WO1 Henry Milne RAOC. Another casualty of Lion Box

A stroke of luck or divine intervention?

During a quiet period over Christmas I decided to look through the casualty records on FMP again in case I had missed anything in my previous trawl. Not knowing the specific names of men to search I choose a random name just to get into the system and from there just scroll through the pages. On the very first page the date of 7/4/44 jumped out as this was the date most of the casualties were taken during the action at Lion Box, Imphal when the Ordnance Depot there was attacked. The entry showed that 7625847 WO1 Henry Stewart Milne RAOC had now died on 7/12/44 of wounds received eight months earlier. This poor fellow suffered all that time. I have found another casualty who died two weeks later but this is exceptionally long. He's buried in Delhi so presumably was too ill to be shipped home.

I have now sent away for his service record for confirmation but I can find no details about him other than he was thirty, came from Aberdeen, unmarried and probably had no siblings. Can anyone help please? Are there extant family living in Aberdeen (seems a stronghold for Milnes)? Is he commemorated anywhere?

Lionboxer

 

Henry Milne in the UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945
Name: Henry Milne
Given Initials: H S
Rank: Warrant Officer Class I
Death Date: 7 Dec 1944
Number: 7625847
Birth Place: Aberdeen
Residence: Aberdeen
Branch at Enlistment: Other Corps
Theatre of War: India
Regiment at Death: Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Branch at Death: Other Corps

Global, Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current
Name: Warrant Officer Class I ( Condr. ) Henry Stewart Milne
Death Date: 7 Dec 1944
Cemetery: Delhi War Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place: New Delhi, Delhi Capital Territory, India
Has Bio?: N
URL: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-...


MILNE, HENRY STEWART
Rank:Warrant Officer Class I
Trade:Conductor
Service No:7625847
Date of Death:07/12/1944
Age:30
Regiment/Service:Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Grave Reference: 4. D. 4. Cemetery DELHI WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information:Nephew of Miss J. Milne, of Aberdeen.

TD

 

I would suggest you contact forum member amberdog45 as she is based in Scotland and can access their records

TD

 

Lionboxer

You can also go to - Search results which gives all the results for Henry Stewart Milne in National Records of Scotland - you will need to create an account for yourself and I believe to have actual hard copies there is some fee to pay

TD

 

Many thanks TD.
Let's see what his service record reveals when I get it!!

 

Death reference at Scotlandspeople 150/AF33 in 1944. Only one Henry Stewart Milne born, but two entries from 1914. One in Kemnay and Rubislaw. I think it would be the Rubislaw reference 168/3639, as it's the only Aberdeen one. Kemnay is heading out to inverurie, which is west of Aberdeen. Having said that, it is not unusual to find two entries for the same person. Sometimes the birth was registered in both the hospital and parents residence districts.

Death recorded in the Aberdeen Weekly Journal "Died of wounds in India, in December 1944, Condr. H. S. Milne, RAOC, aged 30 years, beloved brother of Miss Jean Milne, 51 Esslemont Avenue, Aberdeen and Mrs. Young, Falkirk.

There were four marriages of females with the surname Milne to a man with the surname Young between 1932 to 1940 in the district of Aberdeen, but none I could see in Falkirk.

 

Thank you Amberdog.
That's very interesting about Henry having two sisters. This is contrary to the CWGC record which names Miss J. Milne as his aunt. Maybe there are descendants after all. Any ideas about him being on a memorial anywhere?
Lionboxer

 

Maybe try the Scottish Military Research Group Forum. Lots of local experts there The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project :: Index

 

I Googled his address and lo and behold up came a picture of it as it's for sale!
I'll wait for his service record for confirmation and further details (hopefully).
Lionboxer

 

Just received Henry's service record after only three weeks waiting..well done Army Records Office!
Henry was an ammo technician with the Indian Ordnance Ammunition Laboratory I believe within the 221 AOD at Kanglatongbi when all the ammo was being moved to a safer area. His cause of death is given as Pyalonephritis ( infection of the kidneys etc ) caused by a fracture and dislocation of the pelvis and ruptured urethra. He died in the 133 Indian Base General Hospital but not sure where that was.
His next of kin is given as his sister Miss Jean Milne, 51 Esselmont Ave, Aberdeen, as mentioned earlier, which makes the CWGC entry wrong.
Lionboxer

 

Henry's grave in Delhi War Cemetery

 

Forgot to mention thanks to Mr Singlai who took the picture via my friend Raj Yumnam

 

I can find no references to 133 IBGH hospital.
He was injured in Kanglatongbi nr Imphal.
As he is buried in Dehli war cemetery and the Northern Command of Indian Army had its H Q in Delhi.
I strongly suspect that the hospital was in that area more, so when looking at Google map.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...41581b!8m2!3d28.6124725!4d77.1446974?hl=en-GB

 

Lionboxer

Found this. Good to have a photo but it says 'badly injured in an accident' and 'in Burma'. But inaccuracies are known! two weeks after this was published he had died of his injuries.

 

Well done Tony, always good to see the face of a man you've been researching, thank you very much. Not quite sure where the statement about being injured in an accident comes from as his service record clearly states wounded due to enemy action and the official casualty report states wounded and not accident. sometimes there is an inquest in the event of an accident. I'm revisiting my research of Milne as I'm not certain he was at Kanglatongbi as none of the documentation I have mentions him being there or being wounded. The date of his wounding, 7/4/44, is significant though as this was when most casualties were taken when the Ordnance Depot at Kanglatongbi was attacked before being evacuated and then taken by the Japanese. Maybe the family might know...just need to find them!
I wonder what when wrong for him to die after so long and after "making good progress towards recovery". Poor chap suffering for eight months.
Lionboxer

 

Still thinking about this....as Henry was an ammo technician it's probably safe to say he would have been working at an ammo dump or depot at the time, and as his records state he was wounded "due to enemy action" on 7th April there must have been fighting going on wherever he was. I know there was heavy fighting at Kanglatongbi on 7th April (though the ammo had been moved to Imphal by then) and also at Kohima. Does anyone know where else there was fighting at this time? The was also a large ammo dump at Moreh which was evacuated around this period. Still looking for extant NoK as well.
Lionboxer