Chindits

[daisynook]

My father-in-law Robert Harry Lock was a Chindit who walked into Burma from India, I think with the first wave.  Mother-in-law who is now 89 cannot remember details but he was in the Royal Engineers,  she believes blowing bridges up etc.  He had malaria and thinks that he was air lifted out before the end of the campaign.
He lived in Manchester when he lied about his age to join the army at the start of the war and went on to Dunkirk. Died in 1992.
Can anyone suggest where I can find any more details on his war record, I have had no successes with my searches.

[t mo]

hi daisynook
are you aware ma in law can get his service record for nothing all she / you need is his death cert if you go to this site www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html from there you can download the forms and send off for the record .
they were a brave bunch of lads the chindits , please give ma in law my very best wishe and i hope she has many more years ahead of her if she has any photos of robert in the forces why not post them up it,s always nice to see the old boys in uniform .
very best wishes

trevor

[Viktoria]

They were very brave men, got behind the Japanese lines and sabotaged whatever they could, like a guerrilla force.
Ord Wingate was the Commander.
Had they been captured by the Japanese it it unbearable to think what would have  happened to them.
It would be lovely to see a photo of a Chindit. Your Mother -in-law must be very proud of him.
                                             
                                                                    Viktoria.

[Pete Keane]

Sadly. many were.

You are lucky that one of the contributors here is very knowlegeable on the first Chindit op., sure he'll be along shortly.

Your mother-in-law can get his service history free of charge, but apply asap as it is now up to a year wait!

Royal Engineer blowing up bridges, sounds a bit like 142 Commando Company, who formed part of the columns and was made up of such brave lads.

Regards

Pete

[bamboo43]

Hi daisynook,

As some of the other posters have said the best thing you can do is apply for his Service records. I have been researching the First Chindits of 1943 for about 4 years now, it would be great to think Robert was one of these men.

The 1943 Chindits were really used to test the Wingate theories of Long Range penetration and air supply. None of the first wave were ever flown out when wounded or sick with malaria and so on. 17 men were lucky to have been picked up when one plane did manage to make a landing on a jungle clearing, but I have the list of those men and Robert was not one of these.

However, 16th Brigade did walk in to Burma in 1944 and many of these men were flown out when they became ill or had been wounded, so my gut instinct would head in this direction. His service records would tell you his regiment and other associated units and then we can really narrow things down.

If you would like an overall good read on the Chindits and their exploits then I would recommend the book 'March or Die' by Phil Chinnery.

Let us know how you get on with the records or if you find some other information on his regiment etc.

Good luck.

Steve.

[daisynook]

Thanks very much to all of you who replied, I am very grateful to you all.  I will download forms and get mother-in-law to sign them and go from there, I already have his death certificate.

I will let you know if I have any luck.

[t mo]

hi d n
yes please do let us know what,s on the record and even a scan of them if you and ma in law would like to do it , those men along with the long range desert group were very brave men taking the fight behind the lines to the enemy .
very best wishes
trevor

[daisynook]

A snippet of information I have come across was a note from his brother with an address of - 249 Party Accom, TB RC, Chatham, Kent around 1937 when he first joined the Army as a Sapper, he was about 16, lied about his age.

[Pete Keane]

That would be for his initial training, which was carries out at the RE depot at Chatham.

At a guess the number was the reference for his intake.

You could contact the RE museum and see if they can offer any further info.

Regards

Pete