1^st February

Today the ever decreasing party proceeded to travel down the most famous road in the World, the Burma Road, in trucks supplied by the Chinese Red Cross, destination Lashio in Burma, a journey of 1250Km. The Burma Road was the only overland delivery route into China for the US Lend-Lease supplies for use by the embattled Chinese government of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in its fight against the Japanese. After 192 km they stopped at the small village of Tsuyang where they were billeted for the night with a 3rd contingent of 204 Military Mission who were all Australian.^[5] Buddy Hide recorded "We were the only sailors to have travelled the whole length of it. Although some of the views were breathtaking it was a seven-day nightmare, what with the several inches of dust, the real tortuous S-bends, and the road barely wide enough to pass an oncoming vehicle, and the several thousands of feet drop. It was a real nightmare.^] It is impossible to travel after dark on this road; we saw a lorry smashed every two miles on average."^[21] It was 700 miles from Kunming to Lashio stopping at Chuxiong, and again at Xiaguan for truck repairs. While at Xiaguan twenty managed to visit Dali to see the monastery by the lake. "On the whole of this journey the hospitality of the Chinese was wonderful. We were passing through the poorest part of the interior of China, but whatever place, no matter how large or small, the people gave us the best they could, of course it was all Chinese Chow, poor class Chinese Chow, which is all rice boiled dry, no milk or sugar, and sufficient meat for one Englishman was shared amongst ten of us; the same with the greens, which was nearly all garlic. We all became very adept at the use of chopsticks, we had to be or else starve."^[21]

6^th February

The party arrived at Wantung, the Burma/China border town at 5pm and crossed into Burma staying in the army billet for the night celebrating on British Sovereign Territory at last.

7^th February

At Wantung more trucks supplied by Dodwell and co who Lt Ashby had worked for previously for the journey to Lashio. At Lashio they were billeted with the RAF and entertained with good food and facilities after arriving at 17.10. Here they waited five days for orders. While here some acted as firing party at an RAF pilot's funeral. Lashio was divided, old & new town as supplies were stockpiled here for onward transport into China. The new town was out of bounds at night due to bubonic plague.^[9] Lt Parsons was hospitalised after a night on the town at the "Lashio Club" with severe head injuries after vanishing down a slit trench in the dark.

 

 

 

11^th February

The SNO LT-Commander Gandy flew ahead to Maymyo to make arrangements for the party's arrival.

12^th February

Leaving Lashio in Burma by train without Parsons at 23.00, arriving in Maymyo the following morning at 11.15. Here they were entertained at the Bush Warfare School. Then it was 45 miles by truck to Mandalay where once again they were entertained at a club. The party then boarded a train to Rangoon [arriving on 14th February 1942] which was deserted after 3182 miles [5120 km] overland from Hong Kong. They had no tropical kit or mosquito nets and subsequently suffered as a result. Two days later they were billeted in the Burma Royal Navy Reserve Depot and tropical kit issued.^[66] Rear Admiral Cosmo Moray Graham was flown in from the Persian Gulf to take over as Commodore Burma Coast Command and had Lt's Collingwood & Kennedy as his staff officers. The party were in Rangoon for five weeks loading merchant ships, while some of the flotilla crew were deployed as gun crew on armed merchant ships, others to man motor launches, as well as doing special guard duties, which included stopping looters. "One night we caught 50 Burmese with a Japanese Officer trying to land, they were all shot."^[21] Lt Kennedy took command of the five hundred and seventy four ton minesweeper Somagyi. He then proceeded up the coast to Akyab with a flotilla of M.Ls crewed by some of the escape party. Gandy, Collingwood, and Ashby along with the remaining escapee ratings departed Rangoon aboard the Danish Armed Merchant Cruiser "Heinrich Jessen" under her 31 year old master George Rhod Hansen R.I.N.R. which was the Commodore's HQ and the last Merchant ship to leave Rangoon. They returned three times, the last time to blow up the go downs, jetties, piers, wireless station, and all military places, then proceeded downstream and stopped to blow up the oil refineries, dumps, and works.^[21] The fires in Rangoon could be seen 40 miles out at sea. Two hours after leaving the Japanese 21st armoured Regiment arrived in Rangoon. Lt Collingwood along with some ratings stayed on the "Heinrich Jessen" which set sail immediately for Akyab (Sittwe) on the Arakan coast of Burma in the Bay of Bengal where he then took command of an R.I.N. sloop assisting refugee relief. A few days later Kennedy and fifteen ratings departed for Calcutta onboard the "Ellenga" along with over two thousand refugees crammed on her decks.^[9] Collingwood eventually left Chittagong by air for Calcutta and home.^[8] The "Jessen" was later commandeered by the Royal Navy and re-named HMIS Barracuda as a depot ship during the Arakan campaign and was the first ship to sail back into Rangoon when the Japanese were defeated in 1945. The party arrived in Calcutta on the 12th where Bill Schillemore & Lofty Gurd joined the staff of the DMS.^[15] Leaving on the 24th they travelled by train on a thirty six hour journey across the Indian sub-Continent to Bombay, where Gandy and his party including Lt Ashby departed onboard HRT "Narkunda" bound for Durban on the 26th March at 15:30 hrs along with survivors from the two Capital ships "HMS Prince of Wales" and "HMS Repulse" both sunk by the IJA 10th December 1941. Two days later Lt Kennedy and the remaining escape party left onboard the "Laconia" bound for Cape Town. After stopping at Durban, "Narcunda" took onboard 657 Italian POWs before shaping course for Cape Town, arriving on Sunday 12th April. Kennedy wrote "The "Laconia" was followed into harbour by another troopship, the "Narkunda", and to our surprise Gandy and the other half of the M.T.B. party were on board. The "Laconia" party received a warm welcome, perhaps not so much as old ship-mates but as extra hands to share duties of guarding the six hundred Italian prisoners-of war being taken to England in the ship". On board the "Narkunda" the MTB party was almost complete."^[9] The officers were able to purchase new uniforms from the military tailors A H Bruce & Co (PTY) Ltd at twelve pounds Stirling each.^[5] We set sail again on the 19th April, but had to return due to engine trouble. This time we anchored in Table Bay, but with no ships boats for a run ashore. We finally got under way on the 28th with a ten-day passage to Freetown.

After two days in Freetown re-victualing the Narcunda shaped course for the UK. A concert called "The Killjoys" had been arranged and organised by Lt-Cdr Gandy, Lt Ashby, PO Stonell, & L/S (Pony) Moore and performed by the ships companies onboard of HMTBs, HRT "Narcunda", HMS "Ranchi", "Cilicia," & "Birmingham" on Thursday 15th May 1942. The performers from the MTBs were (Pony) Moore, Al Rutter, & Eddie Charleson. As they headed north frequent life boat drill exercises were carried out and the order to sleep fully dressed was given as they negotiated the U-boat packs in the north Atlantic continuously zigzagging enroute for the UK. Gandy, Ashby, & Kennedy along with 27 ratings finally arrived in the King George V dock, Sheildhall, Glasgow late afternoon on Friday 22^nd May 1942 onboard the "Narkunda."^[15]

King George V Dock; Aerial photo from the Glasgow City Archives, Photographic Series ©

It is unique in British Coastal Forces that the personnel of a flotilla, with some base staff, having been overcome by invasion and conquest of their isolated operating port, should set out as a group to find their way to freedom through enemy territory in order to be able to fight again.^[54]