Burma Star Association - B.C. Chapter
This year honours the Veterans of the First World War, the Second World War and the Korean War. This year also marks the anniversary of the 60th year since hostilities ceased on August 15th 1945. Many of us are in our late seventies and early eighties. Not many of you can remember events from that time but there are many of us who can recall quite vividly the time we spent in the defence of our country, foregoing for the most part the latter years of our youth.
I have been asked to talk to you on a subject very dear to my heart – The Burma Star and its significance. Many of you might wonder what it is all about. You are not alone, as I have been asked that several times and I mean to bring you an insight of the War and its consequences in South East Asia during the latter period of the war.
Most of you no doubt have heard of the war in Europe and what sacrifices it took to put an end to the war against the Germans, who were assisted by the Italians, until they surrendered with the fall of Italy where our Canadian troops fought valiantly and bravely. The Victoria Cross was awarded to Smokey Smith of Vancouver, the last surviving member with that gallant medal. Japan had its own agenda of an empire in the Far East and to that end they began with the occupation of Burma. The war in the Far East began just prior to, December 1941 just prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbour which drew the Americans into the war. The first air attacks on Rangoon took many by surprise as it was the beginning of the conquest by the Japanese to take control of the whole of the Malayan Peninsular. Eventually, Burma, Siam, French Indo China, Malaya, Singapore, The Dutch East Indies and all the islands in the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii including the Philippines became part of the Japanese Empire. Some of these countries having gained independence have changed their names.
With the war in Europe at its height in 1944 very little attention was paid to South East Asia and this gave the Japanese unlimited control of both the Indian and Pacific oceans. Singapore fell on the fifteenth of February 1942 and with its capture nearly fifty thousand Allied and Commonwealth troops were taken prisoner. Churchill had surmised that Singapore with its fortress and large naval base could never be captured. He was wrong, as the island was captured not from the sea but from inland across the Johore Causeway linking mainland Malaya with Singapore. There were repercussions after the war and many high ranking members of the armed forces retired in disgrace. In August 1943 when Churchill realized the gravity of the war he appointed Lord Louis Mountbatten as Supreme Allied Commander of S.E.A.C. with HQ in Ceylon to coordinate the attack against the Japanese. Australia was in the throes of being invaded after the fall of New Guinea, and since Churchill denied them any help for their defence, the Australians withdrew all their troops from the Middle East and Europe to defend the north shore of their homeland. This action infuriated Churchill as fewer troops and less war materials were available for the war in the Far East as a consequence.
The rumbling threat to peaceful existence in Burma was readily apparent in the country very much prior to the fall of Rangoon on March 8, 1942. To give you an idea of the Burmese terrain which very much hindered the Allied ground troops attack. Burma is a country of numerous types of terrain: arid plains; lush vegetation; swamp, dense jungle, bamboo forests, mountainous regions and great rivers. There are large cities, smaller towns and many villages. The weather was another factor in the fighting. One had to consider the monsoon rains which added to the difficulty in fighting. The unbearable heat and torrential rains made it into a sea of mud, sometimes knee deep.
Most troops suffered front dysentery which usually ended in death. The conditions under which they fought were primitive and temperatures exceeded forty five degrees centigrade. Humidity rose to ninety-eight percent. Fair haired troops suffered badly with prickly heat which often became septic and the only cure was to move to a cooler place which was well nigh impossible. Ringworm was very common with heat exhaustion, often caused by not taking salt.
As I mentioned before, the power and the glory went to the Normandy landings in Europe and the subsequent advances by the Allies which eventually spelled the inevitable doom of Nazi Germany. But in the Far East, especially in the land war in Burma, the Japanese fought on with success. Japan had at its disposal a mighty military machine whose territory extended two thousand five hundred miles southwards from the north of Burma. The front on which the allies and commonwealth troops were fighting exceeded some seven hundred miles and was second only to the Russian front. Burma was Japan's land route to India, and more importantly the Allies land route to China. Both offensively and defensively Japan had overstrained every nerve in holding Burma. They controlled rivers, railways and roads, and since they are a rice eating army, lived on the fat of the land. The Allies on the other hand were fighting from the most difficult lines of communication imaginable.
A concerted plan of attack was made for the whole of Burma by both British and Commonwealth forces and eventually the Japanese were driven back. The Fourteenth Army", also called the "Forgotten Army" by many, numbered over one million men under arms; the largest Commonwealth Army ever assembled. They made great advances at heavy cost into Kohima and Imphal, two Japanese strongholds. Eventually the tide of the battle turned and the back of the Japanese army broken. The Japanese surrendered on August 15 th. 1945, now known as VJ Day.
The Burma Star Association was created a few years after the end of the war with the aim to relieve need, hardship and distress among men and women who served with Her Majesty's and Allied Forces and the Nursing Service in the Burma Campaign of 1939-1945 or otherwise holders of the Burma Star or Pacific Star with Burma Clasp; also for widows, widowers and dependents.
The Headquarters of the Burma Star Association is centered in London, England. Its Patron is the Duke of Edinburgh and Vice Patron is the Countess Mountbatten of Burma. There are several branches around the world and in British Columbia we have Branches in Vancouver and Victoria. We are subject to the Rules, Aims and Regulations of the Parent Association.
The Burma Star Medal is one of seven Stars awarded to all those who served in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. It was awarded for one day, or more, of operational service during the Burma Campaign, between the Eleventh of December Nineteen Forty One and September Second Nineteen Forty Five. The Burma Star Medal has a Red Centre with dark blue, orange and dark blue edges. The red represents the Commonwealth Forces and the Orange, the Sun. This, as Burma Star Members, we proudly wear.
After the "fall" of Kohima, a seventeen-ton stone now stands as a great memorial to those who died in battle. The fitting epitaph engraved upon it has become widely known and is often quoted on Remembrance Day. It reads as follows:
WHEN YOU GO HOME
TELL THEM OF US, AND SAY
FOR YOUR TOMORROW
WE GAVE OUR TODAY.
The words are attributed to J .M Edmunds, a Classical Scholar and one time Master at King's School, Canterbury, U.K.
Let me say a word about public memorials. They are almost impossible to design in a way that satisfies everyone. The tragic events commemorated are often epic, but the individual efforts are intimate. Whether the memorial creates an intimate personal atmosphere, or one that celebrates life, is a matter of debate. But when it comes right down to it, public memorials aren’t really for the dead at all. They're for us, “the living", to help us grieve and remember those we lost.
In Vancouver and BC we have our own memorials. One is erected in Stanley Park and the other in Stolz Pool, in Arakan Park on Vancouver Island. Also a Cross of Remembrance in the City of Duncan honours the war deeds of Major Charles Hoey who received the Victoria Cross for Valour in Burma. Our annual pilgrimage to Duncan is to honour Major Hoey, and at Stolz Pool we remember all the men and women who laid down their lives in Burma. Our cairn at Stolz Pool in Arakan Park is in a remote area and was chosen because of the similarity to the type of terrain found in Arakan, Burma. A river runs close by, and this "Arakan Park", as it is known, is in itself within the boundaries of a larger Provincial Park--Cowichan Park. The upper inscription on our cairn is the traditional and well-loved Kohima Epitaph, and the middle inscription, which we chose, reads:
THROUGH THIS STONE
YOU TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF THOSE
WHO GAVE UP THEIR LIVES FOR FREEDOM
Last year, as I have done for the past four years, I attended the Burma Star Reunion in Blackpool. However, after the reunion I visited the City of York in Lancashire and attended the Sixtieth anniversary of the Battle of Kohima. The service was held at York Minster Cathedral. The address by the Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, spoke of the crucial battle in North Burma and described the Battle of Kohima as probably one of the greatest battles in history. Where once was a tennis court, today there are one thousand three hundred and eighty-seven graves. There are graves of brigadiers, as well as privates, tank drivers, stretcher bearers, signalmen, riflemen, captains and corporals--names from every part of the world. Truly for 'Our Tomorrow' they gave 'Their Today'.
"GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS
THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS."
Dr. David Hope in his sermon touched most of us by saying. "For if we are to be a truly responsible and civilized society, then we should not live by self interest or self service, but rather in recognizing that we ourselves are one of another - on the whole." Remember, it was the Priest, John Donne who reminds us “No Man is an island entire of itself. Every man is part of the Continent, a part of the main." We need each other and so do you, regardless of who or what we are - regardless of race, colour, creed, or gender; in our cities, communities and neighborhoods, throughout this land. Yes, certainly respecting the rights and dignity and worth and well being of others, but recognizing that these can never be achieved without those necessary fundamentals of discipline, duty and self sacrifice, which unfortunately seem to hold very little interest these days.
When the Pacific and Far Eastern war was finally over, a small group of volunteer-servicemen remained behind to help locate the makeshift graves of Allied Prisoners of War who were forced to build the Railway of Death to Thailand. After all, these brave men who died needed to have someone to make sure that their final resting place be found. Some 10,549 graves were located on or near the Railway of Death. They failed to locate one hundred and fifty two. All these graves are now cared for by the War Graves Commission.
In conclusion, though my service with the Navy lasted almost five years, my service in the Burma Campaign was less than five months. However, after the war was over on August 15th 1945, it was not until September 1946 that I was finally discharged and returned home, my service ended.
Returning to civilian life was not easy and the urge to be on the road again took me to Singapore and Malaya in 1962. Making my way north by train to Burma was very disappointing in that nothing had changed and places I had known were unrecognizable. There was so much decay and neglect since the communists had taken over and the British were again in the throes of ending their challenge. The rubber and other plantations were in a state of siege and it was not until the middle of the decade that the communists were finally driven away.
I am glad to have had this opportunity to explain the significance of the Burma Campaign and the Burma Star. I am proud to be a member of an organization that looks after the interests of those like me who were fortunate enough to make it home. We are certainly proud of the achievements made by those who gave up their lives for us and their loved ones so that we might all be free.
We, of the Burma Star Association, will not break faith with those who died, nor should anyone. Thank you and God be with you.
Percival Smith
President
Burma Star Association (BC Chapter)