IWM Chindit Audio - online availability

I posted a link for Bamboo and advised that this was new to him, so...

This is a basic search using "Chindit" that brings up 124 recordings - still trawling through them but found a nice 1954 BBC interview with Bernard Ferguson on the first page...

Collections Search for "CHINDIT" | Imperial War Museums

(Click on MEDIA, then AUDIO)

Nothing like giving Steve a bit more work to do...

Obviously, there will be lots of other things to search for...

 

I can't seem to find anything audio related to the BEF but there is some bloody good pics in there that I've not seen before.

Cheers for posting the link.
A

 

Well done Ken!

Lovely day for gardening me thinks.

 

Lovely day for gardening me thinks.

(mutter, mumble, dereliction of duty, mumble, flogged at dawn, mutter...)
At least it's a good day for it...

Andy... I just tried a random for "BEF" on the same search bar and found a few that reference 1939-40...? Might not be the events you are looking for as it's not my sphere of research...

 

Still digging through - about halfway now skimming for details - Steve, you are going to be busy...

My stuff...? found stacks of references to "Blackpool" - a 100min with Richard Rhodes James, several with Bill Towill, several references to the evacuation and the Sunderland's...

Found a 21 reel interview with Calvert, not the only one... each reel is approx 30 minutes...

 

"Whirlpool, whirlpool, the sound of swirling water"!!!

I am going to employ a nice young secretary to take down somethings for me.
Five foot three, dark brown hair, brown eyes with a nice French or Spanish accent. Otherwise I might well get too far behind.

 

There leads the road to ruination...

A bunch of links to the best interviews would make it easy for you...

Did you say you assisted Phillip Chinnery with his "March Or Die" book - there is someone he interviewed for the book - Captain Straight - that I would love to get the full interview...

The only (minor) disapointment for me is still not finding anything about !st Cameronians that were in from the beginning - not a sniff...

 

Nice of you to offer HC.

I helped Phil Chinnery a bit with Wingate's Lost Brigade.

I have read the first 100 or so pages of War in the Wilderness, some mentions of Cameronians, but only in small anecdotal quotes, fascinating nonetheless.

And yet another mention of the Cameronians and Kings looking for a fight, this time in 1944. What were they like!!

 

That's a very interesting link Hebridean Chindit. Thanks for posting it.

Among the private papers of T M Proudfoot in the Imperial War Museum Collection, is an interesting Chindit patch. Bamboo43 have you seen any others like it? Does the W.S.F stand for Wingate's Special Force?

 

that comes up on the first page of the search - means nothing to me...?

Nice of you to offer HC.

... And yet another mention of the Cameronians and Kings looking for a fight, this time in 1944. What were they like!!

I'll see what I can find - there are many days worth of listening - much of it crosses both yours and my spheres of research - haven't tried just using "Chindit 1943" or even "Longcloth" yet...

Typical me - wandered off on a tangent into MN stuff and found some mentions of grandad's ships...

Oh yes... nearly forgot why I left that second part of the quote - dad mentioned in his notes about a goat they adopted as a mascot - the Kings thought it was a stray and they ate it...! There was a bit of bristling...

 

Oh yes... nearly forgot why I left that second part of the quote - dad mentioned in his notes about a goat they adopted as a mascot - the Kings thought it was a stray and they ate it...! There was a bit of bristling...[/QUOTE]


"Stick the bl**dy thing in the pot with de rest of the scran".

 

That's a very interesting link Hebridean Chindit. Thanks for posting it.

Among the private papers of T M Proudfoot in the Imperial War Museum Collection, is an interesting Chindit patch. Bamboo43 have you seen any others like it? Does the W.S.F stand for Wingate's Special Force?

Hi Scout Sniper,

I have a couple of original patches in my collection and an example of the type you often see on EBay etc. Never seen one like this. I wonder whether it could be a special insignia for Rear Base operatives?

Chindit insignia was open to piracy even back in India at the time. Many men had their own patches and badges made by jewelers and tailors in the India markets. There have been some weird and wonderful trinkets found, all you needed is the provenance to go with it.

Must stand for Wingate's Special Force surely?

Steve

 

What have you done to me HC???

Saved me a fortune in time and cash!!!!

All the Longcloth interviews are there, fantastic.

But we still have to get ourselves up to the IWM, otherwise we will miss out on all the lovely paperwork.

Well done mate, but can anyone translate Gurkhali?

 

Well, these audios are a joy.

I'm picking up some great info, I had known about the existence of the files but it's getting up to the IWM to listen to them.

The only problem I have found is that sometimes the whole recording is not available and some reels are missing or not presented.

Thanks again HC.

 

You're welcome me ol' Bamboo, nothing like giving a fellow research a freeloaderfest...

Now snowed under with transcription work and I'm still crawling through the pages of the diary...!!!

Good luck with the "name-game" whilst you're listening...

 

You're welcome me ol' Bamboo, nothing like giving a fellow research a freeloaderfest...

Now snowed under with transcription work and I'm still crawling through the pages of the diary...!!!

Good luck with the "name-game" whilst you're listening...

Name game is wonderful, probably about 20 new men found. Difficult to sometimes manage to catch the name fully, especially the Gurkha Rifles.

If you have 10 minutes HC, listen to Pte. Charles Aves last reel, reel 4.

Sums up how I have always felt about the ordinary man in 1943.

IWM interview | Imperial War Museums

 

... Sums up how I have always felt about the ordinary man in 1943.

Agreed...

... and reeling off the names of his comrades as a bonus too...

The reference to his "memoirs" left to the IWM should be noted too...

 

Sadly, it seems the IWM are having 'technical difficulties', with the audios and have removed the function for the time being.

I was in the middle of a full sweep of Chindit 1 material and am very peeved.

 

Hmm...

I noted some of the items I had been checking were "missing" when I first found out about the availability but presumed that there were "traffic" issues... obviously something more... it's new and subject to glitches, technology being what it is...

Anyway, we both know that sometimes you have to lose the odd battle to win the War, and both of our research areas are prime examples of this... did you notice the small print...?

All will come to thee who waits...

 

... But I think it's going to be a long time now... to quote a song...

oops, I might be infringing copyright...

Sorry people, but I now have it from the horses mouth (the one that got out of the barn before they should have closed it ) that they are permantly down for the forseeable future due to these exact issues...

I cannot blame them for this (well I can really, considering the support they have) as I suspect it was an oversight and someone didn't think things through as thoroughly as maybe they should have... I have pointed out another significant wrinkle, actually, more than one, to the senior respondant that I will discuss privately with present compatriots but not on the forum as I do not wish to cause them (IWM and others) any further isuues with this matter...

You cannot believe how thoroughly and totally gutted I feel...

C'est La Guerre...