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Short Incidents, Madaya And Mandalay
Extracts from an unpublished book
by
L/Cpl. William Joseph Lowe 14640525
Page 7

 

.....We dug in and during the night rain fell in torrents. Just after taking the crossroads, Japs mortared and shelled their own troops on hill west of our position.

.....Next morning, patrol was sent out to Pagoda Hill. Two men getting 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 round and mortared us for about half an hour. Luckily we had no casualties from Jap shells. One fellow getting wounded from our own grenades.

.....Next morning, at first light, we moved off on an encircling movement to come on to the main road at the 4½ M/S. battalion started off, we covered about 10 miles coming in at the rear of Japs. We killed 8 Japs and C Company lost one man. We perimetered on the main road. C Company left and B Company right.

.....We dug in, Japs on both sides of us. 25 pounders soon got to work bringing D.F. on to them in a very short time. Blood was found next morning. We then moved off back towards Toungco to clear road.

.....We had Madras sapper and mines with us. To clear mines and bobby traps, 6 grenades tied together, cars soaked in petrol, and booby traps under trees that had been felled across the road. From here we went out on patrols and ambushes. After one report of Japs in our area, we sent our company on patrol. Japs trying to get away, crossed river and walked into an ambush set by the West Yorkshires. Killing 45 Japs, including 3 women.

.....A few days later we had done a two day patrol wading through swamps, mud and water up to the waist. We set an ambush on the Sittang River, but no Japs came. Two platoon patrols were sent out one to the north under Sgt. XXXX M.M. and one to the south under Lt. XXXX.

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L/Cpl. William Joseph Lowe