Chapter One

I was born on the 29th September 1918 in the town of Shildon in County Durham. Tom Raine was also born there and we were great friends. We went to school together and spent our free time together also. Our fathers both worked for the railway and were both transferred to York when we were seventeen years old. We were able to remain friends after the move.

Tom and I met in the fairground and sat on one of the rides waiting for 2 o'clock to register for the Militia at the Employment Office. We were to serve in the forces for six months followed by three and a half years in the Reserves. Pay would be one shilling per day, out of which we would have to purchase certain items of cleaning materials such as shoe polish, brasso etc. This amount was raised to one shilling and sixpence per day after the intervention of the mothers whose sons were being called up. As it happened the war commenced a couple of weeks before the call-up on 15th September and we were paid two shillings per day.

Both of us started our training at the Fulford Barracks in York and after about ten weeks were on draft to India to join the West Yorkshire Regiment. After two years we were on our way to Burma to re-enforce the regiments already there. We were out-numbered and over-run and in a matter of weeks were in retreat and eventually captured by the Japs. Having been informed that Rangoon would be held at all costs we were making our way there when we were told that the Japs had landed in Rangoon and taken over the city. We then decided to make our way north to get out of Burma.

When we received the order to march to Rangoon, one of our sergeants was detailed off to blow the bridge over the Salween River, the route that the Japs had to take to get into Burma. The sergeant looking across the bridge saw his brother at the other side but he still had to blow the bridge which meant leaving his brother to the mercy of the Japs who were just behind.

Unfortunately, we had been deserted by our officer, leaving us without maps and cash to aid our escape. We ended up at a river with a lot of us unable to swim, and then surrounded by Japs and captured. The officer who deserted us was court-martialled after he had used the company cash to hire a boat to get to India.

Normally the troops complained about the emergency ration of corned beef. We, however, got emergency rations of pilchards but the oil in which they were contained almost boiled in the heat of the sun. They were not at all palatable.