Article about: Dating to circa 1928-32, marked as India and showing the men of the 14th platoon D (MG) company 2nd battalion the Welch. NCO's and OR's most of them named. All wear the curved metal WELCH sh
Dating to circa 1928-32, marked as India and showing the men of the 14th platoon D (MG) company 2nd battalion the Welch. NCO's and OR's most of them named. All wear the curved metal WELCH shoulder title and garter flashes on their socks whilst the NCO's wear rank armbands/brassards. The Vickers MG's are marked 1 & 2.
Interesting photo Jerry,photos like this make me ponder the fate of these blokes,did they serve in ww2?did they get through it?Did any of them serve in ww1? also I cant help but wonder what the amusing thing Mr Ballock is looking at.
The guy in the front row next to the vickers appears to have a tattoo on his forearm
he does have a tatoo as might Cooper on the sergeants right in the front row, though not so clear. No idea on what mr Ballock is looking at!
The 2nd Welch served in the Far east, firstly staying in India but later fighting the Japanese as part of the 62nd Indian infantry brigade along with the 4th/4th and 4th/6th Gurkha Rifles of 19th Indian Division, under command of the 14th Army.
They were involved in the crossing of the Chindwin river and the Irrawaddy in Burma.
On the 20th and 21st of December 1944 they were involved in action against the Japanese near the village of Kyaukpyintha where D company were pinned down and the 2nd Welch lost 3 men and one officer killed and eleven men wounded.
On the 5th of Jan 1945 men from D company were the first British troops to cross the Irrawaddy since the retreat in 1942, though the patrol leader Lt. Murrow was killed by a sniper. This was part of the battle for the Kyaukmyaung bridgehead and later they were involved in the battles for Maymyo, Rangoon road and sittang.
During the Burma campaign the 2nd Battalion the Welch regiment lost 10 officers and 140 other ranks killed.
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