April 1945
Major Prow had flown into Meiktila on an advanced recce and on 31st March I left for a fortnight’s leave. An advance party left the river for Meiktila, the battle for which was practically over. A company jeep was ambushed on April 1st through taking a wrong turn and both jeep and driver were lost. The water point was handed over to 331 Fd. Pk. Coy and by the 5th April the stores platoon was operating at Meiktila airfield. There was a Japanese air raid on the 7th but with no consequences for the company and the work at the airfield continued.
The stores platoon set off for Takton on the 17th, staging overnight at Pyawbwe and arrived on the 18th, whilst a D4 helped 75 Field Coy with Bailey Bridging at Milestone 308.
The rear party left Meiktila on the 29th by which time the rest of the company had passed through and had set up a water point at Toungoo. The war diary comments that “the water had been condemned by the ADH! (?)”
The sister companies in 4 Corps Engineers were 75 Field Coy and 2 Faridcote Field Coy.
I had spent my leave in the hill station of Ootacumond in South India and my return to Burma was another air trip I have not forgotten. I went through the usual drill of hitching a lift on whatever plane from Chittagong was going in the right direction. Such was the headlong rush of 4 Corps to the south that the location of companies changed daily. I found a place on a DC4 Dakota bound for the Toungoo area. On board I was the only passenger, and an American crew member was in the cabin. To my dismay the cargo was a packed load of 40 gallon drums of petrol with a penetrating stench of the fuel. The American was uncommunicative and read a paperback during the flight. On landing I explained my predicament to an officer who turned out to be the fire officer of a colossal fuel dump, on the edge of which I spent the night. He arranged for me to take a lift on a southbound 3 tonner, the load turned out to be more petrol drums.We travelled south in convoy because there were remnants of the Japanese army fleeing from the west, where they had been trapped, eastwards across the Toungoo– Rangoon road. There were several hold-ups but nothing serious and I eventually found the company in Pegu. Wally Prow had left for home, Jock Beaton had become OC and I was promoted to 2 I/C of the company.