1st/8th Battalion XX The Lancashire Fusiliers
Kohima 1944
Photos of all the Graves in the Kohima cemetery click here
Lt Alan Hulme Whitfield.
Name: WHITFIELD, ALAN HULME
Initials: A H
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Lieutenant
Regiment/Service: Lancashire Fusiliers
Unit Text: 1/8th Bn.
Age: 24
Date of Death: 28/04/1944
Service No: 193380
Additional information: Son of Richard and Ann Whitfield; husband of
Beryl Whitfield, of Stoneygate, Leicester.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: 1. A. 10.
Cemetery: KOHIMA WAR CEMETERY
Sent in by Edward Stratton.
Alan on his wedding day Spring of 1942
A B C D 1. 2. 3. 4.
3389927 Edward Frost
Date of birth 12/04/16
Click on phots to enlarge them
My uncle, Regimental number 3389927 Edward Frost Date of birth 12/04/16 was a Lancashire Fusilier and fought with the Chindits in Burma.He rarely spoke about his experiences but I believe he was wounded twice.
When he returned from the war he was both physically and mentally damagedbut, his elder sister, my mother, took him in and, as my parents had separated in 1941 when I was only a few months old, my Uncle Eddy became a
surrogate father to me, as much as he was able, when he came home in 1946.
He died at the age of about 79.
He never collected his campaign medals. One of his rare stories was that he should have been awarded a bravery medal
but it was given to someone else in error and so he didn't want to get any medals at all.
We didn't know whether to believe this story or not - from time-to-time he did have what the family considered
to be strange ideas. (One was that there were still snipers after him.)
However - the reason for my enquiry is that I would be grateful to know if, even after all these years it would be
possible for the family to obtain Eddy's campaign medals.I hope you can help.
Yours faithfully
James Hewitson
(Medals now applied for, watch this space- Joe.)
Andy Watson GM
Click on photo to enlarge it
"On 26 April 1944 at about 0530 the Japs launched an attack and Bob Elkin
was killed - our first officer casualty on Merema Ridge
The same morning at about 0930 Lt Andy Watson GM was wounded during an
attack on a Jap bunker
"Knocker" West was killed on 9 June 1944
The history of the Lancashire Fusiliers"
by John Hallam, page 125;
"At 9 am the next day,C Coy was ordered to sieze a small feature held by the
enemy in unknown strength.The Japanese met them with fire from light machine
guns and snipers,but the attack was pressed home and the feature taken at
the cost of 7 Other Ranks killed and Lieutenant A.P Watson GM wounded"
By coincidence the 26 April date happens
to be the 61st anniversary of my being
wounded during an attack on a Jap bunker
on Merema Ridge. Lt Bob Elkin was killed
earlier that morning - the first officer
casualty.Also attending the Service will, I hope, be CSM Bill Scarratt and Bobby Peacock, all of us from 1/8 Bn The Lancashire Fusiliers.
Though much is known of the Tennis Court,
it is not widely known that General Grover
discovered the Japs were infiltrating to
the west and attached 1/8LF to 5 Bde who
attempted a night march down a valley and up a very steep hillside to surprise the Japs on the Merema Ridge. (I have a Rupee note printed The Japanese Government of India!)There were tremendous casualties especially
at the battle for FIRS on 28 April. My
Company Commander Capt F P H Pearse was killed leading an attack; our CO, Lt Col M L West, was killed on 8th June and I have a letter he wrote to me while I was in hospital a few days before his death.Acts of bravery are recorded in books by Sgt John McCann and in personal letters from survivors but no medals were awarded
to Lancashire Fusiliers
possibly because there was no chain of command left through which recommendations
could be made. In the period 26-30 April
7 Officers and 24 ORs were killed and 7 Officers and 90 ORs were wounded in 1/8 LF alone.I will publish fuller recollections later.
Andy Watson (Formerly Pln Cdr 15 Platoon,
C Company 1/8LF}
Click here to see the grave stones photos in the Kohima Cemetery
This was sent to us by Salford War Memorials trust ( SWARM), probably used to hang in the drill hall at Cross Lane salford, the home of the 8th Bn.
"Medals and awards known to have been won during this campaign by the 1/8th Battalion
" Info from theCatalogue of medals from Dr A W Stott's collection,sold in London 1997 at DNW Auction house."
Click here for the link to Dr Stotts.
Name Date Medal / Awards L/Sgt P Waldron 11th July 1944 Military Medal. 1939-45 Star Burma Star Defence and War Medal