91热爆

This story was dictated to and entered on to the site by Elaine Barnwell, daughter of Ronald Barnwell.

I was conscripted into the Royal Navy as a Wireman Sailor. I was responsible for maintaining the electrics on a ship. I did training in Portsmouth for my Leading Rating Rank and further training in HMS Quebec camp in Scotland. I was assigned to HMS LCH 101 in 1944. I travelled to Bombay by troopship and then overland through Madras and on to Cochin where I joined LCH 101.

HMS LCH 101 was an American Troop Landing ship, which had been converted as a Control for Invasion Duties. It was equipped with radio transmitters and receivers echo sounding equipment and distant reading compass. In operation the Commanding Officers of Ghurkas, Royal Marines and Naval Commanders were on board.

Around April 1945 an assembly of ships arrived a few miles off the mouth of the Rangoon River. There were large transports, which carried the landing craft like LCAs, LCVs and LCTs. The former to carry the men, the second to carry vehicles, and the latter to carry tanks. Other naval vessels were present to protect this gathering.

The river was only a mile wide and protected on both banks by Japanese Gun Emplacements. A Naval Captain named Bell came on board and was in charge of the operation. His first request was for a wandering lead for light, as he wanted to do some fishing! When I told him that the ship was 鈥渋n darkness鈥�, he said, 鈥測es I know, but just a small bulb will do鈥�. Next he wanted cigarettes, but our stores were completely empty. He had a signalman send a message to one of the larger ships for cigarettes, chocolate and bread!

The next morning, the ship鈥檚 company was assembled. We were told that we would be going into this assault led by a motor torpedo boat, followed by a LCT with a 6 inch gun mounted in it, followed by HMS LCH 101 with another LCT behind. Following us would be the landing assault craft. The Ghurkas were parachuted on to the banks of the river the day before and it was hoped that they would have overcome the Japanese positions. Captain Bell said that he hoped the Ghurkas would have achieved this; otherwise we would be lucky to get out alive! He told us to 鈥淯p Spirits鈥�, gave us a double tot of rum and then we set off.

Fortunately the Ghurkas had been very successful and were so far ahead of schedule that RAF bombing raids killed quite a number of them. We progressed up the river with troops being landed as we went along. Arriving in Rangoon it had been blitzed by the RAF and had fires burning everywhere. Apart from a few snipers we met no opposition.
We sailed away the next day and the 14th Army arrived having fought their way through the jungle to reach Rangoon.

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