2759635 Sgt George Stewart Ballantine. 2nd Black Watch.

Apply for his death certificate via Scotlandspeople, should tell you what he died from and whether that could be related to the accident/crash - avoids the need to learn Swedish

TD

 

More information regarding the award of the British Empire Medal.

Scots’ Gallantry in Bengal Cyclone. Brechin Corporal gets B.E.M.

Awards to Scottish soldiers for conspicuous gallantry during a severe cyclone in the district of Contai, Bengal, on October 16th and 17th, 1942, were announced last night.

Lieut. James Cuthbert Donaldson, The Black Watch, who was born at Falkland, Fife, is awarded the M.B.E.

His platoon was stationed on the banks of the Pichaboni River, and at the crisis of the cyclone, Lieut. Donaldson was attempting to extricate a ration party in two lorries two miles distant. This proved impossible, and, by means of lashing one lorry to a clump of palm trees, and ordering his party to strip and remain in the vehicle, he undoubtedly saved the lives of the party.

The second lorry was almost immediately blown of the track and submerged for eight days afterwards.

Throughout the cyclone, lasting for eight hours, when it was impossible to move, or even keep one’s eyes open, tidal waves were breaking over the hood frame of the lorry, and for this period and most of the following night, the party were submerged to their necks in water.

On the flood subsiding, Lieut. Donaldson formed the party into a chain and led them forward to his platoon post, there discovering that 14 men had been drowned and all rations and equipment submerged. Although in a considerably exhausted state, he and his men waded and swam for 12 hours to battalion headquarters to report and obtain rations and equipment.

Pte John Herriot, of Musselburgh, who volunteered to accompany Lieut. Donaldson, receives the B.E.M.

Lieut. Donaldson’s father, Capt. James Donaldson, was killed in action in 1917. He was agent of the British Linen Bank in Falkland. Mrs Donaldson, who is the daughter of the late Dr George C. Pirie and a sister of Mrs William Kinnear, after her husband’s death resided in Briarwood Terrace, Dundee. Her son, James was educated at Seafield School, Broughty Ferry, and Jedburgh.

He began his business career in the Reform Street (Dundee) branch of the Bank of Scotland. His brother is also in the Black Watch and in India.

Brechin Corporal Volunteers.

The B.E.M. is also awarded to Corporal George Stewart Ballantine, the Black Watch, of Brechin.

While stationed on the bank of the Rasulpur River with his company he headed a party of four volunteers to accompany the company commander to investigate the situation of the company transport, which was rapidly becoming submerged.

After the troops had been disposed the company commander decided to try to lash the transport and save the rations and stores, calling for three volunteers to assist, Corporal Ballantine and two others immediately volunteered for this task which was perilous to any but a strong swimmer, the water then raging some 26 feet above normal high tide level. The object was achieved and 9 rations were saved.

Other awards for gallantry during the cyclone go to Lieut. (Temporary Captain) Paul de Butt, born in London, and Lieut. Alistair Edmunds Blair, whose place of birth was Colombo, Ceylon, both of the Black Watch. Both get the M.B.E.

The award is also announced of the B.E.M. to Private George Edward Lyle, R.A.S.C., of Greenock, “In recognition of gallant conduct in carrying out hazardous work in a very brave manner.”

The King has also been pleased to approve of the publication of the name of Lieut. Duncan Campbell Menzies, the Black Watch, as having been posthumously commended for brave conduct.

Dundee Evening Telegraph, 10th July 1943.

 

I have written about Duncan Campbell Menzies on my website and had not joined the dots very well to this thread. Here is an extract from my site on the matter:

From Bernard Fergusson's book 'The Black Watch and the King's Enemies' comes the following information concerning Campbell's WW2 experiences before Operation Longcloth. Campbell had performed admirably at and done well indeed to survive the battalions involvement in the action in and around Tobruk during the second half of 1941.

After Tobruk the battalion went to Syria and prepared to face Rommel once more at Anatolia. This confrontation did not materialize and the unit found itself aboard the troopship Mauretania and bound for the Far East. On board the officers attempted to learn as much as they could about the conditions they might face in South East Asia. As the Mauretania passed the port of Aden the news that Rangoon had fallen to the Japanese changed all previous plans and the battalion was diverted to Bombay. After several weeks moving through various Indian towns the 2nd Black Watch found itself in Ranchi and soon to undertake training in the art of jungle warfare.

By October 1942 the battalion was stationed in and around the town of Contai. It was here on the 16th October that a cyclone hit the area and both B and C Companies of the unit were caught out and some men became stranded by the rapidly rising waters. The platoons of C company found themselves separated by the raging torrent that was once the local river. One commander decided to attempt to reach the relative safety of the sea wall, but all efforts were in vain. The battalion's diary describes these events thus:

"Second-Lieutenant Duncan Menzies who had been isolated on a small hillock, and who was a powerful swimmer, swam in at 1 pm, and in the course of the afternoon led two more attempts, both of which failed, to reach the sea wall.

17 October 0600 hours: A scene of desolation, no houses standing, tents covered by a foot of mud and slit, trucks emptied of their loads, ships swept a quarter of a mile inland, dead bodies and carcasses of cattle, fish, snakes and pi-dogs wherever the eye can reach. 0700 hours: Company commander swam the river to see how 13 platoon are, finds them hungry, thirsty and exhausted: they have been clinging to a strip of road which was the only ground not under water for 24 hours. A party of five under Sergeant Winter is still missing."

Thankfully Winter's party eventually turned up safe and sound. However, D Company were not so fortunate that day and lost over 15 men to the cyclone when a bridge they were on collapsed and was swept away. Campbell was commended by the King and several others by the Viceroy for their conduct during the ordeal. Shortly after the events of October 16th Campbell left the battalion and transferred to the 13th Kings, where he joined Bernard Fergusson and column 5 at Saugor. Just over a year later the 2nd Black Watch were also converted to a Chindit battalion, forming part of the 14th British Infantry Brigade under Brigadier Tom Brodie.

 

Many thanks for the article from your website, which adds yet another layer of detail to the 1942 Bengal cyclone.

Here is a much less detailed article from the Aberdeen Evening Express. I am not sure if the cyclone was widely reported in Britain in 1942, but it seems to have made the Scottish papers once the gallantry awards were announced ten months later.

Black Watch Men in Cyclone Drama.

In a lorry lashed to a bunch of palm trees, a party of men of the Black Watch stood naked and up to their necks in water, while for hour upon hour tidal waves were hurled over them by a cyclone so fierce that it was impossible for them to move or even keep their eyes open.

The waves came over them from the Pichaboni River which, already 26 feet above normal high-water mark, was a raging torrent 300 yards wide and infested by snakes.

A second lorry had been blown off the track and did not reappear above water for eight days. The men were two miles from their post, where it was later found that fourteen of their comrades were drowned.

Simultaneously another party of the Black Watch spent twenty-four hours without food or water while the Rasulpur River, also whipped to fury by the cyclone, threated to overwhelm them.

11,000 Drowned.

These two incidents occurred during the flood disaster in India last October when over 11,000 people were drowned.

They are disclosed in the “London Gazette” with the announcement that three officers, a corporal and a private have been decorated for bravery,

Lieut. (Temp. Capt.) Paul de Butt, (Knightsbridge), Lieut. Alistair Edmund Blair, (Bradford near Taunton, Somerset) and Lieut. James C, Donaldson, (Edinburgh) are made M.B.E.’s, while the B.E.M. is awarded to Cpl. George S. Ballantine, (Brechin), and Pte. John Herriot, (Edinburgh).

Lieut. Blair, the company commander, three times swam alone across the Pichaboni River, despite the torrent and snakes, to maintain the survivors at a platoon post and recover the bodies of the fourteen missing men.

Aberdeen Evening Express. 10th July 1943.

 

Top chaps all, with top names (especially private John!)

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

CALCUTTA (BHOWANIPORE) CEMETERY, KOLKATA

2885619 Pte. WILLIAM BROWN. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died: 16 October 1942. Age 22.

2760901 Pte. THOMAS HARRISON CLAGUE. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 21.

3316732 Pte. ALEXANDER CROCKETT. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 24.

3322773 Pte. MICHAEL DAVIDSON. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 22.

2879379 Pte. CHARLES IRVINE ANGUS FERGUSON. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 21.

2759914 Pte. JAMES GARDINER. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 23.

2763023 Pte. SCOTT HARPER. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 27.

2756191 Pte. JOHN McBETH. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 30.

2889115 Pte. GEORGE DUNCAN McLEAN. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 26.

2756952 Pte. JOHN McNAUGHTON. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 23.

2754747 Pte. TINDAL CANDY MILNE. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942.

3318252 Pte. EDWARD PALMER. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 23.

3133467 Pte. ALEXANDER BARBOUR PATERSON. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 22.

2885092 Pte. ROBERT PATERSON. 2nd Btn Black Watch (Royal Highlanders). Died 16 October 1942. Age 22.

 

Some more info from the 2BW war diary. Supplementary pages state that Ballantine was part of No. 6 Rifle Platoon, 73 Column and was shot though the cheek whilst using a walkie-talkie during the pre-planned ambush against the Japanese patrol.

Also attached is a promotions page from the war diary:

 

Map showing White City at Henu and hinterland, including Nathkokyin the location of the ambush on the 5/6th May 1944:

 

Excellent stuff B43, many thanks for posting the extracts.

 

I was a bit annoyed at myself for not finding these first time around. the 2BW diary is one of the best for info from the Chindits 2 related diaries. These items were not in the month of May section, so it took me a while to reach them.