James Knud Annandale-Steiner and a Japanese flag

As I mentioned, my father never spoke about his WW2 war experience but the impression that we got was that the flag and swords were very much surrendered as opposed to being a post hostility "gift". I need to check all the dates again and will revert.

 

Given that the Japanese in general felt dishonoured by surrender one doubts that Japanese officers would go to the trouble of having their names put on a surrendered flag. If on the other hand they had fought alongside the Anglo Indian forces, albeit for only a short time against the Viet Minh, before being repatriated then presenting a flag in commemoration might be a means of retaining even some shreds of honour.

 

The problem is that 2 Border were in India by the date of any Japanese surrenders - Burma, Malaya, FIC,etc.

Can I also raise the issue of the use of the term 'anglo-indian'. It is a term that is usually applied in this sense; "The term Anglo-Indian can refer to at least two groups of people: those with mixed Indian and British (specifically English) ancestry and people of British/English descent born or living in India." This is completely different from its use here to refer to the Indian Army and/or the Army in India.

 

It was also used in documents of the period to describe the force that went to Indo China in September 1945

 

Yep, spotted that, of course.

It may be that our man was attached to a headquarters or staff with the 20th Indian Div. We just don't know and unfortunately don't have a precise enough translation to precisely identify "2nd Division".

We're just listing the possibilities to discuss.

Steve

 

Which documents? Used by whom?

 

Found him in the War Diary for 2nd Borders on 2 Sept 1944. He is listed as '2 i/c Coy' so second in-charge of a Company.

He doesn't show in the comparable ;list in December 1944 and I don't have the War Diary for 1945.

 

It would be good to see some examples. Due to my interest in FEPOWs I have read many official post surrender documents and they refer to Indian Divisions as 7th Indian Division (Thailand), 20th Indian Division (Indo-China) and 23rd Indian Division (Java) as such or as British-Indian. The only occasions I have seen official reference to Anglo-Indian is, as in, Anglo-Indian Artillery (WW1) and Anglo-Indian RAF pilots. In these cases the context is as previously stated.

Tim

 

Charlesa:
Just gone through War Diary for 1944. Lt Steiner JKA arrives at the Battalion on 22 April 1944 whilst it is on the Shenam Saddle with the Bn HQ at map ref 430125. Is there until 16 May when he leaves to take over Admin Coy and assumed rank of Acting Captain. 10 June on officers list and noted as attending demonstrations when the Bn out of the line on 10 Aug and 12 Sept. he is on the Officers List on 2 Sept (above) but is not on the lists for Nov or Dec 1944. The War Diary for October seems to be missing so it may be he left the unit then. I don't copy all the Officer lists just the occasional one but otherwise these are the only mentions.

 

Thank you so much Skoyen89 and everyone else. I am so sorry I am so late coming back to the Forum but have been off grid for a while.
On the subject of the likely circumstances surrounding the surrender of the flag and swords one of my brothers has sent me this regarding a command emanating from Field Marshall Slim:

Field Marshall Slim has given me in Defeat into Victory the answer to the uncertainty about when and where the flag and swords were surrendered to my father.
At the end of the war in the Far East he gave instructions that all Japanese officers were to surrender their swords to their opposite number in the British army - senior officers in front of parades of Japanese troops.
There were protests from the Japanese experts advising him which he overrode. He also disregarded the instruction of General MacArthur, the Supreme Commander in the Pacific. The reason for his insistence was that this was an effective way to impress on the Japanese that they really had been beaten and that "the Invincible Army was invincible no longer."

 

But this does not explain why the Japanese would produce a nicely embroidered flag - indeed the reverse - if they had to be compelled to give up their swords they were unlikely to want to commemorate the fact on the flag