Letters from other Chindits

Since I started looking for others who knew my uncle Bill I have received many letters from very kind people all wanting to help to tell the story of "The forgotten army." There are many web sites that tell of the horrors that the Chindit's suffered at the hands of the hated Japanese, I have tried to steer my site away from being all doom and gloom and show bits of humour and light heartedness. Some of the letters I received cannot be scanned in due to shaky handwriting but I have reproduced them accurately.

This letter is from Ex Sgt Grainger of West Yorkshire. Dated 13/11/01.

Dear Ms Robinson

I see from the Chindits OCA Newsletter that Sgt Clift MM was your uncle.

I first met Sgt Clift in Orcha India in 1943 where we had both gone to join the 1st Btn South Staffs Reg. having volunteered for the second chindit campaign. He was a regular, a Lancastrian, tall, slim and of atheletic build. He had been in the Burma retreat and told me he had blown up the brewery at Maymyo. He had also been in Malaya.

He had been awarded the Military Medal for his part in the attack on what they called Pagoda Hill, an essential preliminary to the establishment of a road and rail block which became famously known as White City. This would be March 1944. I was not present having sustained injury previously. It was a short savage fight. Bill's platoon officer Noel? was shot in the back when he stepped over a jap he believed to be dead or wounded. Brigadier Michael Calvert led the charge in person.

We met again at the Dakha Convelescent depot. I think Bill was recovering from Dysentery. I had had malaria. I remember sitting with him in the Sgts mess listening to the radio, I also recall us swimming together in a nearby lake.

By the time I reached Dehra Dun where the regiment regrouped after the campaign, Sgt Clift might have already left for England. Like other regulars he had already been overseas for much longer than most of us and repatriation was long overdue.

These reminicences do not seem to amount to much but I hope they are of some use.

Yours Sincerely

A L Grainger (ex sgt)

Many thanks to Les Grainger for the above letter.

This letter was recieved from Mr. Richard Williams aged 81 of Staffordshire

Dear Suzanne,

I have to say at the start that I did not know your Uncle Bill personally. I served with the Reconnaissance Corps. during the Chindit Campaign. Bill was in the 77th Brigade and I was in the 16th. At that time it all came under 70th division. The division had come from North Africa to India in 1942 and was the only British division in India at that time. Our division sign was a red star and people thought that we were something to do with Russia. Later we became the 3rd Indian division. During the 2nd Chindit operation 77 Brigade held the road block at Henu, Chaung. Chaung was a small river and the bridge over it had to be blown up. The 77th fought a very big battle to hold the block and the object was to stop the Japs from getting supplies to their front line in North Burma. Along with the South Staffs Regt. was the Lancashire Fusiliers and a Gurkha unit. They lost a lot of men and our regiment was sent to help them out. Awhile after this the South Staffs Reconnaissance Reg. joined forces. We lost our name because we were a special force and had only existed since 1940. We became the 1st South Staffs so I must have known your uncle at some time. Later on after we came out of Burma we were to do parachute training and became the 16th South Staffs Parachute Reg. at Rawalpindi. Sorry not to be of more help.

Signed Richard Williams.