245271 Pte. George D'Arcy British Army 2nd Btn. South Lancashire Regiment from:Liverpool George D'Arcy (my father) joined the regiment in 1937. He was underage at the time and didn't tell his mother. His father had died 10 years earlier and his mother was a hardworking women with 7 children.
After basic training at Peninsula barracks, Marsh House Lane, Warrington he was sent to join the 2nd battalion in India.
As a poor boy from Wavertree it was the trip of a lifetime. Gibraltar, the med, Malta, the Suez canal, the pyramids and food all thrown in.
My dad had a few tales to tell of pre-war India, one of which was about one of his comrades walking up and touching a sleeping tiger thinking it was dead. It then awoke and he was killed. We thought this was a tall story until after he died when I found a reference to it in the regimental museum. The soldiers name was Gallagher and he is buried in the military cemetery in Doellalli.
The Battalion was in Bombay at the start of the war and was sent back home in 1940 to become part of the south coast defences. When Japan entered the war he was sent back to India via South Africa and later took part in the invasion of Madagascar . During his time in South Africa he said he was well looked after by a local family named Godfrey.
The battalion then went on to fight during the whole of the Burma campaign. He fought in all of the major engagements.
He took part in the crossing of the Irrawaddy which was the longest opposed river crossing of the whole war. He was at Impha, Kohima and Letse. The latter is a unique battle honour.
He was injured when he took cover from a night air attack and ending up diving on top of the embers of a fire. He said some Japanese aircraft followed friendly ones coming in to land at night and got past the air defences.
During his time in Burma he said he was marching along a road through the jungle when the saw an ox cart up ahead. They quickened the pace and caught it up to get a ride. When they jumped on his sisters husband, Jackie Payne was driving it. He didn't even know he was in the army let alone thousands of miles from home. Small world.
His mate in the battalion was Jimmy O'Donnell who was in the signals platoon. Dad went on to marry Jim's sister, Sadie and they lived happily together for 42 years. Jim died in 1952 from complications following appendicitis.
After the war dad worked for British Rail at Edge Hill and Lime St in Liverpool until he retired aged 65. He died 4 years later.
He was an unassuming man and a proud holder of the Burma Star. I am proud to be named after him.
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