Hi, Found this site after trying to discover more about the Chindits, after recently being told my grandfather served in Burma. I know very little about him, as, although he survived, he didn't return home to his family after the war. I have been trawling the internet over the past week and came across a group photo that showed a man that might be him, but there was no identifying information. Can anyone point me in the right direction to where I can find out more about him? Much appreciated Linda
Welcome to the forum Firstly you need to apply for his service records there is a long wait at the moment . You require £30 date of birth and his death certificate which you can apply for here General Register Office - Online Ordering Service - Login about £10 Link here to apply for records Get a copy of military service records If you shared his name perhaps other forum members would be able to assist. Also any other info that suggests he is linked to the Chindits I have contacted the member who runs the website below A members website here for your info Chindit Chasing, Operation Longcloth 1943 regards Clive
Thankyou very much for your replies. His name was Thomas Ringland and he served with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, but there is some uncertainty as to which battalion. I grew up hearing that he'd deserted his family after the war, but it's only in recent years that I've tried to find out more about him. I've recently connected with a cousin, through Ancestry DNA, who was told that he served with the Chindits. I have his birth and death certificates and will apply for his war records from the link kindly provided by CL1 Many thanks for your help Linda
Hi Linda, Clive alerted me to your post today. I have had a look through my listings for Chindit soldiers in 1943 & 1944 and unfortunately Thomas is not on any of these. However, they are by no means extensive, so there is still a possibility he served with the Chindits as the family suggest. His service records are definitely the way forward right now. Good luck going forward. Steve
Hi Steve, Thanks so much for taking the time to look through your list. It's a shame he's not on there, but I suppose I shouldn't expect to find him immediately, with so little information to go on. I will definitely apply for his war records though. Regards Linda
She met a man (many years ago), who said he knew him and that he served in/or was a Chindits. My father also remembers a poem he used to recite about Burma 'These are the men that shed their blood, upon the filty Burma mud On the Arakan front and the Imphal plain.......... etc. ...so two fairly tenuous links to indicate he might've served there
Are you aware that serving in Burma and being a Chindit are not the same thing? For example; the 1 Inniskilling Fusilers, mentioned above, served in Burma but they weren't Chindits. Rather than guess apply for his service records as advised above.
No I didn't know that, as I'm only going on what my cousin told me that she was told. I've already stated that I'll be applying for his records
Another popular misconception is that “served in Burma” is not the same as “served in the Burma Campaign”! Large numbers of troops never set foot in Burma and never left India, my father being one, but still served and fought very hard during the Burma Campaign. To be fair, thirty years ago I never knew there was a difference. Lionboxer
Be prepared for a “bit” of a wait, Linda. This thread here is well worth reading, but I’m sure the wait will be well worth it. You never know, though, you might get lucky: Service Records application - MOD response timescale There’s two or three family records I’m after myself but I’ve yet to put in for - if I’d done it when I first thought about it two years ago I’d probably have them by now, d’oh (maybe…) Oh, if you send a cheque, I’d suggest leaving it undated so it doesn’t expire while your application is in the queue. One other thing you might also like to do is enquire about his medal entitlement. The Medal Office, in my experience, is super efficient and it doesn’t cost you anything. They should be able to tell you whether the medals were actually issued to your grandfather too. I say this only because, if they were not, then you may be able to claim them now or, if you wanted to, obtain replacements for a display perhaps ) You can contact them here (info courtesy of the late and much missed Tricky Dicky): Contact the MOD Medal Office: You can contact the Medal Office in writing or via email. DBS-Medals@mod.gov.uk MOD Medal Office Room G36 Innsworth House Imjin Barracks Gloucester GL3 1HW Telephone enquiries are handled by the Joint Personnel Administration Centre (JPAC). Freephone (UK only): 0800 085 3600 Telephone (from overseas): +44 141 224 3600 Here are the forms: Ministry of Defence medal form In the “I wish to apply for” box, I typed “Full Entitlement Only”. Best of luck.
'Wobbler', sorry I've been offline for a couple of days and have only just read your response. Many, many thanks for taking the time on such an informative post. I will definitely get the search for his war records underway and let you know my findings Kind regards, Linda
