Latest news with #Chindit
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
101-year-old veteran receives Freedom of the City of London
One of the last surviving 'Chindit' soldiers from the Second World War's Burma campaign has received the Freedom of the City of London. As a young man of about 19, Sidney Machin, now 101, landed behind enemy lines in a glider at night in the jungle, as part of a special forces unit Burma, which wreaked havoc on Japanese supply lines and infrastructure. Mr Machin, from Dorset, received his honour alongside his son Trevor Machin, 64, of Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire, who retired two years ago after nearly 35 years in the City of London Police. After Friday's special Guildhall ceremony in the City, where he proudly wore his Burma Star medal and 77th Brigade tie, Mr Machin senior said he did not think of himself as brave or heroic adding: 'I never really think about it really.' He recalled that Burma was 'hard going and I was a young lad, only 19'. The father-of-five said he was proud of his son, who was also made a freeman, as 'I think he deserved it as well'. The Chindits were a British and Indian special forces unit which operated in Burma (now Myanmar) during the Second World War, and were known for their deep-penetration jungle warfare tactics. Mr Machin senior said: 'The Americans dropped us behind the lines. We stayed there about five months and we marched out. It was a bit tough going but it is all water under the bridge. 'We lost quite a few. 'Some particular friends of mine never made it, but it was just your luck really.' The Freedom is one of the City of London's ancient traditions and is a way of paying tribute to someone's outstanding contribution to London or public life, or to celebrate a very significant achievement. Mr Machin senior, who was born in Tottenham, north London, initially served in Chindit HQ as a signaller, before returning to 1st King's (Liverpool) Regiment and flying into the 'Broadway' landing strip by glider in March 1944. 'Chindit' is derived from the Burmese word chinthe, a mythical lion-like creature which guards temples. Broadway was the code name for a jungle landing strip used during Operation Thursday in the second World War. It was a key part of the Chindits' campaign, a series of long-range penetration operations behind Japanese lines. Gliders and, later, Dakota transport aircraft, were flown into Broadway to deliver troops, supplies and equipment. The landing strip was hastily constructed in a logging clearing, posing significant challenges because of the terrain and weather. As a member of 81 Column, 77th Brigade, Mr Machin senior was part of a floater platoon operating around Broadway. On its closure, the 1st King's marched across to support 111th Brigade at the stronghold codenamed Blackpool. While supporting 111th Brigade, a sliver of bamboo pierced his foot and became infected, requiring him to be carried on an officer's horse for several days to be treated in hospital in Meerut. He returned to Regimental HQ in Liverpool and then to Officers Training Unit at Maresfield, East Sussex. After retiring from the Army, Mr Machin senior spent more than 40 years working in the City of London as a telephone engineer and later in management. Brigadier Jim Allen, Commander 77th Brigade, who attended the ceremony, said: 'Sid was on a glider as a 19 or 20-year-old, and they were basically towed up to speed, let go, and then at night, on a compass, no GPS, effectively crash-landed behind the enemy lines in the middle of the night, got out of their glider, and many of them died from their injuries because of the crash-landing. 'Then they formed up, got the compass out and marched to the next place ready to fight the Japanese as and when they found them – it's incredible.' He added: 'What they did was truly amazing in the defence of that part of the world in the Second World War. 'Their sacrifices, their kind of fighting spirit, the atrocious conditions (they faced) and they just didn't stop. 'They kept on going until they accomplished the mission. 'Sid embodies that fighting Chindit spirit. 'It's a real privilege for me, as the commander of 77th brigade, being here today, because we represent their heritage, their ethos, their culture, and we are still actively serving as a unit within the British army that carries on the strong fighting spirit of people like Sid.' After the joint ceremony, Mr Machin junior said of his father: 'He is a lovely man and I am very proud of him. 'He just keeps going and going. He is amazing. His knees have gone but other than that he is a fantastic specimen of physical fitness. 'He served his country back in the day. He is not boastful. He is our rock of the family. He is just a great man – and everyone who meets him likes him.' He added: 'It has just been a lovely day for us and is something we will always remember together. I am just very happy to be able to have time with him and to be able to do nice things with him like this.' Mr Machin junior joined the police in 1989 and was based in Snow Hill Station, where he had to deal with several IRA bombs and riots. He said: 'It was just a varied lovely job and day-to-day you did not really know what you were getting into. I mostly worked on the community side and got to work and know the people on that beat.' Colonel Simon Duckworth, lieutenant for the City of London, said it had been 'a really wonderful opportunity' to give 'the City freedom together to a father and son, both of whom have exemplified public service and service to the Crown'.
The Independent
08-08-2025
- General
- The Independent
101-year-old veteran receives Freedom of the City of London
One of the last surviving 'Chindit' soldiers from the Second World War's Burma campaign has received the Freedom of the City of London. As a young man of about 19, Sidney Machin, now 101, landed behind enemy lines in a glider at night in the jungle, as part of a special forces unit Burma, which wreaked havoc on Japanese supply lines and infrastructure. Mr Machin, from Dorset, received his honour alongside his son Trevor Machin, 64, of Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire, who retired two years ago after nearly 35 years in the City of London Police. After Friday's special Guildhall ceremony in the City, where he proudly wore his Burma Star medal and 77th Brigade tie, Mr Machin senior said he did not think of himself as brave or heroic adding: 'I never really think about it really.' He recalled that Burma was 'hard going and I was a young lad, only 19'. The father-of-five said he was proud of his son, who was also made a freeman, as 'I think he deserved it as well'. The Chindits were a British and Indian special forces unit which operated in Burma (now Myanmar) during the Second World War, and were known for their deep-penetration jungle warfare tactics. Mr Machin senior said: 'The Americans dropped us behind the lines. We stayed there about five months and we marched out. It was a bit tough going but it is all water under the bridge. 'We lost quite a few. 'Some particular friends of mine never made it, but it was just your luck really.' The Freedom is one of the City of London's ancient traditions and is a way of paying tribute to someone's outstanding contribution to London or public life, or to celebrate a very significant achievement. Mr Machin senior, who was born in Tottenham, north London, initially served in Chindit HQ as a signaller, before returning to 1st King's (Liverpool) Regiment and flying into the 'Broadway' landing strip by glider in March 1944. 'Chindit' is derived from the Burmese word chinthe, a mythical lion-like creature which guards temples. Broadway was the code name for a jungle landing strip used during Operation Thursday in the second World War. It was a key part of the Chindits' campaign, a series of long-range penetration operations behind Japanese lines. Gliders and, later, Dakota transport aircraft, were flown into Broadway to deliver troops, supplies and equipment. The landing strip was hastily constructed in a logging clearing, posing significant challenges because of the terrain and weather. As a member of 81 Column, 77th Brigade, Mr Machin senior was part of a floater platoon operating around Broadway. On its closure, the 1st King's marched across to support 111th Brigade at the stronghold codenamed Blackpool. While supporting 111th Brigade, a sliver of bamboo pierced his foot and became infected, requiring him to be carried on an officer's horse for several days to be treated in hospital in Meerut. He returned to Regimental HQ in Liverpool and then to Officers Training Unit at Maresfield, East Sussex. After retiring from the Army, Mr Machin senior spent more than 40 years working in the City of London as a telephone engineer and later in management. Brigadier Jim Allen, Commander 77th Brigade, who attended the ceremony, said: 'Sid was on a glider as a 19 or 20-year-old, and they were basically towed up to speed, let go, and then at night, on a compass, no GPS, effectively crash-landed behind the enemy lines in the middle of the night, got out of their glider, and many of them died from their injuries because of the crash-landing. 'Then they formed up, got the compass out and marched to the next place ready to fight the Japanese as and when they found them – it's incredible.' He added: 'What they did was truly amazing in the defence of that part of the world in the Second World War. 'Their sacrifices, their kind of fighting spirit, the atrocious conditions (they faced) and they just didn't stop. 'They kept on going until they accomplished the mission. 'Sid embodies that fighting Chindit spirit. 'It's a real privilege for me, as the commander of 77th brigade, being here today, because we represent their heritage, their ethos, their culture, and we are still actively serving as a unit within the British army that carries on the strong fighting spirit of people like Sid.' After the joint ceremony, Mr Machin junior said of his father: 'He is a lovely man and I am very proud of him. 'He just keeps going and going. He is amazing. His knees have gone but other than that he is a fantastic specimen of physical fitness. 'He served his country back in the day. He is not boastful. He is our rock of the family. He is just a great man – and everyone who meets him likes him.' He added: 'It has just been a lovely day for us and is something we will always remember together. I am just very happy to be able to have time with him and to be able to do nice things with him like this.' Mr Machin junior joined the police in 1989 and was based in Snow Hill Station, where he had to deal with several IRA bombs and riots. He said: 'It was just a varied lovely job and day-to-day you did not really know what you were getting into. I mostly worked on the community side and got to work and know the people on that beat.' Colonel Simon Duckworth, lieutenant for the City of London, said it had been 'a really wonderful opportunity' to give 'the City freedom together to a father and son, both of whom have exemplified public service and service to the Crown'.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Colonel Charles Mercer, one of the last of the Chindits who fought the Japanese in Burma
Colonel Charles Mercer, who has died aged 105, took part in Operation Thursday, the codename of the second Chindit deep-penetration expedition into enemy-occupied Burma. In 1943 Mercer, then a second lieutenant, was posted to Nigeria. He joined 7th Battalion, Nigeria Regiment (7 NR), at Kaduna, about 600 miles north-east of Lagos, and commanded a platoon of 30 young Nigerian soldiers. They were Muslims from the north of the country, and with the tribal markings on their faces, many of them looked very fierce. Within the battalion there were officers who had been District Officers before the war; they were fluent in Hausa and gave regular lessons in the language. After six months' training, 7 NR sailed from Lagos to Bombay before moving to Central Provinces in India, where they trained to join Major General Orde Wingate's Chindit force. They lived in the open in all-weather conditions, practising ambushes, attacks, river crossings and silent movement, while carrying 70lb packs on their backs. A 1,000-mile train journey to Lalaghat airstrip in Assam, north-east India, followed. 7 NR, part of 77 Indian Infantry Brigade, was divided into two columns. On the night of April 6 1944 Mercer's platoon, part of 35 Column, took off from Lalaghat in a glider towed by a Douglas Dakota. It landed with the main force at Aberdeen, one of several fortified airstrips named after British cities or London streets. The Chindits were supplied by air and trained to strike Japanese road, rail and river systems deep behind the enemy lines. On April 13, Mercer's platoon led the Column's rifle company in an attack on Mawlu, a major rail link in central Burma. They came under small-arms and grenade-discharger fire from the Japanese, who were well dug in. The Nigerians attacked with fixed bayonets, shouting in their native tongues, and the battle continued from 1100 to 1500. 'They must have been a terrifying sight for the Japanese,' he remarked afterwards. On May 1, the Column established a large-scale road block south of Mawlu. This was held for three days and led to the killing of more than 40 of the enemy, the destruction of several lorries and the capture of some prisoners. They marched north and were involved in a series of determined attacks on Japanese garrisons. With the arrival of the monsoon, streams and ravines turned into torrents. Supplies of anti-malaria tablets sometimes failed and there were bouts of malaria and scrub typhus. Sometimes, those who became ill had to 'walk it off' or risk being left behind. By the time 7NR flew out from Myitkyina, Mercer was a major with four platoons under his command. He was Mentioned in Despatches 'in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Burma'. Recalling those years at war, he said: 'My most important memory is the wonderful comradeship that I enjoyed with my fellow Europeans, and particularly with the splendid Nigerians.' Charles Henry Mercer was born in Brighton, Sussex, on November 14 1919. He was educated at Collyer's School at Horsham in Sussex, and left aged 17 to work in a publishing company. On the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, he enlisted in the Royal Sussex Regiment. After attending OCTU at the Royal Military College, near Sandhurst, he received a Regular Army Emergency Commission in March 1943. He was already engaged, and, three months later he married Joan Rice, who was working for Saunders-Roe, the aircraft manufacturers, on the Isle of Wight. He had a 10-day 'wartime honeymoon' before he was posted to Nigeria. On its return to Nigeria, 7NR was disbanded and Mercer decided to go into the Royal Army Service Corps. He served in BAOR, in Cyprus during the EOKA insurgency and on the staff of the MoD. In 1974 he retired from the Army in the rank of colonel, and for the next 10 years he worked for Wandsworth Borough Council as an assistant director. He finally retired to a village in Surrey. Charles Mercer's wife, Joan, died in 1998 and he is survived by their son, Michael, who lives in Australia. Colonel Charles Mercer, born November 14 1919, died February 28 2025 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
