A Story of War

China!

We leave Laskio (Pierce and self and one Merritt of 17 sqn), and drive to Loiwing. We camp on the road the first night, light a fire and broach a case of beer. Bully, cheese and dry biscuits fried on the fire form an excellent meal. Next day on and we reach here. Many hairpin bends on the road, and country very hilly in parts and like Assamese jungle in others. We arrive here near Pankham village on the border and live in the PWD bungalow, 17 sqn and troops taking over the BFF (Burmese Frontier Force) barracks. Excellent food out of tins etc, now living well on the country, and damn good sleeping at this height. We drive to China yesterday over a bridge where there’s a sentry and a bamboo barrier.

China much the same as this and at Loiwing is C.A.M.C.O.’s works. The sentry has a Kachha looking rifle with a bayonet and two stick bombs in his equipment. Also some sandpaper for cleaning his weapons, in a special pouch. A British tin hat. I cross the river and walk for some hours in China yesterday up in the jungle forest, but see nothing interesting except red ants nests up in trees. No fuel at Loiwing (the satellite), and they have no permission for aircraft to land there. It’s about 10 miles from here over the border. A Subedar of BFF fixes up all feeding and servants for us. Not too hot, and wooded hills all round.

Today Sunday, must go to a church parade, whilst I and Crossing, the QM, sit and talk to the Subedar and the locals about food etc. The Burma road a good one, and full of Chinese lorry convoys, going both ways. Pierce pulls over in a narrow bit of road to avoid a US Army jeep and gets two wheels in a ditch. The jeep pulls him out, but too far and he ditches on the other side of the road, throwing us all off into the paddy fields.