Albert George BRAIN 7th Bn. Worcestershire Rgt. Mandalay 1945

5254826 Pte. Albert George BRAIN 7th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
23rd May 1919 Banbury, Oxfordshire - 2nd September 1988 Banbury, Oxon, aged 69

Mandalay and Fort Dufferin
In March 1945 ‘C’ Company 7th Worcestershires had advanced to the outskirts on Mandalay. Part of Mandalay city is built on a great rock rising abruptly from the plain to about eight hundred feet high and dominating the whole north-eastern quarter of the city. It’s steep sides are covered with temples and pagodas.

In 1945 these were now heavily garrisoned with Japanese troops with machine-guns.

Throughout the day and night of the 9th March 1945, the fiercest hand-to-hand fighting went on, as a Gurka Battalion stormed up the slopes, bombing and Tommy-gunning their way into the concrete buildings.

The Japanese holding out in cellars until the last defenders, were destroyed. It was not until the 11th March that the hill was completely taken. The other Japanese stronghold, Fort Dufferin, in Mandalay city, was a great rectangular walled enclosure, consisting of one and a quarter miles of parkland. This was dotted with official residences, barracks and the fantastic, teak-built Royal Palace of Theebaw, the last Burmese king. All round lay the moat, over two hundred feet wide, studded with lotus plants.

For the next few days, the 19th Brigade, fought their way street by street through the city, suffering heavily from snipers. It was on the 15th March that the desperate Japs made their last full-scale attack against the British. The last time they came charging with all their savage fury, yelling and screaming with the banner of the Rising Sun. It was the last time we saw bayonets like a waving wall of steel. It was a time that we felt great fear and exhilaration as our bren-gunners, strategically placed, mowed them down as they attempted to over-run us.

The Japs lost three hundred and seventy men in fifteen minutes. They counter-attacked at several places along the 2nd Division’s front and then they virtually gave up Mandalay.

After all the fighting, I remember it was a glorious evening. The sky was ochre and pale blue. I remember the sun setting like a ball of fire. A message came through from Brigade H.Q, “Proceed south towards Rangoon.”!!

CQMS Frederick J. Weedman - 'C' Company, 7th Battalion

 

Guy,

Nice post-action photo.

There a few threads here on the 2nd Worcestershire being @ Mandalay Hill, not the 7th; it happens. See: Mandalay Hill

Alas very few threads here on the 7th, though one does refer to them at Kohima earlier. Wiki has a short passage about them in Burma.

From: Worcestershire Regiment - Wikipedia The cited passage is based on: Worcestershire Regiment (29th/36th of Foot)

 

It was indeed 2 Worc R that fought at Mandalay and the photo caption implies that Pte Brain was with that unit, rather than 7 Worc R. Weedman's account is in error in mentioning '19th Brigade' when clearly 19 Ind Div (containing 2 Worc R) is meant with regard to the fighting 'street by street through the city'.

 

My understanding was that Albert Brain was with the 7th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment in Belgium / France in 1940.

S.Q.M. J.R. Sansbury recognised Albert Brain on the cover of Soldier magazine published in Belgium in 1945

"it's cover picture a photograph of a man of "Dagger Division", Pte. A. Brain of Banbury, at the assault on Mandalay."

It suggests that Brain was 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment, 64th Indian Infantry Brigade, 19th Indian Infantry Division.

7th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment paused on the ouskirts of Manadaly and 19th Indian Infantry Division were tasked withe the capture of Mandalay.

I have applied for a copy of his service record, to complete the story.



The Banbury Guardian Thursday 28th June 1945