Known Locations
1945
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Should you have any knowledge of the exact dates, place names, whereabouts or addresses of individuals or groups during the above date please contribute.
January
1945:
Statement: The battalion was split up. ‘C’ Company was sent to the left flank. We soon came under fire, and after a lot of messing about,
we went back and formed a box. From early that morning till 11 o’clock next day we had no food. We passed then through Tantabin and Madaunghla.
06 January 1945 to 08 January
1945:
Statement: We were at Kin-U, from 6-8 January 1945.
07 January 1945:
Document: Pte. Eric James Boardman
14565374 was killed in action during an attack by “D” Company on
the 7 January 1945 at the Cross-roads Kin-U in Northern Burma.
16 January 1945:
Statement: Next morning, patrol was sent out to Pagoda Hill. Two men got wounded, one they managed to get back in. Both later dying of wounds. On the second night we had a terrible storm and Japs came around and mortared us for about half an hour.
18 January 1945:
Statement: Our battle at Kabwet, was called Hill 15R because there was
the only thing on the map (it meant the chaung bank was 15 feet high at
that point), kept us busy for some days.
Jan 1945:
Statement: XXXX was wounded at Kabwet on Hill 15R and announced he had a blighty wound and we were not to see him again.
30 January 1945:
Statement: After we took Hill 15R at Kabwet, we were sitting at the top of the hill having a cigarette and a sniper, from where; I don’t know shot L/Cpl. xxx who was sitting beside me.
Statement 2: Again we were put on trucks, and driven to a place called Kin-U, where B Coy of 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment were resting after being involved in a major battle at Kabwet, lasting several day’s sustaining casualty’s, killed and wounded.
April 1945:
Statement: Now my memory has just jolted me, way back at Meiktila after crossing the Irrawaddy River there was a lull in the pursuit of the enemy.
February 1945 to March 1945:
Statement: From Kabwet we were sent to hold a rear flank of the Singu Bridgehead. 6 Platoon under command of XXXX. Altogether we marched 36 miles from south of Singu Bridgehead in five days killing 42 Japs and taking one prisoner.
February 1945:
Statement: After a week on the rear flank, Battalion moved across and went north first to Yeshin then moving to Yathit N. Here 6 Platoon were sent out to make a patrol base and sent out ambush parties, getting to their base without hitting trouble.
07 March 1945:
Statement: We came upon the swamps north east of Madaya, where we wandered around, getting all split up. Finally, at dusk we managed to meet up again. One man missing, he has not been heard of since.
10 March 1945:
Statement: The most important episode was the assent and capture of Mandalay Hill, already published, but the way the 4/4 Gurkhas took the forward slopes will remain forever in my mind; against all odds they drew their Khukuri’s and swept up the final yards to the summit. The Berks then took over, and after many casualties cleared the remaining Pagodas, another 2 days clearing the Pavilion and remaining Pagoda’s, before moving down into Mandalay City to assist in clearing up the remnants of the Japanese Rearguard. (on March 10th, my mother’s birthday).
14 March 1945:
Statement: After 2-3 weeks when we thought we had cleared Mandalay City, but while out on patrol I got wounded in the shoulder it was 14.03.1945.
14 March 1945 to 20 March 1945:
Statement: When we entered Fort Dufferin seeing some British prisoners wearing
loin cloths, and near to starvation, also covered in sores.
Moving to the cross roads on west side of Fort Dufferin we set up a roadblock
to stop Japs coming in from west side. We captured here two 105mm guns.
23 March 1945 to April 1945:
Statement: After the withdrawal we were sent to Maymyo, a hill station to
the east. The existence of the unmistakable shapes of a golf course gave
us something completely different to think about, but we were soon needed to support the
advance to Toungoo, where the road to the Mawchi tin mines started.
Statement 2: After Mandalay, we moved for 10 days rest at Maymyo, where we
had a most enjoyable time, boating swimming and football.
April 1945:
Statement: We moved off from Maymyo April 1945 once again in pursuit of
the enemy, crossing two more rivers the Sittang and Salween both very wide,
which then took us up the Mawchi Road to the borders of Siam, Thailand.
From here, we went to Meiktila for a short rest. We had the beer in and a
clean up and off we moved again. This time we stayed in Pyinmana for a few
days.
April 1945:
Statement: At Meiktila after crossing the Irrawaddy River there was a lull
in the pursuit of the enemy, we were given orders to clean ourselves, and
check our weapons.
May 1945:
Statement: We were soon needed to support the advance to Toungoo, where the road to the Mawchi tin mines started.
We then had a slow advance to the flank, capturing the Thandaung tea factory, and ultimately Mawchi itself.
08 May 1945:
Statement: Along the Mawche Road we were chasing the Japs down, routing them
out, but they had the advantage over us, from the mountains giving them the
advantage of high ground, they fired down on us and when they did their guns
echoed all the way around the valley and mountains, never heard anything like
it. ‘B’ Company were dug in up there.
09 May 1945:
Statement: Nyaungchidauk and Zeyawadi were villages in the Sittang Valley which we occupied during the rest of 1945.
June 1945:
Phoenix Magazine "Jap Trap": 1 Platoon of C Coy reinacted an ambush
under Lieut A. Soden. The ambush
was staged near Kwebwe M.S. 156.
11 July 1945:
Arrived in the United Kingdom & was
posted to the 17th Infantry Holding Battalion on the 11th July 1945.
09 August 1945:
Army Service records: 76/45 02E(I) 89/45 - Unit: 2 R/B, - Proceeded to HBTD Deolali (Python) SOS 2 R/Berks to X(VIII) (a) List-India, Command - Place of Casualty, Field.
1945:
Statement: We was on train guard duty from Tousy to Mandalay, oh probably the end of 1945.
2nd Battalion
The Royal Berkshire Regiment
(Princess Charlotte of Wales's)
1939 - 1959
Burma WWII