Archive for Burma

Enfield No5 Mk 1 Jungle Carbine

Posted in Firearms with tags , , , on August 12, 2018 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_KingdomAlthough I try to stick to Axis firearms, sometimes the pickings get slim. So when I slide off the true path I have to be careful because there’s a world of pain in store for my bank account if I go full retard. I have always had a sweet spot for Enfield rifles though, my first long arm centerfire was a Number 1 Mk 3. The Number 5 always held a fascination for me. Partly because of it’s late war nature and partly because when it was issued, the vast majority of them went to the Far East, a theatre I have read a lot on. This example is one of 81,329 produced by BSA. It’s fully matching, unmucked with and never got the Ishapore redo post-war.

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Burma Death Railway Spike

Posted in Odds & Ends with tags , , , , , , on November 18, 2017 by The Dude

Flag_of_ThailandFlag_of_Japan.svgFlag_of_AustraliaFlag_of_the_United_KingdomA couple of cool and evocative finds here from a contact in Thailand. These are Thai 1940 dated railway spikes from the ruined railway line that ran over 415 km from Thanbyuzayat in Burma to Ban Pong in Thailand. Many people know it only from it’s depiction in the movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai” where it crosses the Mae Klong river. I visited the site and Hellfire Pass in 2014 and I cannot believe the misery under which the slave laborers, both civilian and Allied POW, must have worked and died. A digger over there walked sections of the rail line that were never reused after the war and retrieved these spikes.

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The Burma Star

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , , on August 1, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_KingdomThe Burma Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.

The medal was awarded for service in the Burma Campaign between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. This medal was also awarded for certain specified service in China, Hong Kong, Malaya and Sumatra:

  • Hong Kong – between 26 December 1941 and 2 September 1945
  • China and Malaya – between 16 February 1942 and 2 September 1945
  • Sumatra – between 24 March 1942 and 2 September 1945
  • Second World War service in China, Hong Kong, Malaya and Sumatra after 8 December 1941 but prior to the above start dates was recognised by the award of the Pacific Star.

British uniform regulations stipulated that the Pacific Star would not be awarded to a prior recipient of the Burma Star. Subsequent entitlement to the Pacific Star was denoted by the award of the Pacific clasp.

rsz_burmastar

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5 Rupee Japanese Occupation Script for Burma

Posted in Money with tags , , on April 16, 2013 by The Dude

Flag_of_Japan.svgJapan, in an attempt to control black market activity as well as prices in the conquered territories in S.E.Asia, produced Occupation Script in various denominations and currencies. This is one of the notes produced for Burma. There was also a one and ten rupee note.

rsz_rupee2 rsz_rupee1

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The Burma Star with Pacific Bar

Posted in 1939-1945 Service Medals with tags , , , , , on February 14, 2010 by The Dude

Flag_of_the_United_KingdomThe Burma Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.

The medal was awarded for service in the Burma Campaign between 11 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. This medal was also awarded for certain specified service in China, Hong Kong, Malaya and Sumatra:

  • Hong Kong – between 26 December 1941 and 2 September 1945
  • China and Malaya – between 16 February 1942 and 2 September 1945
  • Sumatra – between 24 March 1942 and 2 September 1945
  • Second World War service in China, Hong Kong, Malaya and Sumatra after 8 December 1941 but prior to the above start dates was recognised by the award of the Pacific Star.

British uniform regulations stipulated that the Pacific Star would not be awarded to a prior recipient of the Burma Star. Subsequent entitlement to the Pacific Star was denoted by the award of the Pacific clasp.

rsz_burmaandpac1 rsz_burmaandpac2

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