weary campaign. We travelled to Imphal, where we carried out night patrols on the R.A.F. cookhouses to steal rations and then on to Palel where we fought once again over an anonymous hill and handed it promptly over to the Indian troops. We found in Ukral hundreds of disease-ridden Japs who were lying an d living amongst dead bodies. These men were so exhausted and so diseased tha t they were incapable, bodily and mentally, of continuing the war. We had be en made fortunate in our medical supplies and thankfully too because when we arrived at the Kaban valley, the most pestilent spot in Burma, we lost many men to ticktyphus, yellow fever and malaria in all its forms. Every man caught malaria but we were able to hold it in check by a daily dose of a suppressiv e drug called Mepacrin.

We crossed the Chindwin river to Ye-Yu and to Swebo in canvas boats and established a bridgehead for the rest of the 2nd Division to cross. I was transferred from my section, and my post had been given to Frankie Brown. "Hi Cammy" , he called. "No.3 Section is still holding". Half an hour later we heard machine gun fire from the next ridge and Frankie lay dying from his mortal wounds. We carried on our weary trek and halted at Mandalay to give honour to the 19th Indian Division, by allowing them to enter Mandalay first. The tro ops obeyed and continued in action until at last on October 1945 we were allowe d to return home. Each unit had a scribe, and the Camerons were no exception.

The Road to Mandalay has been re-written as follows:
On the road to Mandalay In the burning heat of day A battle for a village had begun Our boy who ruled the sky Came diving from on high And straffed the white pagodas In the sun. And in the infantry attack ' twas from the bunkers firing back That the bullets of the Nippon took their toll But forward aye they rushed Till the Japanese were crushed And further honour was Added to their scroll. From Kohima to Imphal by paler and stiff Ukral Across the Chindwin and the Mu Till they captured old Swebo. 'er the field of rice and paddy To the mighty Already With the Highlanders in front 'twas the Camerons took the brunt. And on their bridgehead small Their Commander staked his all And storming ridge and further ridge Till on Avaj girder bridge The story did unfold one day Haw a division from out the west 'twas British and the best Marched and fought Five hundred miles Beat the Jap and all his wiles On that dirty dusty Road to Mandalay.	Memorial at Kohima

EPILOGUE.

Bill returned home for his final leave from the Army and enjoyed his journey with the thought of the warm reception from his family. Fate or luck may have played a part in his survival, but he was home and optimistic for the future. His experiences will remain with him forever. Bill does not believe he was brave or a hero; why should a man be considered a hero for kill ing another? - He considers himself an ordinary man who used his rifle effectively for a cause in which he did not believe. The years have passed, and the last time Bill used a rifle was at a summer fete, he scored no points out of a total of 10,000. We laughed and joked but only because the target could not shoot back; forty years ago he might never have survived without a hit. Many years after the war a Officer visited the old battle field and Cemetery site on Garrison Hill and wrote a description. Tucked away in a house yard in the village of Naga with pigs and hens aroun d it.

A stone is inscribed with the Cameron Lament 'Lockaber No More'; and by chance the sound of the pipes still fills the air from the Assam Barracks.

SURVIVOR !