Greetings, all. I am writing a book for Pen and Sword about the Black Watch and the Cameronians as Chindits, of which my father, Andrew Douglas Thorburn, was one. His service record has repeated references to XII, sometimes written X (ii), under postings. I'm hoping someone might know what this means.
Welcome from the Netherlands, I think it would be easier to help if you can post one of two documents so people can see the connections
Welcome to the forum. See this thread. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/service-records/19949-x-lists-service-records.html PS. Moved thread to Service Records sub-forum.
Hi Gordon, Welcome to the forum. It looks like Owen has found you a great thread to explore. How easy was it to get P&S onboard for you're book project, if you don't mind me asking? Cheers Steve
Gordon The thread that Owen has provided should be adequate to answer your queries but if you still need to make comparisons, nip to my personal page and look at my ARMY RECORDS album which contains all my own records. Good luck with your research and the eventual book. Ron
Hello Steve. I have written several non-military books for P&S imprint Remember When, so they know me and just accepted the idea. If you want to submit an idea, email: editorialoffice@pen-and-sword.co.uk mark FAO Lisa Hooson Mention my name if you wish.
Thanks Gordon, that's extremely kind of you. Early days on the book front, as you might have seen I've recently released a website on Chindit 1(see my footer below). Not sure if there is a sort of book within it? Thanks again. Steve
Gordon the short answer to your initial query is that he must have been a sickly child as X (ii) means he was on the sick list a lot - good luck with your book ! Cheers
First xii coincides with Cameronians in training running out of mepacrine and being hospitalised en masse with malaria. Going sick so many times also means you had to go back into it many times.
Gordon- Do tell me all about Malaria-anyone who served in Nth Africa and Italy had met "Anne" - meaning the Anepholis Mosquito - I can still taste the Mepacrine - Atabrine- and the Quinine - and there was another one - equally distasteful cheers
I'm talking to Gordon off site and these "went astray" so I'm reposting here for good order... Jason posted the same link... Welcome Gordon, when the Chindit guys Bamboo, Hebridean etc come on later you will no doubt have some questions coming your way in the meantime ref X lists. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/service-records/19949-x-lists-service-records.html A welcome note... Welcome to the forum Gordon - enjoy! Best, Steve. ... and my response to Jason's posting... Bingo...! Perfect answer, Jason, but I'll let Gordon explain why - I drew a blank when looking for this and suggested posting here... makes perfect sense... I went back to my dad's records and there they are - Xv when he was TOS on arriving as a Seaforth in India for training and pre "volunteering" for the Cameronians, Xii post Blackpool and Xii, Xv and Y at various points later in his time... amazing what you find when you look... Welcome Mr T... Another research lesson learnt... always review your notes... you might find the answer right in front of you, which in my case, it was...
Does anyone know if the date given for classification as x (ii) refers to the day a man left his unit or the day he arrived at the field hospital? In the case of the Cameronians at Blackpool, with no airlift, there would be a considerable difference.
When did a man become x (ii)? Does anyone know if the date given for classification as x (ii) refers to the day a man left his unit or the day he arrived at the field hospital? In the case of the Cameronians at Blackpool, with no airlift, there would be a considerable difference. I've had a look at my sheet No.6 (see my Photo Album) and find the following: 13/3/44 Admitted to 11 Field Ambulance and posted x (2) list 17/3/44 x(2) Transferred to 93rd General 30/3/44 x(2) Posted to 49th LAA (my original unit) All this because I had gone down with a bad case of Impetigo which started with me going sick in my unit on the 13th and being immediately sent to the Field Ambulance station just south of Cassino. From there it took two days to get me on a hospital train heading for Naples and by the 30th I was back in the line. All the date quoted above are actual Don't know if this helps any but worth a try Ron
... In the case of the Cameronians at Blackpool, with no airlift, there would be a considerable difference. My dad was wounded during the evac from "Blackpool" in his personal notes and his WIA was noted as that date in his records... Elsewhere, Bamboo and myself have noted MIA to KIA's being recorded on "specific" dates, for the sake of good order in the records - certainly aware of one of my dad's friends that died at "Blackpool" but his "death" is recorded approx a month later...
My dad was wounded during the evac from "Blackpool" in his personal notes and his WIA was noted as that date in his records... Elsewhere, Bamboo and myself have noted MIA to KIA's being recorded on "specific" dates, for the sake of good order in the records - certainly aware of one of my dad's friends that died at "Blackpool" but his "death" is recorded approx a month later... Yes this is for definite in Chindit 1. Where men have simply disappeared or died alone or in small groups, the last known date is given as MIA, usually by the most senior ranked soldier at the time. Then if nothing more was found or reported, there was a convenient date decided for classifying the man as lost/died. Chindit 1 had several of these dates. POW status confirmed but did not reach Rangoon Jail for instance was set at June 1st 1943. The overall cut off date for MIA file reports was 10th July 1943. My guess here was that the offices in India believed if a man was coming out of Burma from Longcloth he would have been out by that date. For Chindit 1 the only men to throw out these dates, were returning Gurkhas, who sensibly had chosen to sit out the monsoon season in local Kachin villages, or Gurkha POW escapees taking their opportunities to slip away while working for the Japanese close to the Chindwin River.
I found a reference to Gordon's dad on a 1st Cameronians returns form from the diaries that I have forwarded to him... every little helps...
I found a reference to Gordon's dad on a 1st Cameronians returns form from the diaries that I have forwarded to him... every little helps... Nice work HC, hope all goes well with the research? I'm just continually writing at the moment, the website is still going great guns.
