208368 L/Cpl Cyril George "Bud" Tomalin British Army 1st Battalion Cameronian (Scottish Rifles) from:Kensington, London Cyril Tomalin enlisted at the age of 18 yrs with the Regiment in London on the 13th November 1935 and served until 30th May 1945. His friend, Lawrence William "Laurie" Viner s/n 3245258 joined up at the same time.
He served with the Regiment in India before WW2 and, on war being declared, was a PT Instructor training the Indian Police.
On the Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942, the 1st Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) were one of the many regiments sent into Burma to repel them. During the fighting and on 28th Feb 1942 his friend, Lawrence William "Laurie" Viner s/n 3245258, was killed beside him and he buried him using a piece of wood from the side of an Army truck as a makeshift cross (for which he was threatened with Court Marshall for destroying Army equipment!). On the retreat from Burma, he became detached from the Regiment and led a small group of Cameronians back towards the Irrawaddy River and safety in India. One of the group, Charles "Charlie" Connor s/n 10602700, was sure they were heading in the wrong direction and left the group only to be captured by the Japenese. He ended up on the Burma Railway, where he died on the 8th April 1944.
On reaching the Irrawaddy River, they found it heavily swollen by rainwater and fast flowing. Under heavy Japenese fire and using, as floats, empty water bottles taken from the bodies of dead soldiers littering the banks, they managed to go upstream and cross the river on the current where friendly forces hauled them ashore on the far bank.
From the whole Battalion of the 1st Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) only 14 officers and 120 other ranks escaped with their lives.
Cyril was hospitalised in India suffering from malnutrition, dysentery, malaria and the mental scars of his ordeal in Burma. He was to have recurring bouts of malaria for the rest of his life. He was evacuated back to England and to Hammersmith Hospital in London, where his future wife and my mother, Evelyn Rosemary Emily "Eve" Williams, was one of the nurses that cared for him. They were married on the 12 May 1945 at St Clements Church, Fulham, London.
My father would never talk about his experiences during the War and refused to even send for his medals. My mother sent for them following his death in 1984. She has his 1939-45 Star, Burma Star, War and Victory Medals but I also know he was awarded the 1936-9 General Service Medal with Palestine Clasp and the India General Service Medal with North West Frontier 1937-39 Clasp but do not know if these are available, or not.
I think the following tribute says it all!
From Lt Gen Sir William Slim KCB, CBE, DSO, MC. Tribute to the 1st Cameronian Scottish Rifles the 8th April 1944.
"The retreat from Burma in 1942 was as severe an ordeal as any army could be called to endure - Battered, exhausted, hungry, reduced by casualties to a fraction of their strength, they never lost their fighting spirit or their indomitable cheerfulness."
"Lest we forget"
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