War's end

Dad's story of the end of World War 2

MY VERSION OF THE END OF THE BURMA CAMPAIGN

By JS. Hamilton who took the salute at the War Memorial for VJ +50

My Regiment , the 4^th Field Regiment Royal Artillery, a Regiment of 25 pounder field guns, was part of the famous 5^th Indian Division, who fought the Japanese from Imphal/ Kohima to the outskirts of Rangoon, collecting 4 VCs on the way,

The Japanese at this point were virtually beaten and the Division was put on stand-by for the retaking of Malaya and Singapore, but for some reason we were never told , the Regiment was taken out of the project and sent back north and east to the Shan States to support a Brigade of the 19^th Division who were still meeting some resistance.

Whilst operating near to Taungyii, the capital of the Shan States news came through that an atom bomb had been dropped on Japan, and we were told that this could bring about the end of the war. Whether it was right to use this terrible weapon never crossed our minds, there was great elation everywhere, we had survived, a short time later on 15^th August it was finally over and we could go home.

A signal was sent from Brigade HQ to fire a Victory Salute at 10.00 hrs the following morning. Several high ranking officers appeared from nowhere, they wanted the used brass cartridge cases for souvenirs.

The guns that fired the Victory Salute in that far-off place near the Indo-China border was accepted to be the last the last rounds fired in the Burma Campaign

Starting Work

Dad's teenage years

So we go into the 1930’s and things were much better, for us anyway. The Carriage Works had opened up and were busy, Father , Arthur and Alf went back , Fred went to K&J’s the printers and as said earlier I was at the Cronehills Central school, and it was my intension not to work at the Carriage Works I took the Commercial course ,and when I left school I got a job as office boy at Chance Bros. The glass works down Spon Lane, the first rung of the ladder for my ultimate success. But alas it was not to be. After about six months Father said the job was not suitable for me, and I was to go to the Carriage Works with the others. I think he had the best motives, and to be fair to him I started he the best department which did the fitting out of the interiors of the coaches, a clean job, we wore a white apron and a collar and tie. And when we were lads you were expected to have a clean apron on a Monday morning, sometimes sent home to get one if you lived near enough which most did in those days, but I soon settled in and was reasonably content, with my pocket money and my golf money my teenage were pretty good. Except for one thing, The political and the diplomatic scene was pretty dire and everyone expected that there would be a war, which there was in September 1939. Fred was called up very early in the war, Arthur and Alf were in reserved occupations, and I not quite old enough. I was not very happy with my job in the early part of the war, So I left the Carriage Works an got a job at Harris and Sheldons a firm of shop fitters in Birmingham, nobody would believe that a Hamilton was leaving. The word went round, ’young Hamilton is leaving, and when Father knew when I got home with my tool-box, the heavens opened up, I had committed the gravest sin. But time is a great healer, and I settled in to my new job very well making parts for aircraft, which was a reserved occupation, for now I was military age.
About this time A young lady from Stourbridge named Betty Billingham, did the same as me, left her job against her parents wishes, went to the Ministry of Labour in Birmingham and they sent her to Harris and Sheldons and that is where we met. Although quite young twenty two, I was put in charge of a section making disposable petrol tanks for spitfires fighter planes, really content. That was until I got home from work one teatime and Mother handed me a buff envelope with my calling up papers inside. Ha well I had had a good run, it did not bother me greatly everyone else of my age had gone, so be it. Next morning I had a lie in and got to work late, when I arrived the foreman came over pointing to his watch where have you been etc, and I handed him my calling up papers. He was not pleased saying I was not going in the xxxxxx army, and rushed of to the office to get someone to clear it with At the Labour exchange to cancel it. But it was not to be. I reported to Norton Barracks Worcester for training, and irrespective of my experience in industry, I was assessed to be a wireless operator driver in the Royal Artillery and I was posted to Whitby in Yorkshire for training