Reminder of the “Forgotten Army” of World War II
THE veterans of the 14th Army were proud to call themselves the “Forgotten Army.” It was name given to them by their commander, Lieutenant-general William Slim, who told his troops, “When you go home don’t worry about what to tell your loved ones and friends about service in Asia. No one will know where you were, or where it is if you do. You are, and will remain the Forgotten Army.”
The 14th Army was created in 1943 as the Japanese Army reached the borders of British India. In 1944 the Japanese were decisively defeated at the battles of Kohima and Imphal and the following year the 14th Army steadily drove the Japanese back, retaking Burma. When the war ended in August 1945, the 14th Army was preparing to invade Malaya.
The 14th Army was the largest army in the Commonwealth and was one of the largest in the world, with around 1 million men under command by late 1944. It drew on divisions from across the Commonwealth, with the majority from the Indian Army.
Its commander, Bill Slim, later made a field-marshal and a viscount, had a local connection. As a young lad his family moved to Birmingham and before the First World War he was employed as a clerk at tube-makers Stewarts and Lloyds.
We have a memento of the war in India and Burma, thanks to reader David Cookson of Stourbridge. His father Norman spent his entire working life in local government, first with Stourbridge Council, then Brierley Hill and, finally, Dudley. The only break came when Norman was called up for army service. He was posted to India and spent his entire overseas service there.
Among the items he brought home was this little booklet – Battle Bulletin. This A5 leaflet was distributed among the troops “two copies per company” with the strict instruction “This document must not fall into enemy hands.”
Tactics
Called up
The booklet contained first-hand accounts of fighting in the Burma campaign, the idea being to appraise the ordinary soldier with the latest ideas in battle tactics.
This copy is dated October 1945 and contains Attacking a Burmese Village, The Battle of Abyas, Encounter Action, Night Approach March, and Points from Reports.
Of course, by then the war was over but British and Commonwealth forces were still heavily involved in liberating territory that had been held by the Japanese for many years.