Edward Barrett 13 Kings

A photo of the original grave for Edward Barrett Kia 27/7/1943 has been posted on Facebook. The poster wants to contact the nok but he's only on the Rangoon memorial with no nok given. Help please.
Lionboxer

 

Hi Lionboxer,

As you say Edward is remembered on the Rangoon Memorial with no NOK details listed. I have in my notes for Edward that he was lost on the line of march, moving north towards Fort Hertz. Judging by his service number, (Warwickshire Regiment) he was possibly from the Birmingham area.

It would be amazing to see the original grave, is it possible to post the link or pm me?

Best wishes

Steve

 

Steve, the Facebook page is Remembering the CBI. Only just been posted this afternoon so should be fairly near the top if you scroll down.
I have replied on there and the poster/owner is really keen to follow this up.
I have downloaded the photo if you can't find it on FB.
Lionboxer

 

Thanks, I will dig out some of his pages on the WO361 for the King's. I think a group of men with Edward were moving north-east looking to vacate Burma, either by Fort Hertz or Yunnan Province.

It is amazing to see, what was possibly his original grave close to the Burmese village in which he perished. Fort Hertz/Yunnan was the safer option in terms of Japanese interference, but a much longer trek and with less options for food.

 

Here are Edward's CWGC details, so as to keep them in one place.

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2504925/BARRETT,%20EDWARD

 

For thread info:

Name: Edward Barrett
Given Initials: E
Rank: Private
Death Date: 27 Jul 1943
Number: 5119025
Birth Place: Salford
Residence: Salford
Branch at Enlistment: Infantry
Theatre of War: Burma
Regiment at Death: King's Regiment (Liverpool)
Branch at Death: Infantry

I wonder if this is his birth cert details:

Name: Edward Barrett
Mother's Maiden Name: Barber
Registration Year: 1915
Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun
Registration district: Salford
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: Lancashire
Volume: 8d
Page: 116

TD

 

Well done on those details TD. I was thinking he would be from Birmingham due to his Army number and that most of the other men from the Warwickshire's that reinforced the 13th King's on Operation Longcloth were local lads.

Your details might give the Facebook enquirer something more to go on in terms of finding a NOK..

 

Done a bit of digging...born in Salford second quarter of 1915. Mothers maiden name Barber.

 

Haha! Beat me to it Trickie!

 

Hi All,

This is what I have on Edward Barrett.

He was part of 5 Column on Operation Longcloth commanded by Bernard Fergusson of the Black Watch, Edward was originally with the Royal Warwick's, possibly the 8th Battalion and was posted to the 13th King's after arriving in India in September 1942. He joined Chindit training at the Saugor Camp on the 26th September.

Taking into account the area in which he perished (Kachin Hills), it is likely that he was one of the 100 or so men from 5 Column, that were separated from the main body of the column on or around the 29/30th March 1943. A Japanese ambush cut the column in half and the tail dispersed eastward towards the Shweli River. Here they rather fortuitously bumped into 7 Column on the river bank.

7 Column's commander, Major Kenneth Gilkes took them under his wing and allocated these stragglers to his column's dispersal groups.
7 Column then attempted to exit Burma via Yunnan Province and Fort Hertz. By my estimation from reading all the MIA reports for Longcloth, it is probable that Edward joined the dispersal group led by Lieut. J. Musgrave-Wood of the Sherwood Foresters.

Many of the soldiers from 5 Column had fared rather badly for rations on the operation and this was borne out by the amount of these men who did not last, whilst journeying to the north with 7 Column. According to the witness statements attached below, he died in a village about nine days march south of Fort Hertz. A days march, by that time, would not have been that far. So it is possible that the photograph shared on Facebook, was his original grave and that his remains were not removed or known to the War Graves Commission post WW2. He is remembered upon Face 5 of the Rangoon Memorial instead.

Quite a story really and obviously extremely intriguing for me.

​Here are some documents in relation not Edward Barrett, including his entry on the 5 Column missing in action listing, showing the details of his death in the village of Htingnan on the 27th July 1943. Also shown is his inscription upon Face 5 of the Rangoon Memorial and a witness statement describing his last known movements.

 

Sorry to add this but the lettering looks enhanced... looked at it in PS and there are some lines on the image that tie up with the top and bottoms of the letters on the upright... they also look very black and very clean considering the potential age of the grave and/or the image...

Any thoughts...?

 

Hello HC,

How are you old boy? These thoughts had crossed my mind too!

 

Getting closer to a permanent location, me ol' Bamboo, and seeing quite a lot of the Highlands... off-shore on the west coast in the morning... also close to having a site up for the pics and looking forward to getting back into the writing.. been severely stalled... not missing the M25 much... :biggrin:

 

Amazing stuff Bamboo. Got another photo coming.......
I too was wondering about the pristine look of the cross, maybe the next photo might help.

Lionboxer

 

Thanks Lionboxer,

I have seen some very clean and crisp photographs from the theatre before now. The others in the Facebook gallery are all of good quality.

 

This second photo of the location may clarify things, but who is buried in the second grave?



Lionboxer

 

I am wondering if the wooden crosses date from after the area was recaptured from the Japanese. They are not the rough and ready crosses erected by comrades but look to be properly made by carpenters. I wonder if the crosses were re-erected in 1945 before the battlefield clearance boys went about their work. None of the men in the photograph are carrying weapons and one appears to have a RAF Pagri flash on his bush hat.

I am not sure of the purpose of the flimsy wooden fence; it may be to keep animals from grazing on the graves.

 

The uniforms don't look British to me and the chap wearing the bush hat (again, doesn't look like British issue) looks like a local. This is more than a battlefield burial done in haste. But who is in the second grave and why is Barrett only on the Rangoon memorial to the missing?
Lionboxer

 

The second grave is of a U.S. Army soldier. G.W. Deas.