The Queen's Royal Regt (West Surrey) - Burma

[kenetic]

Looking for information on my Great Uncle Philip Maher born Cork City, Ireland in 1918. Philip was a color serjeant  in The Queen's Royal Regt (West Surrey), Infantry Branch.  I believe Philip was killed in action in Burma back in June 1945, can anybody elaborate on the action he might have seen while in Burma or even the facts surrounding his death?

many thanks in advance -ken

[gortonboy]

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2260871

so we know he was in the first battalion...might help..

[gortonboy]

The 1st Battalion spent the war in the Far East. For over a year from October 1940, it was deployed on the North-West Frontier in operations against the tribes and then in 1942 it joined the 7th Indian Division. The Division was deployed in the Arakan in Burma in September 1943 and the Battalion saw some hard fighting through the winter months inflicting the first reverses on the Japanese. In May 1944 the Battalion was flown up to Kohima to help relieve the gallant 4th Queen’s Own Royal West Kents who were holding out alone against the main Japanese attempt to invade India. In the battle for Jail Hill, Kohima, the 1st Battalion played a major part in bringing about the defeat of the Japanese. This action was considered the turning point of the War in Burma: thereafter the Japanese were always in retreat. Later in 1945 the Battalion drove the enemy down the Irrawaddy River and fought its last battle of the war north of Rangoon at the end of July. In the war against the Japanese this Battalion never failed to take its objectives and was never made to withdraw from ground it had won.

[kenetic]

Thanks for the fast response gortonboy, much appreciated. I've been up on the common wealth war graves site before but obviously the nationality listed had thrown me off.