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Two hours later 8 officers and 60 men were left to take the final objective out of 32 officers and 600 men who set off from the Start
Line. A Gunner Major wrote after the battle: ‘I class this attack of the Black Watch as one of the most outstanding examples of gallantry
combined with high-class training that I have seen. Not one of us who was there will forget such supreme gallantry.’
Burma and the Chindits
‘Over on the other side of the world, the 2nd Battalion had become guerillas themselves - Chindits dropped for long range penetration
beyond the Chindwin. The Battalion was split into two columns, numbered, inevitably, 73 and 42. They were flown into blind green
jungle in March 1944, and for the next six months skirmished, and marched, and survived the monsoon, the steaming heat, and
accidents by flood and field. It was probably the most unpleasant terrain for fighting into which the Black Watch had ever been
plunged, worse even than the fever-swamps of the West Indies in the eighteenth century, or the dense jungles of Kandy. They were
gnawed by starvation and disease. In one month alone 70 men died of typhus. It was a dripping world where clothes were never dry,
and leeches had to be stripped from bodies at night. Tracks were often waist-deep in water and mud. Leather girths rotted on mules. A
10-mile march took four days. And once it took two days to haul their tottering half-dead bodies to the top of a four-mile pass. Most of
the actions were small and untidy - the general strategy of the Chindit campaign lost direction after the death of Wingate. In May, at an
ambush to cover the evacuation of “White City”, 200 Black Watch scattered 1,200 Japanese. In August the last emaciated remnants
charged and captured the village of Labu with the bayonet, played in on pipes specially dropped by parachute for the occasion. They
were then flown back to India to recuperate.’
And of McCluskey’s individual heroism near Kontha in June 1944, The Black Watch & The King’s Enemies states:
‘There were reports, however, that the Japs were in various villages below the pass; and it was in one of these, Kontha, that the second
patrol was sent. It consisted of a weak platoon under Sergeant McLuskey. Leaving at 8 a.m. on 10 June, he approached Kontha and was
engaged by fire. The paddy round the village was three feet under water, but he took up his position in elephant grass and returned the
fire with Bren guns and grenades from a cup discharger. As the enemy began to work round them, the patrol withdrew, having had one
man killed and several wounded, but having got their information. They returned with their wounded at 6 p.m. The difficulty of
keeping weapons in a working condition in circumstances such as these may be imagined.’
656
A Second World War North Africa operations M.M. group of five awarded to Sergeant W. A. Evans, Royal Artillery -
who was originally recommended for a D.C.M. for his gallant deeds in an anti-tank unit in April 1943
MILITARY MEDAL, G.VI.R. (1064397 Sjt. W. A. Evans, R.A.); 1939-45 STAR; AFRICA STAR, clasp, 1st Army; DEFENCE AND WAR
MEDALS 1939-45, minor contact marks, good very fine or better (5) £800-1000
M.M. London Gazette 22 July 1943. The original recommendation - for a D.C.M. - states:
‘Sergeant Evans is Troop Sergeant of ‘K’ Troop, 88th Anti-Tank Battery, 14th Anti-Tank Regiment. Two guns of ‘K’ Troop were ordered
into action on Sidi Amellah (?) ridge during the morning of 29 April. The route for the Troop was through a minefield, and then over an
open slope which was exposed to shell and small arms fire. The position was just below and defiladed by the lip of the top of the ridge,
firing backwards. The guns which should have covered the top of the ridge were either destroyed or unable to occupy the selected
positions because of accurate machine-gun and mortar fire. Tanks were reported on the far side of the ridge. It was necessary to
manhandle the gun over the crest of the ridge. Sergeant Evans collected some infantry and assisted to manhandle the gun over the top
of the hill onto the forward slope which was in full view of the enemy. Enemy tanks were engaged by the gun and two tanks were
destroyed in three rounds. Just after this gun opened fire, Sergeant Evans and the infantry he had collected manhandled the second gun
on to the crest and the gun opened fire and destroyed a tank.
Early in the tank attack, the Troop Commander had been wounded, and Sergeant Evans took over command of the guns. He collected
the infantry to assist in manhandling, helped load the guns, and later conducted the most dangerous operations in order to get the guns
and ammunition under cover.’
William Alfred Evans was a native of Rotherham.
657
A Second World War North Africa operations group of four awarded to Lance-Sergeant W. F. Davey, Royal Artillery
MILITARY MEDAL, G.VI.R. (791729 L. Sjt. W. F. Davey, R.A.); 1939-45 STAR; AFRICA STAR; WAR MEDAL 1939-45, M.I.D. oak leaf,
good very fine and better (4) £800-1000
M.M. London Gazette 18 February 1943. The original recommendation states:
‘This Sergeant Fitter has done some magnificent work both in maintaining the Battery’s vehicles and recovering vehicles from
dangerous country in front of our O.Ps. On several occasions, he has worked on abandoned vehicles under heavy shell fire until he has
been able to drive them back into our lines.
On one occasion, in the last campaign, he continued to work on a broken down portee while in the middle of a tank battle.
This N.C.O’s consistent courage, cheerfulness and complete disregard of his own safety has been an outstanding example to the other
men in the Battery, and he has been responsible for saving a large number of vehicles from either falling into the enemy’s hands or
being destroyed.’
William Frederick Davey was decorated for his services in 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, a unit of the famous 7th Armoured
Division, the “Desert Rats”, in the period leading up to October 1942. He had earlier won a “mention” for gallant and distinguished
service in the Middle East (London Gazette 9 Sept 1942 refers), on which occasion he was originally recommended for the B.E.M.
In November 1941, a troop of the regiment’s guns under 2nd Lieutenant G. W. Gunn, attached to the Rifle Brigade, participated in the
famous action at Sidi Rezegh, Gunn being awarded a posthumous V.C. - with the position under attack from 60 tanks, he personally
manned his last operational gun on a burning portee, alongside the only Sergeant of crew left, and managed to destroy two more tanks
before falling shot through the forehead.
www.dnw.co.uk
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