23rd Long Range Penetration Brigade

Thank you Bamboo43. My Dad’s diaries and letters home to his parents contain a lot of information and I am slowly working my way through them. He enlisted with the Royal Artillery on 18 Sept 1939 and was called up to start his training as an Officer Cadet at Bulford Camp in Wilts on 15 April 1940. He moved to Larkhill on 25 July (Course 24). After becoming an Officer he joined the 55th Field Regiment at Cudworth, Barnsley in Jan 1941 before moving to High Wycombe and then Colchester and Great Oakley. He was Regimental Messing Officer. He ended his UK based training at Watford. He sailed off to India with 238/60th on 23 March 1942 via Cape Town. He seems to move around various Indian bases before settling in Ranchi in July. He becomes a Gun Position Officer switching to 237/60th in November. In 1943 Dad becomes an Intelligence Officer. You get a real sense from his diaries of the impending campaign in Burma. He is having Burmese lessons and endless lectures on Burma plus exercises practicing drops. I have just got to 20 March 1944 and Dad records a tragic accident that saw death of ‘Griggs’. Looking this up this must be Albert Griggs, buried at Kirkee War Cemetery. Dad records it was a PIAT accident writing “Poor devil, needn’t even have fired it”. He attended his funeral the next day describing the military cemetery as “a lonely outpost”. It is references like these that might be of interest to others exploring this period. I am happy to look up any dates and or places and see if Dad recorded anything that might be of specific family or military interest.

 

Gunner Griggs' death is recorded in the 60 FR war diary (see image below). Also attached is your father's Burma Star Association membership form. It would be great to see a photo of your Dad, if this is something you would be willing to share.

I should say, that I am the archivist for the Chindit Society, which is why I am interested to hear about your Dad and his wartime experiences.

Steve (bamboo43).

 

Many thanks Steve. What is remarkable about the 60 FR War Diary extract you posted is that it was written by my father. His initials TGW are clear as is his handwriting. Dad did once mention going to Kew to check the War Diaries and being shocked that he was reading his own contributions. I have attached a few photos. The one in India is inscribed as Jan/Feb 1943 Chhipodahar. In later years Dad was the Chief Usher at the Cenotaph ceremony and received the OBE for this.

 

Re Gunner Albert Griggs: Having now read my father’s letters home it is clear the tragedy was much more personal. Griggs was my Dad’s Batman. Writing to his parents on 26 March 1944 he says” A terrible thing happened. My batman was killed in an explosion during some firing - a million to one accident with no one to blame. He was killed outright so it was probably painless. I was not there at the time as I was on another position and when I returned he was dead. I took his body back to a hospital and he was buried in a military cemetery the following day. The real trouble is that his personal affairs were rather involved as he and his fiancée had a child and we are not certain how she stands with regard to a pension and being so far away can only advise her. Poor chap he was very fond of her and the babe whom he had never seen - born after he came overseas and I don’t know how she will take it. He hadn’t been my batman long but I had known him for a long time as he was in my troop”. A month later Dad follows up writing to his parents “As you say my batman’s death makes one think, with his family problems it involves. I have written to his fiancée and ventured to give her your name and address, Mother, in case she should want any help, and I know you will help: if it is a case of financial assistance you can draw against my account...I doubt if she will feel the need of your assistance but you never know and I feel a certain responsibility”.
It is heartbreaking to read and I wonder if there any members of Albert’s family still around. It would be nice to share these memories.

 

There is a family tree on Ancestry for Albert but it shows no marriage, fiancee or children unforunately

albert griggs
1915–1944
BIRTH 27 NOV 1915 • Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
DEATH 20 MAR 1944

Birth 27 Nov 1915 Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England
Residence 1941 Leicestershire, England
Death 20 Mar 1944
Father philip griggs (1893-1929)
Mother Beatrice Marriott (1892-1963)


UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
Name: Albert Griggs
Given Initials: A
Rank: Gunner
Death Date: 20 Mar 1944
Number: 995288
Birth Place: Leicestershire
Residence: Leicestershire
Branch at Enlistment: Royal Artillery
Theatre of War: India
Regiment at Death: Royal Artillery
Branch at Death: Royal Artillery

Who has created the family tree I do not know but they can be contacted and question asked if required

TD

 

Thanks so much for these photographs Weiler. You know as I was reading through the diary to see if the incident was mentioned, I looked at those initials and did wonder. During my research into the first Chindit expedition and training, there are sadly quite a few weapon handling accidents. It seems as though you Dad took it upon himself to explain to the family what had happened, not an easy thing to do.

 

One of the things reading Dad’s diaries that fascinates me is the interface between ‘normal life’ and the clearly impending action. So in the last week before setting off on the big operation the diary records:

23 March 1944

“Morning on routes of Burma. Afternoon a half holiday, sunbathing followed by Burmese lesson”.

24 March

“Departed map reading....Played Essex and drew 2-2; did not shine. Mobile cinema showed ‘Nice Girl’ in extraordinarily long programme”

29 March

“Wrote up war diary. Officers played and defeated weak Sgts team 2-0”.

31 March

“ A day of holidaying....completed War Diary and wrote letters home. Officers defeated sergeants at soccer 3-2. Heavy wassail”

1 April

“ Office dissolving all around us. Final mess bills. Read Wingate’s report. Bar thrown open and heavy wassail again ensues. Played bridge with Colonel”.

And then the next day they are off. They head to Saugor and travel by train and ferry for the next week until reaching Mariani Junction on 9 April where they disembark and prepare for their big march. The march is tough from the start: “Many collapses on route owing to the heat” (17 April); “marched on further than intended owing to absence of water (23 April); bath in ‘hefty stream’ (27 April); “Dried out and excavated leeches” (30 April).

They are supported by air drops but these are precarious. “Planes come over but clouds were low and heavy mist so they could not find us” (29 April); “SD (successful drop?) after several seeming failures took place but was very widely scattered. Several accidents on the way”(1 May); “remainder of drop a great success and most of day was spent in organising packs and eating” (10 May); “Went down to river, crossed and began to receive an enormous SD of stores, food and ammunition. This was pretty successful but one plane crashed 6 miles away and the crew were rescued by NAGAS less two killed” (13 May).

That is the penultimate entry as from 15 May to 25 June the diary is empty. Presumably getting too busy as the march continued south. Dad’s letters home are naturally much less detailed. He writes to his parents on 15 May “Well of course I can’t tell you a good deal except that we have come quite a long way since I last saw a railway train...We have seen some high hills from above and below and met some curious natives. Judging from their faces, they have not seen many white men before but they are very friendly and produce eggs and rice on request”.

 

I thought it might be fitting to add a photograph of Albert Griggs' grave at Kirkee War Cemetery. There is a plant obscuring his epitaph, but this reads:

Remembered always with love,
Sorrowing mother,
Sisters, brothers and friends.

 

Casualty Card.

 

Thanks for that addition HW.

 

Thank you. These are very moving to look at especially given my father’s close link to Gunner Griggs. I have just come across one further clue to Griggs’s fiancée and mother of his child. Dad writes to his parents on 23 May 1944 and says “I also had a very nice letter from Miss North, saying she had heard from you and thanking me. I do hope that you can do something, as of course such matters are outside our scope these days”. Just maybe the Miss North name might help a connection to be made.

Out of interest I expect you are aware of it but I have a copy of “The last few hundred feet: Wartime memories of a Gunner Chindit” by Andrew Sutherland. Andy was in the 60th and a good friend of my Dad. He records that my father as 60 Column’s Intelligence Officer “produced a daily news-sheet giving details of activities in Europe as well as those in our own theatre. It was passed around all the platoons”. The book has an excellent map showing the route of the march from Mariani Junction and I have attached this in case folk haven’t seen it.

 

There are three Leicestershire illegitimate births registered for "Norths" between 1940 and 1944 and only one registered in Melton Mowbray.

Births Mar 1943
North Sandra M North Melton M. 7a 606
Births Sep 1943
North Paul C North Barrow S. 7a 289
Births Jun 1944
North Elizabeth North Oakham 7a 727

 

Sandra M North married in Melton Mowbray 1960

Marriages Dec 1960
NORTH Sandra M - Frederick M MUSE Melton M. 3a 1707

They had three children between 1961 and 1967, two boys and a girl but I won't add their names here.

Thee is a very good chance that the family could be located.

 

There is a chance that Sandra Muse has now departed, if this is the right person. As it is a probate record it does not give her date of birth only the date of her death.

England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019

First name(s) Sandra Malvina
Last name Muse
Death year 2013
Death date 26 Mar 2013
Probate year 2013
Probate date 20 Dec 2013
Residence town -
Registry Leeds
County Yorkshire
Country England
Document type Grant and will
Number 4211898
Record set England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019

 

This Sandra North was born about the right year, but never married

MS Sandra North
in the UK, Electoral Registers, 2003-2010
Name: MS Sandra North
Birth Date: 1942-1944
Residence Date: 2003-2010
Address: Ashby, Old Fendyke, Sutton St. James, PE12 0HE
Residence Place: Spalding, Lincolnshire, England

TD

 

We need a Sandra M Muse though, does this Sandra have a middle name?

 

Cant find a middle name - looking for a Sandra Muse is under the assumption she married - its another option until validation is made

TD

For confusion:
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
Name: Frederick Muse
Registration Date: Jul 1940
[Aug 1940]
[Sep 1940]
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration District: Melton Mowbray
Inferred County: Leicestershire
Spouse: Elizabeth Souness
Volume Number: 7a
Page Number: 1276

 

She married in 1960 in Melton Mowbray, where she was born, See post 53.

 

Yes I have seen all that but there is also another Sandra North born 1942 - 1944 who was living in Lincs between 2003 and 2010. Lincs is not that far from Leics

TD

 

I have now completed reading my Dad’s diary and letters home during the 3 month long operation between April and July 1944. The conditions were clearly tough on the march as when they reach Nungphung on 26 June they had to leave 47 of the sick there. Dad notes as they passed Tusom Christian (28 June) that the track was “thick with mud and littered with skeletons, animal and man”.

I have seen some references saying the 60th didn’t go into Burma. But it certainly seems that they spent at least a week inside Burma before re-emerging into India. On 29 June he reached Somra which, for example, I believe is inside Burma. Dad says of the march above Somra “The lads called The Ridge ‘death valley’”.

On 2 July he reached Ngacham “not feeling too good - a touch of fever”. He says the village “had been burned out in revenge by the Japs”.

They march on via Fort Keary and on 5 July Dad says “fell in mud ha ha”. Not such a laughing matter the next day which he describes “this was my worst day, 12 miles in 12 hours”. On 7 July they reach Saiyapan which was “very crowded as now caught up with 88 and 56”.

When the march is over having reached Ukhrul Dad “ took my beard off with regrets” and they started relaxing. On 22 July “fatal mistake of absorbing rum and brandy ensuring peaceful slumber”.