“Type B” I.E.F designation

Good Morning I'm trying to find out the designation of a unit labelled “Type B” I.E.F, I have attached a part of the serviceman's record where it is recorded the unit in question is a Movement Control unit based in Assam.

I am aware that I.E.F was an abbreviation used in WW1 for Indian Expeditionary Force, not sure if this was carried over to WW2 and as 4 MC Group was a static unit covering Assam it would not have been a part of any Expeditionary Force there were other MC units attached to operations carried out in India/Burma

 

You are correct with 'Indian Expeditionary Force'. The particular IEF being referred to here existed for less than a year. It was raised primarily to carry out amphibious landings along the coast of Burma, and was built around the 2nd (British) Division and 36th (Indian) Division.

This IEF spent most of 1943 training around Poona, but putting the formation into action was always frustrated by a shortage of shipping and landing craft. In early 1944, in response to the Japanese offensive, both divisions were employed as regular infantry. 36 Div went to the Arakan, 2 Div to Assam. Consequently, you see all manner of small units that had been trained and equipped for amphibious work popping up in landlocked places.

'Type B' is an unusual thing to see on a service record. It is just a reference to the war establishment 'type' of MC Group that No. 4 was raised as - as in the specifics of equipment and exact number of personnel it was officially entitled to. On the page attached below, you can see that many of the small units assigned to the IEF were 'Type B', including the six 'MC Groups Type B' that were formed from No. 3 Special Movement Control Group. Is No.3 Group mentioned earlier on your man's service record?

Martin

 

Hi Martin many thanks for that, that's a lot clearer, The only units that are mentioned are in the first picture the other is the MC Org Chart
Apologies if I've uploaded them incorrectly, I don't normally upload anything and it was a struggle lol

 

Hi, one that I can place for sure is No. 8 Special MC (his posting in November 1943). That was part of 45 Indian Beach Group, which lines up nicely with the mention of the IEF on his earlier posting.

Attached below are some pages from 45 Beach Group's diary mentioning No. 8 MC (from a poor copy at the Indian Archives, ref. PR_000006111696). Still closely linked with combined operations training around the Madh/Bombay/Poona areas, though around that period the IEF was being absorbed by 33 Indian Corps (I think...) and a great deal of reorganisation was going on.

Also attached a short draft monograph on Movement Control in India that might be of interest (also from NAI, ref. for that file is NAIDLF01339893)

Best of luck with the further research,
Martin

 

Many thanks Martin gives me more to look it too greatly appreciated