Forgotten Voices of Burma: The Second World War's Forgotten Conflict

by Julian Thompson

From the end of 1941 to 1945, a pivotal but often overlooked conflict was being fought in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II—the Burma Campaign. In 1941, the Allies fought in a disastrous retreat across Burma against the Japanese—an enemy more prepared, better organized, and more powerful than anyone had imagined. Yet in 1944, following key battles at Kohima and Imphal, and daring operations behind enemy lines by the Chindits, the Commonwealth army were back, retaking lost ground one bloody battle at a time. Fighting in dense jungle and open paddy field, this brutal campaign was the longest fought by the British Commonwealth in the Second World War. But the troops taking part were a forgotten army, and the story of their remarkable feats and their courage remains largely untold to this day. The Fourteenth Army in Burma became one of the largest and most diverse armies of the Second World War. British, West African, Ghurkha, and Indian regiments fought alongside one another and became comrades. In Forgotten Voices of Burma —a remarkable new oral history taken from Imperial War Museum's Sound Archive—soldiers from both sides tell their stories of this epic conflict.

Genres: History, World War II, Military Fiction, Oral History, Nonfiction, Historical

416 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2009

About the author

Major General Julian Harold Atherdean Thompson, CB, OBE is a military historian and former Royal Marines officer who as a brigadier commanded 3 Commando Brigade during the Falklands war.

Thompson, who was British commander on the islands during the final phase of the conflict has written extensively on the Falklands conflict and British military history. He is also a visiting professor at the department of War Studies, King's College, University of London.

Reviews

[wendi wigham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening to read words spoken by the forgotten.

A truly engrossing read for anyone interested in what happened outside Europe during World War II.
My father was RSM in the Durham Light Infantry. He rarely spoke of his experiences in Burma. All I knew as a child was that he had served in Africa - I found an old photo album with him bathing in half an oil drum, on the back he had written ' foothills of Kilimanjaro'.
Others were of cheetah, elephants & other wildlife, some with other soldiers in the same landscape. He was in a few of them & was quite happy to tell me about the wonderful local people. He spoke Swahili fluently
Burma was totally different. He had his medals in a tin at the back of a drawer & when nosy child asked about Burma Star, he remarked it was along time ago. End of conversation!.
Over the years I picked up a few snippets, Dad washed his feet when he came in from work & put powder on them - every nook & cranny had to be powdered. Summertime was more frequent! He had the smelliest feet ever, sometimes he had to go to the doctors as they were sore. He did say it was ' Foot Rot' due to his feet being constantly wet in the jungle in Burma.
As I got a bit older, I noticed a scar on his shin - he said it was from a mosquito bite - I think I said it must have a really big mozzy! I now know it was a scar from a bullet wound.
In my mid teens my dad had a really bad attack of malaria, which was frightening to both my mother & myself. He was never I'll, my mother told me what it was, he had more frequent attacks after he came home in 1947. He had had very few attacks in recent years.
Occasionally he met an army pal called 'Jock Sword' - Dad was from Durham so I don't know his unaccented surname was! He was always very quiet after they met up for a drink. I do know they were in Burma together.
He had a deep affection for Vera Lynn & always watched if she was on television, quiet often his eyes would 'water' when she sang. I asked him why he liked her so much, he told me she had visited the troops in Burma & had really cheered the lads up, when everyone else had forgotten them. He always called her ' Our Vera'. So the title of this book caught my interest.
Dad died in 1979 from lung cancer - curse of the Woodbine! When my mother passed away in 1996, I found the tin box with the medals & ribbons inside, also there was his pay book, a reference from his CO & other papers. There was also a very large card envelope, which was a total surprise as it contained a leaving card with numerous signatures & lovely messages from both officers & men. It was signed in Nurenburg 1947. Did try to get more info, but was told it was classified.
This book shed light on what it was like in Burma for my father & so many others. They were the ' Forgotten Army'

[Janyre Tromp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an amazing set of 1st person accounts of WWII in Burma. The editor switched between battalions, individuals, locations, etc. without giving the readers pointers as to how everything interrelated. Even with a decent understanding of the battles, objectives, etc., I lost the narrative and found my head spinning. I wish there had been a little more help from the editor because the voices collected here are too precious to forget.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brings together the experiences of soldiers on both sides of the war in Burma through their own words supported by summary text and maps of the when and where of each man's operations. Vivid and brutally honest this shows both the best and worst of men during a unique and difficult time that is often overshadowed and forgotten as events elsewhere dominate the media and the publics collective memories (which in my opinion does these men a huge dis-service to say the least). This book goes a long way to remedy this situation and to highlight the sacrifices made in the Asian theatre by British and Allied forces. A must read everyone.

[Benjamin Drewswood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative, the forgotten voices series has never failed to give a good insight into what the troops experienced

[Andy Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as my grandfather was in the Gloucestershire Regiment and then the Commandos in Burma, and my wife's uncle flew Hurricanes there. Neither talked about it so I wanted to understand a bit more of what they went through. It was a great book in that sense, although their specific units were barely mentioned.

The entire book is a long series of quotes from people who were there, with brief introductions to each chapter. Almost all of the quotes are from men, and most of them are British, but this is explained at the start of the book. It is clear that various Commonwealth forces were involved, and I hadn't previously realised the extent of this. It also seemed that the various allies respected one another and there was no hint of racism which is refreshing considering how long ago this all happened.

The people interviewed covers a range of roles (infantry, pilots, tank crews and a few others) at different ranks from private to fairly senior officers. The whole campaign from the Japanese invasion to the end of the war is covered. My one criticism is that it's sometimes difficult to keep track of what's going on, although each quote does give the person's name, rank and unit etc.

Some of the quotations are fairly tame and give an insight into general life during the campaign, and the sort of non-combat issues that had to be dealt with. However, there is some swearing and fairly graphic descriptions of combat, injuries and so on. It's also very clear that the Allies hated the Japanese and neither side showed any mercy to the other, and some of the things that went on might be distressing to some readers. I personally don't think I can judge what happened as I've never been in a situation approaching what both sides went through, but it does make for some grim reading.

Overall, a good book and it's great to hear things in the words of people who were there, from a credible source (The Imperial War Museum). I just wish it was a bit more clear when the events happened (few dates are given) and that it was easier to keep track of the various units involved.

[Bill38silver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a great fan of the "Voices" series as the comments of the participants are more instructive than any remote account by a military historian of what really went on on the ground. Several of the other books in the series are a "better" read if that is not too dismissive a term when comparing detailed and often harrowing experiences in one theatre of war than another.

I had not read about the Burma campaign before. I will not forget some of the accounts here.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

On re-reading this is even more intense as the details of each of the soldiers experiences begin to sink in, along with the brutality of their situations and the tough decisions they had to make. The fact that these aspects of the war are still so far from the public eye is disturbing and is in dire need of addressing.

[Ming Wei · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good historical war book, stories from people that participated in the 2nd world war in Burma, speaking about the difficulties and dangers of war. Very eye opening, really enjoyed reading it. No editorial errors, the book contains lots of pictures and maps that makes it easier for the reader to understand the stories. Nice book cover, nice sized book. Well worth reading

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so insightful and truly brings to light what the war was like and how it was experienced by so many different people. I honestly don’t think I can recommend this book enough to people who want to learn about World War Two

[Mark Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. The personal accounts are savage, sad, brutal and incredibly brave. Can't recommend it more highly.

[Philip Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, I knew the war in the far east was bad but these true accounts are an eye opener, lest we forget the “Forgotten Army” bravest of the brave

[Reds_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book in the Forgotten Voices series from the Imperial War Museum, this one covering the Burma campaign of WWII.

As with all of the books, the actual voices of the men and women involved in the campaign are vivid and honest and their stories are full of details that illustrate their experiences perfectly. I did find this book harder to get into than the others I have read, whether this is because of my unfamiliarity with the campaign or the book itself I am not sure. I definitely would've appreciated more maps that showed the general movements of forces, borders and troop lines - the maps provided were at times unclear and cluttered. This would have helped fix the individual stories within the overall course of the war.

There were also several errors within the text that should have been corrected.

Overall I did enjoy this, and I am sure I will re-read it, but possibly after I have read up on this campaign so that I can see whether my first assessment was harsh or not.

[Ian Hallam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the forgotten voices series of books which are derived from the oral testimonies taken by the Imperial War Museum after various conflicts.
As the title suggests this book relates to Burma and the two Chindit campaigns which did not achieve a great deal and also the retreat from Burma and the eventual campaign to retake Burma and clear out the Japanese.
The decisive battles at Kohima and Imphal are what turned the tide of the war in the far east and not the two Chindit campaigns, which is why the soldiers who took part are known as the forgotten army.

[Alan Lund · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked to see a few more maps to follow the progress and locate the sites discussed. Possibly also an introductory overview for each section to give an overview of the context and place the events in a setting such as battles won and lost in Europe, public opinion in the UK, release of resources, and the Japanese campaigns elsewhere. Otherwise fascinating and again an even more explicit example of British bumbling but ultimate capability.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follows the usual format of short snippets from the people who fought there, and gives some insight into the battles and areas at the start of each chapter. Burma seems to be a forgotten area of WW2 people only ever writing about the retreats and not about the victories. Interesting read and really sums up the bitter fighting and terrible conditions for all men women and animals who where there during the fighting.

[Rick Brindle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent oral history of the Burma campaign, as told by British, Indian and Japanese soldiers who were there. As always when reading these type of books, it humbles you to read of what people went through, and is always a great way to learn about what really happened. An excellent read for anyone who is interested in military history.

[Don Wilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book giving an overview of this appalling theatre of war. It answered manyof the questions I had about Wingate, the Chindits and the strategy employed by Slim. Compelliing, disturbing reading at times.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read and an eye opener what goes on in the real wars.