Sgt. Donald Mellican 17th Div. "Black Cats" 1/7 Gurkhas 1945
I RETURN WITH GENERAL SLIM'S INDIAN 14th ARMY *
Donald C. Mellican
United Kingdom
*From: Reminisces of World War II. Copyright 2008 by Donald C. Mellican. All Rights Reserved
Permission to publish by WorldWar2BurmaDiaries.com
WITHDRAWAL TO IMPHAL ACCORDING TO PLAN
By a process of laying ambushes and being ambushed in turn Major General “Punch” Cowan brilliantlyout-thought and out-fought the tried and tested Japanese forces who had advanced into the Chin Hills with a plan for the annihilation of their old enemy, the 17th Division, which had stoutly but unsuccessfully attempted to obstruct their advance in late 1941.The 17th Div. set out from Tiddim on 13th March with all troops, 2000 motor vehicles and 4000 animals with a distance of approximately 140 miles to cover to Imphal over a precipitous and winding road and harassed by flank attacks througout. It was definitely good leadership and magnificient fighting spirit of the troops that made this withdrawal a success. However, this withdrawal, unlike others, was planned by General William Slim (later: Field Marshal Viscount Slim) who now commanded the 14rh Army and it was his intention to draw the enemy out to a pre-selected area and stand fast, denying the Jap food and sretching his lines of communication and disrupting supplies of any nature. I believe the withdraw from Tiddim date was actually 14th March but presumably Div. Intelligence was aware that there was a massing of enemy troops in the fore, and the General brought the dayof withdrawal forward.
Decades ago it would have been a case of thousands of troops facing one another, more often than not in close and bloody combat till one side or the other blinked, but WW2 that we were presently engaged in was deadly, vicious , cunning and sly where no quarter was asked or given and every avenue sought not to be captured to a foe who was not a partner to the Geneva Convention...
We eventually arrived in Imphalafter weeks ofleapfrogging sandwich movements, our ambush, then enemy ambush, then ours etc. untilImphal was reached on April 4th and a welcome breather, but not for long, before we were defending and patrolling the forward grounds and hills to a persistent enemy whose advance into India was now prevented by stubborn and robust denial at Kohima 90 miles further north and now Imphal. This battle for Imphal was only part of the Japanese attempt to destroy our forces and invade India. Our old enemy of 1942, the Japanese 33rd Div., had met more than their match.
In Imphal the Division remained surrounded and source of entry was from the air, activities on the ground confined to consolidating, probing continually with patrols to keep the Jap occupied and all the time with an eye skyward awaiting the arrival of the monsoon to add to the Japs discomfort. This situation continued for the next few months, and we impatiently awaited the break-out, but in this period, unknown to the Japs, the Commander had sneaked in an extra Division into the Box. General Slim had lured the enemy onto ground of his choosing, and did not just want to win the battle but to destroy his old foe totally.
By late June the enemy lines of communication was so stretched that they were unable to replace stores, equipment and reinforcements. The time to breakout had arrived for by this time the road to Kohima was open releasing 5th Div for action on the Tiddim Road in co-operation with 17th Div. When the order came to “Charge!”, the Japs who were already weakened, could not run fast enough south and east.
MY RESPITE AND GLORIOUS WEDDING
Just before this action I availed myself of some owed leave and set out for Jutogh at the foot of the Himalayas – a short train journey on the narrow gauge to Simla -where a child playmate of mine Dorothy Milner and her family resided. The previous year with marriage on my mind I went to Shillong but Major Milner had a fatal stroke on the second night of my arriving and so marriage was not mentioned, but on this second attempt in May 1945 Dorothy (Dolly) and I were married on the 23rd of May and 3 weeks later I returned with her folk to Shillongwhere I left them.
I RETURN TO 19 "DAGGER" DIVISION / 1/6 GURKHAS/ 2nd WORCESTERS
I returned from my very rested and happy leave and reported back to the forward areas in the Chin Hills, and then was jeeped for attachment to the 19th “Dagger” Div . commanded by Gen. Peter Rees, who were already pushing for Mandalay – Rangoon. I stayed with this Div attached to the 1/6 Gurkhas and 2nd Worcesters up to Mandalay,enjoying a spell with them up to the capture of Mandalay.
AIR STRIKE BREACHES FORT DUFFERIN'S WALL. MANDALAY FALLS We met some stubborn reistance from the retreating Japanese, road-blocks, booby traps hastily being prepared, and snipers who were pretty good from Imphal to Mandalay but at the Fort Dufferingates we were stalled as our artillery could not breach the walls so an air-strike was called for which duly took place but they bombed us first before the Fort fell! Before our own planes bombed us I had been talking to a man ( Hughes by name; I did not know his rank because we were dressed in our military shorts, minus tunics) from a neighbouring mortar gun who showed me a photograph of a beautiful girl he was going home to marry in a few months time. He died in the raid. What stood out in my mind at this time was the number of locals who crossed our line of fire carrying various objects, e.g zinc metal sheets for roofing, planks etc unconcerned about the explosions going on around them.
When the gates were opened it was by civilianinternees, my cousin Kenneth Quinn of Rangoon ,now living in Canada, a son of my father's niece Mrs. Mathilda Quinn, (nee Mellican),who was featured in a war movie report of that action, but who I did not recognize as he was dressed in Burmese clothes, being one of them.
Please see picture at the bottom(courtesy of Kenneth Quinn to Joseph Valu)taken during that action. Kenneth, a young lad then, is on the left with presently unidentified internees and soldier in the background.)
RETURNED TO 17 DIVISION "BLACK CATS" / 1/7 GURKHAS Finally somewhere around Meiktila I rejoined the 17th Div (Black Cats) /1/7th Gurkhas joining them south of Meiktila with the Japanese in full flight dispirited and disorganized,for the final push to Rangoon.
Though not privy to the secret planning of the top brass the vibes were strong that the enemy was weakened sufficiently for the push to Rangoon. Plans were also worked out that if he tried to break-out south and east he would be dealt with from air and land.
On 28th Sepember, 1945 I emplanedfor Moulmein – and home. which was just foundations and 3 steps leading up to them – apparently bombed bythe R.A.F. becausethe house had been occupied by Japanese Intelligence. I sat on the steps a very depressed figure smoking a fag, alone with my thoughts,when an old Muslim joined me. When I told him I used to live there he told me how sorry he was, and when he had finished his cigarette, he squeezed my shoulder and walked away and I never saw him again – a good soul he was.
As I sat there I could hear my family's voices as clear as if I had never been away.
KAWKEREIK PASS: THE JAPS SURRENDER TO US , THE 1/7 GURKHAS "BLACK CATS" A small fright when the Dakota landed on Taungwaing as the plane slowed down to almost a stop there was a lurchbecause one of the wheels had gone into a rut. A few weeks in Moulmein and I was sent on to Kawkereik Pass from whence the Japs had launched their attack. “It would be nice to show to the locals that the 1/7 Gurkhas had returned with Lt.Lunt, Jemadar,myself and a platoon to acceptthe surrender and disarm the Japanese in the town to the delight of the locals of Kawkereik and the neighbouring villages.
A few pleasantmonths later Iwas recalled to Moulmein – Rangoon – Maymyo for discharge and release leave up to March 9, 1948.
Editor's Note:
The most telling sentence in this story of a brave young soldier's loss of his entire family at the beginning of War, and his return years later to his bombed out home in Moulmein as a toughened, but depressed, infantryman, is:
As I sat there I could hear my family's voices as clear as if I had never been away.
