Corporal John Davis, 2nd King's Own Royal Regiment

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by bamboo43, Mar 10, 2020.

  1. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    This thread is an attempt to trace the living family of John Davis, who was a Chindit casualty on the 19th March 1944. It is a long shot I know, but stranger things have happened on the site before now.

    Casualty

    This soldier was possibly the friend of Pte. Albert Stanley Evans from Bristol, who was another casualty from the second Chindit expedition in 1944. I will be creating a replica post for Albert shortly.

    What do we know about John Davis:

    He was the son of John and Ellen Davis and the husband of Maud Davis from Harborne near Birmingham. He was originally posted to the Royal Engineers, but was transferred to the 2nd King's Own Royal Regiment and served on the second Chindit expedition, Operation Thursday.

    John went missing on the 19th March 1944, near the Burmese town of Mansi. A missing in action report states that John and another Chindit, RAF Sgt. Richard Southgate went to retrieve a mailbag after a supply drop had gone astray, but never returned. Southgate perished as a POW in Rangoon Jail, but Cpl. Davis was never seen again and so is remembered upon the Rangoon Memorial.

    Forum member Tony B. has furnished me with John's inscription upon Face 5 of the Rangoon Memorial.
    That is all I know really. As I say, I am looking to find his living relatives, so thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.

    DAVIS J., Face 5, Rangoon Memorial, Taukkyan War Cemetery, Myanmar-Burma © asiawargraves.com 2.jpg
     
  2. Hebridean Chindit

    Hebridean Chindit Lost in review... Patron

    Any special interest in these two...?
     
  3. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Just in relation to bringing the families together. PM sent.
     
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  4. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Having trouble nailing this guy down, using the CWGC details on Ancestry, these are slightly different to the 'casualty' details from CWGC direct

    doc5757933 1.jpg

    The above shows his parents as living in Weoley Castle, now this is sometimes shown as being in Worcestershire, if you try Harborne this is sometimes shown as Staffordshire, and if you try Birmingham then thats shown as Warwickshire - so all in all its proving a headache

    Obviously any more details on him should help - have you thought about applying for his service records??

    TD
     
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  5. amberdog45

    amberdog45 Senior Member

    John's mother placed an appeal for information on his whereabouts in the Warwickshire paper Evening Despatch 17 Oct 1945, page 3. I used the search term 'Cpl John Davis'.

    Albert Evan's brother, Ronnie, is mentioned in a paper 1940 having a cycling accident. I think I came across that using search term 'crofts end road' (the address they were at on the 1939 Register).
     
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  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    At present I can find a possible marriage - they are the only John Davis and 'Maud' married in Birmingham at about a reasonable date

    England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
    Name: John Davis
    Registration Date: Apr 1935
    [May 1935]
    [Jun 1935]
    Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun
    Registration district: Birmingham
    Inferred County: Warwickshire
    Spouse: Maud A Evans
    Volume Number: 6d
    Page Number: 261

    He was 31 in 1944 so born around 1913ish - so in 1935 would be 22ish

    TD

    OK - there is a tree but not very detailed
    John Davis
    1913–
    BIRTH ABT 1913
    DEATH Unknown

    Marriage
    8 Jun 1935 • Birmingham, St Nicolas, Warwickshire, England
    Maud Alice Evans
    (1912–1993)

    Maud Alice Evans
    1912–1993
    BIRTH 18 JUL 1912 • Birmingham
    DEATH 16 FEB 1993 • Adelaide, Australia

    Hmm trying to check out Davis born to a mother with maiden name Evans 1940 +/- 5 years in Staffordshire/Warwickshire/Worcestershire/Birmingham
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2020
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  7. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi All,

    Thanks for all your efforts. There is no relationship between the two families, that is Davis and Evans, apart from the soldiers service in Burma.
    Please don't go digging too much on my behalf, although obviously I appreciate it very much indeed.
     
  8. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Maria, is there any way of trapping the Warwickshire Evening Despatch appeal for me. Many thanks.
     
  9. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Understand that there is no connection between the 2 families, but as you see the coincidence of Davis marrying an Evans then according to stories becomes the best mate of a fellow soldier called Evans - spooky or not :oops:

    TD
     
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  10. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Spooky for sure, but that's the game were in!:)
     
  11. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Great - so we can call ourselves ‘spooks’

    :ninja:
    TD
     
  12. mitman

    mitman New Member

    Hi There
    The family you ask about is John Henry Davis ( son ) and June Davis ( daughter ). Both the children emigrated to Australia as adults in the 80's with their respective families. Maud Davis Pvt J Davis wife emigrated a couple of years later. Maude passed away in 1986 and is buried in the Enfield Cemetery Adelaide South Australia..
    Both John & June are still alive and reside in Adelaide South Australia. John Davis is my Grand Father though obviously I never met him, I have often wondered just what happened to him.
     
  13. mitman

    mitman New Member

    Hi There
    The family you ask about is John Henry Davis ( son ) and June Davis ( daughter ). Both the children emigrated to Australia as adults in the 80's with their respective families. Maud Davis Pvt J Davis wife emigrated a couple of years later. Maude passed away in 1986 and is buried in the Enfield Cemetery Adelaide South Australia..
    Both John & June are still alive and reside in Adelaide South Australia. John Davis is my Grand Father though obviously I never met him, I have often wondered just what happened to him.
     
  14. mitman

    mitman New Member

    Apologies Maude died in 1993 not 1987
     
  15. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi mitman,

    It was great to read your message and that you have learnt something about your grandfather John Davis. If you would like the information I have about him, then let me know and I can make this happen. The original post came to light mostly through a photograph held by another Chindit family which featured Albert Evans and another man named Davis who had died in Burma. When looking through the Commonwealth Graves website, the only man that matched from the King's Own Royal Regiment was your grandfather.

    Hope to hear from you soon.
     
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