Passage to Burma 1944

Two months after the Normandy Landings of 6th June 1944 the six flotillas of B-class Fairmile MLs that had been Navigation Leaders to the beaches were withdrawn to the UK for much needed refits. This was to enable them to join the East Indies Fleet in what was expected to be a long campaign to clear the Japanese out of Burma, Malaya and the hundreds of islands in what was then the Dutch East Indies. Most of the boats had been off the beaches for more than a month, being fuelled and supplied whilst guarding the perimeter of the landing area against E-Boats and midget submarines. They were the escorts of each arriving supply ship, shrouding them in a smoke screen as protection against the German shore batteries.

Those MLs destined for the war in SE Asia had petrol tanks holding 2,000 gallons of volatile fuel built on deck, they also had their 3 pounder gun replaced by a 6 pounder. The first group off boats were mustered into the 13th and 14th Flotillas, with nine boats in each. Their last home in Britain was in Milford Haven where they were moored against a hulk that had been the first iron-clad battleship, HMS Warrior. The Warrior is now in Portsmouth after having a multi-million pound restoration to its original glory.

The crews of these MLs were increased from a total of 16 to 23 Officers and Men. There are still arguments about where and how we lived?

There are some doubts about the date of sailing, but in October the convoy of MLs plus a number of D-Class MTBs, destined for the Med, sailed out to sea, setting course for Gibraltar. These boats, with the additional petrol tanks on deck, were in no condition to engage in battle and a course was set keeping them well clear of the enemy occupied French coast

Most of the crew had experience of war in home waters and Atlantic convoys but only a few had landed at overseas ports. On 269 the C.O. was Lt Peter Royal who had seen action at the Lofoten Island Raid and had also taken part with distinction in the St Nazaire Raid. Now they were heading to Gibraltar, a voyage of over one thousand miles during which the MLs were tossed about like corks. Each morning our Destroyer guide got us into order and after a few days we enjoyed sailing down the Portuguese coast and then making our entry to Gibraltar.

Many of us had been schoolboys at the outbreak of War in 1939 and we had experienced nearly five years of rationing, blackouts, etc. Now we saw before us this bustling town, fully lit up, with shops displaying foodstuffs that we had only read about in wartime Britain. There was a reporter's comment that these sailors forsook the bars to line the road eating rarely seen fruit. One comment was — “take the bloody skin of first, it's a banana!”

0n the way to Gib, there had been a problem in that a number of base staff, engineers, etc., were carried on some of the boats. These were older men who were knocked about on these small boats during the storms and really suffered. Someone took pity on them and they were put on a troopship to travel to Bombay in comfort.

After a few days we were of into the Mediterranean with our first stop being at Algiers where we were berthed in the heart of this teeming City. Some of the men braved the notorious Casbah, an area that could only be policed in strength. One little mystery was solved here when a couple of sailors from one of the boats came cycling along the quay on a sturdy British Police bicycle. When in Milford Haven, the police had come to the boats, inspecting all hands and looking for someone who may have been in a fight They also searched for a stolen police cycle without success and now it was being paraded up and down the quay. Where could it have been hidden?

After Algiers our next stop was Bizerta and then on to Malta where we spent a few days, visiting the Gut in Valetta and generally admiring the courage of the population and the Garrison for withstanding the long siege and continual bombing for years. We had been aware of the siege on Malta but were surprised to hear of the successes of our submarines against Rommel’s supplies, unfortunately they sustained heavy losses in the shallow waters.

We then continued to cruise along the North African coast, making stops for the night at such as Benghazi and Tobruk where many of our slightly older family members had been fighting for a number of years. This cruise became a talking point among us, especially those who had spent time on MTBs in the Channel where we were off to the French coast two or three times a week. Now we were getting regular food and plenty of sleep, hadn’t seen tracer fire for weeks, as the Coxswain said, ‘Don’t get used to it - it won’t last in this Navy’. We did a number of exercises each day, such as having all the engine-room staff on the foredeck in sight of the Flotilla Leader whilst obeying orders to alter speed and even go astern. Then we practised a ‘man overboard manoeuvre’ where we finish up alongside the swimmer. In our case the volunteer was the CO!

Soon we reached Alexandria, tied up beside King Farouk’s yacht! This was a place where we went about the City in groups no fewer than six. We did find that the Copt community did give us a welcome. Stopped off in Port Said with the shopkeepers speaking to us in English but with our own accent, Cockney, Scottish, etc.

We enjoyed the trip through the Suez Canal although there was a bit of trouble about us overtaking large ships, especially those with many Service Girls giving us a wave. We didn't spend much time in Suez but pressed on to Port Sudan where we berthed close to an outdoor swimming pool. We made a point of only using this pool after spotting the sharks in the harbour that weren’t frightened off by the C.O. dropping a grenade among them. The next stop was at Massawa in the former Italian colony of Eritrea. Here there was little air and a soaring temperature and the local MO had us shipped up the mountain to Asmara.

Next stop was Aden that was no sort of paradise. My best memory of it was whilst doing the morning watch from 4am whilst anchored in the Bay. I managed to catch numerous fish, so much so that I woke the duty cook to join me so that there was a fish breakfast for everyone on board.

We then set of up the Arabian Coast, anchored in the bay at Mkulla, then managed to refuel with our high octane petrol off Oman and then on to Karachi.

Very quickly we were ordered to proceed to Bombay, then around to the port of Trombay to be turned very quickly into a fighting ship again. The petrol tanks were soon removed. Next came our weapons. We already had the six pounder, now had ready use boxes of shells. A rocket launcher was fitted on starboard side. On the rear of the Bridge twin .303 Vickers were fitted. Our funnels had been removed before Normandy with dumflow exhausts being fitted. Now in the available space we had a twin 20mm Oerlikon. 0n the after deck we had a 40mm Pom Porn. Other than the Fairmile D MTBs, we were now the mostly heavily armed Coastal Force vessels, now we knew why we had such a large crew.

Bombay had everything, cinemas to match Leicester Square, Services clubs and welcomes to various European clubs with sports facilities, swimming pools, etc. It also had a wonderful group of British women who did so much for us but topped it all off by supplying a kerosene operated refrigerator! Now when we managed to scrounge joints of meat from large ships, we could them safe. We powered down the Coast to the Portugal colony of Goa. We could only stay for a limited period as Portugal was a Neutral but we did see the 14th century church buildings. Moving further south we called into the charming port of Cochin, then it was over to Columbo. Here there was again some hospitality from the business families. When leaving we had some fun—we powered to the harbour entrance to find that the Boom Gate was kept closed to 8 am. We then circled the moored warships in the harbour, enjoyed hearing their Marine buglers playing Colours but then getting a blast from a Cruiser advising us that we were not flying our ensign! We sailed around to Trincomalee then up the coast of India to Madras. The next stop was Vizagpatam and we were now home as this was the main base for MLs involved in the War against the Japanese on the coast and chaungs of the Arakan in Burma

Within a day or so we were over in Burma ready to do our little part to help the magnificent 14th Army under Slim to give the Japanese Army its largest blow that resulted in the death of over 180,000 of their 350,000 men in this theatre.

There have been books and reports about our leading the recapture of Rangoon, the many skirmishes and two significant gun actions against Japanese boats in the Delta and on the Irrawaddy River. Also the unfortunate total loss of two MLs in the Sittang River by a bore. The Japanese Surrender brought this all to an end and most of the boats were turned over to the Burmese Navy. The older members of the crews were sent back to the UK whilst the youngsters were mustered into the Naval Brigade to fight the Indonesians in Java until mid-1946.

The Navy in Burma

We are all aware that, except for the Arakan Coast and Chaungs, the campaign in Burma was predominately an Army show with strong support from the Air Forces. A further exception was of course the Delta and Irrawaddy after the capture of Rangoon. Here sixteen gunboats of the Royal Navy plus a number from the Burma RNVR scoured the area wrecking havoc on the enemy who was in his headlong retreat from the 14th Army.

The Navy does every sort of job in such circumstances. Shelling strong points which may have been holding up the West Yorks. Dropping ambush parties of Gurkhas just ahead of unsuspecting Japs. Dodging mortar shells being fired from behind the river bank. Sending landing parties after Jap survivors, searching for downed British aircraft in company with men from the R.A.F. Regiment. However what every sailor really wants to do when in action is sink the enemy, this is what has been drummed into him ever since he drilled under the well displayed exhortations of Admiral Nelson in training establishments such as HMS Ganges, Collingwood, etc. Not many such opportunities came about during the campaign in Burma, The main reported ship to ship actions were the sinking of Jap boats at Kokkowa, two in the morning by Burma RNVR, including our member, ‘KT’ Lewin, and five after an early dinner by the Royal Navy boats, including of course the famous ML 269 of the 14th Flotilla which had powered its way out to Burma alter doing its bit in the English Channel and Normandy beaches.

There was another action a few days later on the Irrawaddy near Yandoon. Your Editor was involved in this on ML Gunboat 269 and for years he has been endeavouring to obtain corroboration before putting to print the story of this quite spectacular daylight action. Approaches have been made to many of the officers and crew of the flotillas, also to the Navy and the Imperial War Museum. All this brought very interesting and satisfying contacts with old shipmates and their widows from all around the world but none were able to throw much light on the action. However, in June of this year the matter was placed in the hands of Geoff Hudson, the Honorary Historian of the Coastal Forces Veterans Association. He passed the enquiry to his fellow researcher in Coastal Forces matters, Len Reynolds who was a junior officer and later C.O. of MGB 658 on which he was awarded a DSC for actions in the Adriatic. He has written a book, ‘Gunboat 658’, an excellent read. Len is involved in an enormous project recording the actions of every MTB and MGB, about a thousand, and has information from all sources.

Len Reynolds has now written stating that he has a 1952 Admiralty list of actions involving the craft of Coastal Forces and “the very last action recorded is yours! It reads: 20th May, 1945. East Indies Station. MLs 202, 599, 182 and 269. Irrawaddy River. ‛during search patrol, sank three Jap light craft lying up, killing over twenty Japanese’. Reference: M 07304.”

These few words are sufficient formal confirmation of possibly the last ‘ship to ship’ action of World War 2, and quite definitely the last involving the Light Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy, for your Editor to print his own recollections in Aussie Dekho in the article. ‘Gunboats on the Irrawaddv’

Gunboats on the Irrawaddy

The battle on the Irrawaddy near Yandoon started at noon on 20th May,1945 when ML 269 of the 14th Flotilla followed MLs 202, 599 and 182, all of the 13th Flotilla, into the wide Irrawaddy. Intelligence from the Burmese Defence Army, who on 27th March had swapped allegiance and were now on our side, pointed to a number of Jap armed craft having passed to the north the previous day. These craft, which were larger versions of our ‘Landing Craft (Assault)’, were armed with a high velocity 37mm gun. The Jap boats, which could carry fifty troops, were trying to help the evacuation of their army who at this time were being cut to ribbons by the 14th Army. On their way towards Prome they would have been carrying drums of fuel for the return trip, making them vulnerable to gunfire.

The MLs proceeded north close to the bank with a crowd of B.D.A. people running along, waving rifles and carrying a Peacock Flag. As soon as the B.D.A. stopped and took cover, the gunboats searched the bank for the Japs. Suddenly a shot rang out from the shore which was answered by a burst of tire from 269’s twin Oerlikon manned by AB ‘Tug’ Wilson of Kirkcaldy. This exposed three Jap boats which had been covered by branches as camouflage against aircraft.

ML 269 seemed to have had quite a blood thirsty crew. Everyone wanted their share of the action. The engineroom staff, Stokers Blamire and Norman, had purloined stripped Lewis guns from the Army in Rangoon which they had set up on sandbags near the engine room hatch. In action. PO/MM Earnshaw looked after the engines and allowed one or other of his stokers to man these guns. Up on the bridge the First Lieutenant, Jack Harley, had a Vickers .303 fixed on a mounting forward on the port side of the bridge for his personal use! Not satisfied with having the heaviest weapon available to MLs at that time, the 6 pdr, crew on the foredeck had a couple of .303 rifles which were used at every opportunity. Even the miserable Lanchesters were used whenever possible.

The fire from the Oerlikons was followed by salvo after salvo from the 6 pdr, by the distinctive crack of the 40mm Pom-Pom pouring its stream of shells into the targets. The response from the Japs was to open up but it was only their mortars which seemed effective. One shell hit ML 269 alongside the Oerlikon platform wounding AB Ronnie Clare, our radar operator who was ‘making himself useful with a Lanchester’. Another of the MLs was also hit by a mortar in the wardroom flat, so close to the storeroom that it would likely have resulted in a legitimate claim for lost rum!

The C.O., Lt Peter Royal,RNVR, a hero of the 1942 Raid on St Nazaire on ML 443, had no intention of sailing passed the targets following the other MLs. He kept 269 alongside the Japs by stopping engines and then going astern so that all guns kept a bearing on the enemy. The action finished with all of the Japanese craft bursting into flames, some of their crew were seen to scuttle along the bank, those who were not shot would have fallen into the hands of the B.D.A. 269 was sent back to Yandoon with the wounded whilst the other MLs continued the patrol as far as Prome. As she bumped over the bar to Yandoon and was entering the town two Hurricanes flew over. These aircraft had previously menaced patrolling MLs around the Delta, no doubt thinking that, as they were so far forward of the British positions, they must be Japs. This time however they had obviously been able to ascertain the true position. They seemed to do a series of victory rolls but unfortunately one of them crashed into Yandoon. A rescue operation was launched and the pilot brought aboard as quite badly hurt and was placed in the wheel-house along with our wounded Ronnie Clare. All night the crew stood watch over the pilot, a Fl Lt Mathews of the R.I.A.F., stopping him from pulling off the field dressings from his wounds. (In a cigarette case which the airman had was a newspaper cutting stating that on a training flight from Cochin in India he had to demand permission to land at once as he had a cobra in his cockpit!)

At first light 269 made it's way to Rangoon and turned the wounded over to the army casualty clearing station. Within a few days both men were well on the way to recovery.

Probably as 269 was the junior boat in the 14th Flotilla and was operating with boats from another flotilla, there was little recognition for her part in the battles at both Kokkawa and Yandoon. A Mention in Despatches was allocated to her and the C.O. and First Lieutenant generously had this awarded to Taff John from Perth Rhondda, a member of the 6 pdr. crew

Mention ln Dispatches

…I volunteered at age 17 late in 1943, did my initial training at Ganges and then being posted to Coastal Forces was trained on the Loch at Fort William. I was in fact on the D Boat 749 of the 64th Flotilla although saw much more action on the Leader‘s boat, 738. I enjoyed every moment on these MTBs sewing with crews, like your father, who had seen much action over a number of years. We had numerous operations including laying mines in the lanes from Cherbourg to what became the Normandy beaches, harassing the enemy around the Channel Islands, Brittany coast on the Channel and around to the Biscay Bay. (One trip Into the Bay lasted for three nights with us laying off during the day, under the care of a frigate with a fuel barge and tug — the main purpose of the operation was brought to an abrupt end when an RAF Catalina lit us up with his anti sub searchlight whilst we were crawling up the river to attack a U-boat base) My position on board was No.2 on the starboard power operated twin point five. Unfortunately, 749 came to an ignoble end being caught under a jetty by a rising tide in Devonport.

…the Navy was having a big shakeout. They had been expecting very heavy casualties at Normandy and when happily this didn't transpire they turned their minds to the Japanese war. Almost all of the MLs that had been Navigation Leaders at the Beaches were destined to go out East. Many of the D class MTBs were sent to the Mediterranean for action in the Adriatic. Hundreds of men who had been conscripted into the Navy were transferred to the Army, I remember meeting some of them in Burma, not very happy. I was then I drafted to 269 in Milford Haven to join the 14th Flotilla. In Milford Haven we were tied up against the hulk of HMS Warrior, now restored as good as new and on display in Portsmouth. All of the 13th and 14th Flotilla boats were assembled here and of course this would have included 246... These boats known as Motor Launches had a crew of about 15 in home waters but this was increased to 23 for Burma Service to cope with the increased armament. Probably the most memorable part of this voyage was fighting enormous waves in the Atlantic on the way to Gibraltar. Each morning an accompanying warship would get us together and see that we were heading on the correct course! For most of us, Gibraltar was the first port outside of the UK that we had visited as entry into the French ports was a dash looking for enemy ships and out as fast as possible. In Gib there was no blackout, a main street lined with Bars. For us younger fellows we were more interested in the abundance of fruit, chocolate, and food not seen in Britain since 1939!

After Gibraltar we had a very pleasant cruise to Egypt, calling at Algiers, Malta, Tobruk and then Alexandria. Through the Suez Canal and Red Sea with stops at Port Sudan and Massawa before reaching Aden. Across the Arabian Sea to India where we got to Bombay. To do these long trips we had large petrol tanks built on deck and now in Bombay they were removed. The boats were all rearmed with heavier and more guns than in the UK and were up-graded to ML Gunboats. We then sailed down the Indian Coast, stopping at neutral Goa and then Cochin before a short stop in Ceylon before moving North to Vizagipatam, the base for the Indian Navy MLs. Across the Bay of Bengal and at last in Burma. This was the Arakan coast where the army and the naval MLs had been fighting since early 1942. On 1st May we sped down the coast to catch up with the invasion fleet to retake Rangoon. Very early on a large Landing Ship had hit a mine in the Rangoon River and the Fleet had to lay off until the area was swept.

Our wooden boats powered up to Rangoon, expecting enemy fire but the Japanese had retreated towards the East. Rangoon is a large beautiful city, with a couple of gold topped Pagodas. The city was nearly empty but still crowds came down to welcome us. That evening Japanese stragglers climbed the dockside cranes to open fire on us but they were soon silenced. The boats in the Flotilla were scattered around the Delta, a web of rivers flowing from the Irrawaddy, looking for Japs. The date was 2nd May and on 9th May four of our boats left to go out to sea and attempt to enter the Sittang River over which the Japanese were retreating on the way to Siam, now Thailand. These boats were MLs 905, 591, 247, and 205. Unfortunately through a lack of local knowledge 905 and 591 were struck by a massive wave or bore and were a complete loss. 905 was the Leaders boat and when he got back to Rangoon he was quickly sent off.

Now I don't have much idea of what happened to 246 and the others but 269 was sent on patrols all around the Delta area on its own. The 13th flotilla was intact and on two occasions 269 joined with them in ambushes ofJapanese boats. The first action was on 16th May at a village named Kokkowa. Here five Japanese boats were sunk, our losses were one man, Blll McNemany, and two wounded whilst it is estimated that the Japanese lost approx. 50 men. 269 received a direct hit that left a fist sized hole in the gunshield of our 6 pounder gun but fortunately we had no casualties. In this vicinity on 15th May, Burma Navy MLs attacked and sank three similar Japanese boats. The only other ship to ship action recorded was on 20th May when 269 along with MLs 202, 599, and 182 of the 13th flotilla sank three enemy boats on the Irrawaddy River near to Yandoon (now known as Nyaungdon) This action was in broad daylight and the enemy responded by firing Mortars at us. 269 was hit over the engine room by one shell that wounded Ronnie Clare. The three 13th Flotilla boats went on up the river to Prome whilst we returned to Rangoon to get help for Clare. Just as well as three RAF hurricanes came on the scene, did a victory roll and one crashed into the town. The Pilot was taken on board and we took of for Rangoon to get them to a Casualty Clearing Station (We visited them later and both were doing fine) I didn't know that some of our flotilla got up ton Prome but today a friend who lives nearby and whose boat went firstly to Bassein confirmed that they also went to Prome. There is a reasonable road from Prome heading East through the Bago Yomas as far as Toungoo.

Re the Army getting to Rangoon soon after our landing: The main aim of the Japs was to go East across the Pegu Yomas to Thailand, but other groups had been bypassed and were heading down the Irrawaddy, The boats we had sunk were aiming to give these units some help. It is thought that many Japs were killed when they went south and took country boats out to sea.

MLs were built in small yards from kits sent out in lorries to boat builders around the country. These builders had to be ones who could not build anti-submarine ships such as corvettes that because of the U-Boat threat where the Admiralty main requirement. The crews were just enough to run the engines and man the guns. We carried no cooks or stewards or sick bay staff. The Officers were all RNVR who learned their trade from experience. You can imagine we lived pretty rough. On 269 we each did a week of being cook for which we were paid an extra seven shillings!

Early Training

…I volunteered for the Royal Navy at age 17 late in 1943 and did my initial training at HMS Ganges, a long stablished training establishment near to Ipswich in Suffolk. Ganges was famous for having a 143 foot sailing ship mast at the corner of a large parade ground. There were some hundreds of recruits doing the ten week training course which started with intensive drilling on the parade ground every morning with seamanship and gunnery classes in the afternoons In the evenings there was sailing and rowing on the harbour in sight of the Harwich flotillas of destroyers. The training staff at Ganges included long retired men called back into the Service, others being given a break from hard wartime service. They only had a few weeks to get us into shape and ready to join the crews of ships and boats.

There were certain goals that had to be reached such as climbing up to the top of the Mast. It seems that any who didn't do this were marked down as 'timid'. To shame these poor fellows a team of Wrens were brought out to race to the top! Another task for some was to swim lengths of the swimming pool and then float for a period dressed in a heavy suit.

The daily drilling soon got us looking quite smart although the instructors had some hard cases to train such as men who really didn't know right from left, one who had his arms moving in line with his legs, hard to describe but much fun for all except the poor fellow and the exasperated instructor. One notable occasion was when the instructor was getting us into line he spotted an 18 year old recruit wearing a medal ribbon. After a tirade of accusing him of wearing his grandad's medal and reference to fighting the ‘fuzzy wuzzys’, the instructor was brought down to earth with a bang when the answer was “No Sir, I was in the Coventry Fire Brigade, this is the George Medal”

Ganges had a reputation of being a hard ship but I found it to be quite enjoyable. I managed to win a gold-wired cap tally for being among the first half dozen to finish a 10 mile cross country run. Being so close to the Harwich destroyers we had frequent air raids, when these were during the night we were required grab a blanket and rush out across the playing fields to the shelters. Here we were required to suit on a narrow bench trying to keep our feet out of damp flooring. I soon found that I could wrap myself in my blanket and roll out on to the polished floor of our mess, slip under my bed that had a mattress hiding me from sight and spend the rest of the night in a decent sleep. On air raid nights we were allowed to sleep on to 7am instead of 6 am. To be up the Mast during a hit and ruin raid was a special treat.

After nine weeks, provided we had passed the examinations, we spent most of the last week in the area guard. This meant patrolling the perimeter, manning the roof top ack ack machine guns, etc. I was given the job of manning a twin Vickers machine gun about a mile from our buildings. The strict instructions were that we must not fire on aircraft that were more likely to be RAF fighters but only fire on flares in an attempt to break them up. Never had any need to follow these instructions. Within a few yards of this gun was an Army anti-aircraft battery mainly manned by ATS girls. If we were lucky we would be on duty when they were doing PT with their blouse being tucked into their bloomers!

I can remember well that I left Ganges for the RN Barracks at Chatham, feeling that my 5ft 7ins height had risen to 6 feet! I was very fit and raring to go. I had turned down the chance to enter the Submarine Service when I found that I would have had to go on a 14 month course. Over the next few months I found that this was a wise decision.

Chatham Barracks was like a small town. I was surprised to find that Patrols would demand to see identification. It seems that some men when listed to join a ship that they didn’t like or thought it meant a Russian Convoy, just didn't turn up and lived of their wits in the barracks. There were stories of wholesale thieving. When I was pestering the Drafting Office for a ship I was lucky to meet an old CPO who had been a Ganges boy who advised me to volunteer for Coastal Forces which was the name covering the fleet of MTBs and gunboats. This I did and soon I was on my way to Fort William to be trained on Loch Linnie for MTB service.

After a long train journey we arrived at Fort William and were then trucked up to the Highland Hotel. When mustered on the courtyard this was the first time that some of the men learned they were destined for MTBs. There was a mini revolt from some of the older men who had suffered

nearly four years of war, one stating that he had had to swim for it on two occasions. The training here was on an ML on the Loch where we learned to use light guns, .303 Vickers, 20 and 40 mm guns and 3 pounder cannons. Each Tuesday and Thursday a batch of us would be sent off to the South Coast to man the hundreds of boats from nearly every port between Yarmouth to Plymouth. When my turn came we set of having a stop for an hour or so in Edinburgh‘s Waverley Station where I met my Father. I remember getting back on the train with some old hands promising him that they would look after mel

My arrival at HMS Hornet, the main base for all of Coastal Forces, was an eye opener. There were dozens of MTBs moored together in trots. In the canteen an Auction was taking place of a dead man’s effects, the money to go to his family. My first night was spent on a playing field covered with all types of ammunition to be supplied to boats to top up their needs after a night on the French coast. I was soon drafted to my first boat, MTB 749 of the 64th Flotilla. l was told to take a train to Portland to join her after she returned from a minelaying trip to Cherbourg.

Reminisence

It is now 65 years since the memorable 2nd May. 1945 when the Gunboat on which I sewed, MLGB 269, powered up the Rangoon River The previous day we had left Kyauk Pyu on Ramree island to speed down the coast to gather with the Invasion Fleet that was soon busy launching assault craft laden with troops to be landed on both banks of the river. We were fast little wooden Motor Launches that only eleven months previously had led the Armada of hundreds of ships to the D-Day landings in Normandy. Now we were to make our mark in the Burma Campaign.

We knew that the 14th Army had delivered heavy blows to the Japanese since destroying the push into India and then pouring across the Chindwig to capture Mandalay, Meiktila, Toungoo but we were surprised to have such an easy run passing gun emplacements that were not manned It was only later that we became aware that in their haste to cross the Yomas into the safety of Thailand a decision had been made to give up the defence of Rangoon.

We were carrying some high-ranking Army officers and the reason for their presence became apparent when we met a launch on which was a very smartly dressed Indian officer. He came aboard, making an offer to surrender the troops of the Indian National Army who had been left behind in Rangoon. He was soon given his instructions to have his men lay down their arms and await our arrival.

Soon we got a glimpse of the Shwedagon and then we were alongside the wharf expecting enemy fire but instead we were welcomed by throngs of Rangoon inhabitants who confirmed the news of the Japanese departure. We immediately sent out patrols along the Strand and up to the Sule Pagoda but instead of enemy we found the streets littered with occupation currency that had been looted from the banks. There were some dead in the streets who we were advised were part of looting mobs. It was strange to walk the streets in this large city and see only a handful of inhabitants. We were warned by some locals of Japanese stragglers but it was left to the troops to deal with them. That evening Japanese snipers were able to climb up the harbourside cranes and fire down on us but they were soon subdued. At night we received firing from across the river in the Dala area.

Within a few days our boats had spread out among the Delta towns where we received a friendly welcome from the people. There were eight gunboats in our flotilla and four of them left Rangoon on 9th May with the intention of getting into the Sittang River to help the Army units who were trying to stop the Japanese flight to the East. These boats had Burmese on board but none seemed to have experience of the Sittang. This resulted in them being swamped by the incoming tide and two boats, including that of the Flotilla Leader. were destroyed. We didn't know it at the time but thankfully all the crews got safely back to Rangoon.

At about the 12th May, the Burma RNVR Flotilla of gunboats arrived from Akyab. These boats had helped to keep command of the coastal waters in our hands since 1942. Now they got their first chance to strike at Japanese craft on the Bawle river when they ambushed and sank three Japanese Naval Landing Craft without loss to themselves. On the 16th/17th my boat had two actions close to Kokkowa Village in which three Japanese boats were sunk and although we were hit by high velocity 37mm shells we sustained no casualties on 269 although one of our men was killed and two wounded on another boat that was involved in this action. When we had wounded, including villagers, we tried to get back to Rangoon as soon as possible and get them treatment from the Army casualty clearing stations. For a time we were also able to get wounded fellows aboard a Hospital Ship that was sent to take care of our released prisoners of war.We had a further action on the Irrawaddy just north of Yandoon in Wyn we destroyed four Japanese boats but sustained damage to our boat from mortar fire and had one of our crew seriously wounded. At this stage our patrols around the Delta were made to help the local people and at one stage we set off for Dedaye and Pyapon loaded with bundles of clothing and boxes of food that were given to headmen for distribution. Each time we returned to Rangoon we found more and more ships moored in the river and an increase in activity in the city.

At this stage there was little prospect of further action for our boats and we were concentrating on preparations for the next phase of the war against Japan and the recapture of Malaya. This of course was cancelled following the dropping of the Atom bomb on Japan leading to the Surrender on 15th August. There was much joy among the population at news of the surrender, this was particularly obvious from the Chinese.

Soon we started to lose the older members of our crew who had been in the War from 1939. At the time I was aged 19 and had been in the Navy for only two years. We had been keyed up looking forward to their expected invasion of Malaya. Although the War ended in August it wasn't until October that we turned our boats over to the Burma Navy. I had made friends with a number of people in Rangoon, especially Tom Joyce, a namesake who was a Rubber Planter near to Twante. At the time his daughter, Heather, was aged 11 and nine years later we were married in England. it was with some sadness that i left Burma in December,1945 to take part in a nasty little War in Java. I was able to return with Heather in 2004 and have had two further visits since. Hopefully I will return again at the end of this year.

ML 252

In this year of the 65th anniversary of V J Day, I recall that day in May1945 when the Gunboat on which I served, MLGB 269, powered up the Rangoon River leaving the Warships and Troopships out at sea waiting until the mines, that had already claimed a Landing Ship (Hospital), were cleared. The previous day we had left Kyauk Pyu on Ramree island to speed down the coast to gather with the Invasion Fleet that was soon busy launching assault craft laden with troops to be landed on both banks of the river. We were fast little wooden Motor Launches that only eleven months previously had led the Armada of hundreds of ships to the D‘Day landings in Normandy. These tiny little boats had sailed from Milford Haven down the Atlantic to Gibraltar and then through the Mediterranean, Red Sea and across to Bombay and on to the Arakan. Now we were to make our mark in the Burma Campaign. We knew that the 14th Army had delivered heavy blows to the Japanese since destroying their push into India and then pouring across the Chindwin to capture Mandalay, Meiktila, Toungoo,etc., but we were surprised to have such an easy run passing unmanned gun emplacements on the river bank. It was only later that we became aware that in their haste to cross the Yomas into the safety of Thailand a decision had been made by the Japanese to give up the defence of Rangoon. We were carrying some Army officers and the reason for their presence became apparent when we met a launch on which was a very smartly dressed Indian officer. He came aboard making an offer to surrender the troops of the Indian National Army who had been left behind in Rangoon. He was soon given his instructions to have his men lay down their arms and await our arrival. Soon we got a glimpse of the Shwedagon Pagoda and then we were alongside the wharf expecting enemy fire but instead we were welcomed by throngs of Burmese who confirmed the news of the Japanese departure. We immediately sent out patrols along the Strand and up to the Sule Pagoda but instead of enemy we found the streets littered with occupation currency that had been looted from the banks. There were some dead in the streets who we were advised were part of looting mobs. It was strange to walk the streets in this large city and see only a handful of inhabitants

We were warned by some locals of Japanese stragglers but it was left to the troops to deal with them. We were pleased to give help to our POWs who had been left behind in Rangoon Jail when the Japs had taken the bulk of the prisoners away on the road towards Pegu. At evening Japanese snipers were able to chm p the harbour cranes and fire down on us but they were soon subdued. At night we received firing from across the river in the Dala area,

Within a few days our boats had spread out among the Delta towns where we received a friendly welcome from the people. There were eight gunboats in our flotilla and four of them left Rangoon on 9th May with the intention of getting into the Sittang River to help the Army units who were trying to stop the Japanese flight to the East. These boats had Burmese pilots on board but none seemed to have experience of the Sit~ tang. This resulted in the boats being swamped by an incoming 12 foot high tidal wave and two boats, including that of the Flotilla Leader, were completely destroyed. On the 16th/17th May our boats had two actions close to Kokkowa Village in which three Japanese boats were sunk and although we were hit by a high velocity 37cm

shells right through the six pounder gunshield, we sustained no casualties on 269. However, one of our men was killed and two wounded on another boat that was involved in this action. When we had wounded, including villagers, we tried to get them back to Rangoon as soon as possible and get treatment from the Army casualty clearing stations. For a time we were also able to get wounded fellows aboard a Hospital Ship that was sent to take care of our released Prisoners of War. We had a further action on the Irrawaddy Just north of Yandoon in which we destroyed four Japanese boats but sustained damage from mortar fire and had one of our crew seriously wounded. At this stage our patrols all around the Delta were made to ensure that there would be no ‘Dunkirk' for the retreating Japanese. It was then left to us to help the local people and at one stage we set off for Dedaye and Pyapon loaded with bundles of clothing and boxes of food that were given to Headmen for distribution

After a couple of months, there now seemed little prospect of further action for our boats and we were concentrating on preparations for the next phase of the war against Japan and the recapture of Malaya. This of course was cancelled following the dropping of the Atom bomb on Japan leading to the Surrender on 15th August. There was much joy among the population of Rangoon at news of the surrender, this was particularly obvious from the Chinese in Rangoon Soon we started to lose the older members of our crew who had been in the War from 1939. At the time I was aged 19 and had been in the Navy for only two years. Our young men, who had experienced action in the English Channel, had been looking forward to the expected invasion of Malaya and Operatic Zipper. Although the War ended in August it wasn't until October that we turned our boats over to the Burma Navy…

Ken Joyce