What's New
Updated 18 February 2024
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Messages Home: Lost Films of the British Army
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The hour-long history documentary focuses on recently rediscovered World War II footage, which reveals British soldiers fighting in Burma recording filmed messages to their loved ones back home. 20th June 2016 |
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The author of this website, Steve Rothwell, contributed some of the research behind the soldiers' stories told in this programme. |
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For more information on the "Calling Blighty" films see the North West Film Archive project and search the database to see the original films made and sent home to loved ones. |
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NEW: Royal Marines in the Indian Ocean now has its own website. 17 October 2023 |
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Added: An operational and organisational history of the 1st Royal Marine Group, M.N.B.D.O. I 11 August 2022 |
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Added: 11th Battalion, R.M. 8 July 2022 Added: 24th Battalion, R.M. 9 July 2022 |
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Updates to many files. 2 July 2022 |
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Updates. 3 May 2022 |
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New page and updates to Royal Marines in the Indian Ocean. |
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Added: Workshop Company, R.M. Group, M.N.B.D.O. I. Updates to: Landing & Maintenance Unit; Nos.1 and 2 Landing Companies, R.M. 28 April 2022 |
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Updates to A.M.T.B., 'Chatham' and 'Portsmouth' Batteries, R.M. |
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Updates and corrections. 4 April 2022 |
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Military career, photo and memorabilia. 2 April 2022 |
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5th Field Battery, R.A., The Rangoon Field Brigade, Burma Auxiliary Force |
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A brief history with newsreel stills. 31 December 2021 |
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Additions to the section covering Royal Marines units which served in the Indian Ocean theatre; units added are: No.1 Landing Company, R.M.; No.2 Landing Company, R.M.; Transport Company, R.M.; Beach Park Company; Royal Marine Engineers. 14 June 2021 |
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A major new section covering Royal Marines units which served in the Indian Ocean theatre - a loose description being used to cover service in Ceylon, India and the Indian Ocean Island Bases. 3 February 2021 |
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Group photo of the officers of 'C' and 'D' Companies at Taunggyi post-war and before independence. 16 January 2021 |
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Group photo of the officers and men of this medical unit which served in Burma in 1942. 15 January 2021 |
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Sergeant Major William Cunningham, R.A., R.A.O.C. and R.E.M.E. |
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A techical artificer who served with the light anti-aircraft artillery in India. |
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The reminiscences of a tank driver, wounded at the Irrawaddy River, 3rd February 1945. |
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1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery Burma Auxiliary Force |
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Raised in Burma and manned by men of the Burma Auxiliary Force. 25 |
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A revised and expanded history of this unit which played an important role in India and Burma. 1 |
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The Arrival of the 13th Indian Infantry Brigade - March-April 1941 |
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Details of the movement from India to Burma and the ships involved. 14 February 2020 |
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The Arrival of the 16th Indian Infantry Brigade - November-December 1941 |
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Details of the movement from India to Burma and the ships involved. 14 February 2020 |
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The life and times of a Karen signalman. 12 December 2019 |
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Photo of a Japanese pillbox near the airfield at Tavoy. 16 November 2019 |
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Rare photo of a sub-unit of one of the mobile "F.F." columns of the Burma Frontier Force. 23 August 2019 |
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Taken from a postal cover posted before the war with Japan. 19 August 2019 |
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Rare photos of officers and men of teh three Chin Rfles battalions, taken post-independence. 14 August 2019 |
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A revised history of the battery which fought in Burma in 1942. 8 August 2019 |
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A short lived reorganisation of selected Indian anti-tank regiments produced a multi-purpose, multi-role unit. 23 July 2019 |
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Diary of Captain Geoffrey Collin, M.C., R.A. - 114th Field Regiment, R.A. |
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Throughout 1944, Captain Geoffrey Collin kept a diary of his experiences in Ceylon and India. He was a Forward Observation Officer during the battle of Imphal. 21 July 2019 |
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Men released from active service with the B.A.F. were "disembodied". This page presents an actual example of a disembodiment certificate . 30 June 2019 |
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Colour photographs taken in 1986, showing views from the hill, memorial plaques and surviving battle damage. Courtesy of the Simon Jervis Collection. 2nd December 2018 |
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Subadar and men of a machine gun section, 20th Burma Rifles - taken at Maymyo between 1922 and 1st April 1937 . 1st December 2018 |
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The four day struggle by British, Indian and Gurkha troops to take the famous landmark. 19th November 2018 |
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The Attack on Fort Dufferin by the 8th Battalion, 12th Frontier Force Regiment, 10th March 1945 |
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The attack was captured on film and in photographs and all are described. 17th June 2018 |
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"Attack on Winkadat" - 1st Battalion, The Burma Regiment - 19th-21st May 1945 |
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An appreciation and plans for an attack on an enemy held village, including transcriptions of the original documents. 16th April 2018 |
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The story of the Churchill tank in Burma and India, and of the conversion of the 254th Indian Tank Brigade to Churchills. 10th April 2018 |
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1st Garrison - 25th (Garrison) Battalion, The Burma Regiment |
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This unit served in Assam, with one company present at the siege of Kohima, before being disbanded in Burma in 1946. 30th March 2018 |
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2nd Garrison - 26th (Garrison) Battalion, The Burma Regiment |
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Formed from men of the Kokine Battalion, Burma Frontier Force, this unit served in Bengal before being disbanded in Burma in 1946. 11th March 2018 |
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Additional information from the personal papers of Lt. Colonel W.R. Andrews, a company commander at Tavoy in January 1942. 12th February 2018 |
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Photograph and biographies of six officers of the Army in Burma Reserve of Officers (A.B.R.O.) at Maymyo in March 1940. 5th February 2018 |
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Raised in 1945, the battalion remained loyal to the Government of Burma during the early civil wars of 1948-1950. 2nd February 2018 |
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The 1st Kachin Rifles fought Communist and Army mutineers during 1948. In February 1949, the battalion's Commanding Officer, Naw Seng, led the battalion over to the side of the Karen rebels. 11th January 2018 |
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A brief account of the Japanese conquest of the Shan States, from Toungoo to Myitkyina. 3rd January 2018 |