Bullocks in Burma

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by ElaineRM, Aug 19, 2019.

  1. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Elaine
    Its all part of the fun of the chase - when you think you have something nailed down, someone or something else will come along and bit you in the ............................:omg::whistle:

    TD
     
  2. JITTER PARTY

    JITTER PARTY Well-Known Member

    The company is certainly mentioned in 'War Bush'; if and when I find my copy I'll check the references.
    Your brief quote from your father's article includes "...at a forward aerodrome on the Arakan Front." This may indicate a move forward to the 81 WA Div in the Kaladan valley - nothing to do with the Chindits at all. If you could scan the whole article and post it here, that would be great. I've never seen a copy of The RIASC Journal. Has anyone else?
    Apart from the Chindit badge, which in itself means nothing, do you have any other reference to Chindit II/Operation Thursday.
    Either way a look at the War Diaries should clear up any misconceptions.

    ps Loftus-Tottenham was the 81 WA Div commander, nothing to do with the Chindits. Hughes had been a Chindit, but he didn't become Brig in command of 3 WA Bde until 03/45, by which time the Bde had rejoined 81 WA Div.
     
  3. JITTER PARTY

    JITTER PARTY Well-Known Member

    I forgot to mention that 'CWAASC" may well simply refer to the Commander, West African Army Service Corps.
    The service corps units in each division were under a Commander, of Lt-Col rank. In a British Division he would be a 'CRASC', in an Indian Division he would be a 'CRIASC', and so on. In the same way, in a British Division, the artillery would have a CRA, the engineers a CRE, and - my favourite - the electrical and mechanical engineers would have a CREME
     
  4. Maureene

    Maureene Well-Known Member

    Perhaps there may be something in the online book

    The History of the Royal West African Frontier Force by Colonel A. Haywood and Brigadier F.A.S.Clarke. 1964. lib.militaryarchive.co.uk, now archived at Archive.org. Originally required Flash turned on, this requirement may still apply - if you see a Flash icon, click it. Transcribed version.

    Note I was trying to access the first link recently and some of the pages did not display. I don't know if this is due to my internet service, or whether there are problems with the digital file.

    Cheers
    Maureen
     
  5. ElaineRM

    ElaineRM Member

    Thanks Maureen, that's very kind of you to suggest this.
     
  6. ElaineRM

    ElaineRM Member

    You are probably correct,JP, I can find no mention of Bullocks with the Chindits. It does seem unlikely they would have been useful to Special Force. BUT, why would he have a Chindit Badge in his precious collection if he had not been one and why do I have a photo of him with "Officers of 3(WA) Infantry Brigade & M.E.S.Staff Sholinghur" on it. It was the 3(WA) Brigade who were Chindits, weren't they? (Could you be an officer of 3(WA) Inf Bgd without having been a Chindit?)More questions! I will try to post the RIASC article later, if I can sort the technology! Elaine.
     
  7. JITTER PARTY

    JITTER PARTY Well-Known Member

    Bullocks could be quite useful to Chindits. They didn't carry a great load, but, when they were knackered, they could eat them, which came in handy for a hungry Chindit. I think most of them must have ended up that way. I believe that they had been used on Chindit I, so someone must have thought them worth the effort second time around. Bamboo43 will no doubt advise us. According to that table, 14 Bde took 120 with them, and that Bde flew in. The other two Bdes with bullocks (16 & 23) marched.
    3 WA Bde was properly a component of 81 WA Div, but had been detached to the Chindit escapade in 11/43. It was disbanded in 11/44, but was reformed in 03/45 (with Hughes in command) as part of 81 WA Div and was based at Sholinghur, in southern India in 1945. So it would have been perfectly possibly for a WAASC officer to be with 3 WA Bde, either with Bde HQ or with a WAASC unit attached to that Bde - for example 3 WA Bde Gp Coy.
     
  8. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Order of battle of the Chindits - Wikipedia
    Second Chindit expedition, 1944, codenamed Operation Thursday
    Thunder 3rd West African Brigade
    Officer Commanding (O.C.) Brigadier A.H. Gillmore, (succeeded by Brigadier A.H.G. Ricketts): 10 HQ column
    6th Battalion, Nigeria Regiment: 66 and 39 Columns
    7th Battalion, Nigeria Regiment: 29 and 35 Columns
    12th Battalion, Nigeria Regiment: 12 and 43 Columns
    3rd West African Field Ambulance: Support

    TD
     

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