Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
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206658
L/Cpl. George Watson
British Army Durham Light Infantry
from:Leeds
George Watson was my father who died in 1956. He served in the DLI in Burma and I remember him mentioning place names there such as Irrawady, Arokan, Kohima,Rangoon, Imphal etc.
I have some of his uniform badges and a cap badge, also some photographs of him overseas. I also have a postcard from the time with a photograph of a cemetery for the fallen. It has a most moving verse on a noticeboard: "In glorious hope their proud and sorrowing land commits her children to thy gracious hand".
He contracted malaria during his service, as did many of his comrades. He died of cancer, age 43, when I was 8 years old so we did not have much time together but he taught me to count to 20 in Hindustani; I can still do it! His family were convinced that the stresses of the Burma campaign killed him before his time. I recall him saying that he guarded some Japanese prisoners. I am guessing that they were few and far between before the A bombs so this was late in the war I suspect.
I would love to know more about his unit and their movements during the campaign. Any ideas on achieving this would be gratefully received.