F/O Kabbash . Royal Air Force navigator 101 Sqd.
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Sgt. Helmut E "Hal" Kabbe . US Army C Coy. 48th Infantry Regiment from Illinois Hal Kabbe also served with the Allied Intelligence Bureau.
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Pte. Maina Kach . British Army 13th (Nyasaland) Btn. King's African Rifles (d.24th April 1946) Private Kach is commemorated on the Lubudi Memorial in the Congo.
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Pte. Maina Kach . King's African Rifles 13th (Nyasaland) Bn. (d.24th April 1946) Private Kach is commemorated on the Lubudi Memorial in the Congo.
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Pte. Kanchana Senerat Kadigawe MID. British Army 5th Btn (Scottish) 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade from Sri lanka Private Kanchana Senerat Kadigawe was the only Sri Lankan to win the Oak Leaves
This is a tribute to SSP Senarat (K.S.) Kadigawe who passed away recently at his ancestral home in Kandy after a distinguished career in the Sri Lanka Police. He was the only Sri Lankan to win the ‘Oak Leaves’ in the British Army during World War II. His death took my mind back to 1976 when for the first time he revealed to a journalist his World War II experiences as a paratrooper in Nazi-occupied Europe. He was then SP (Transport) and I was doing the 'police beat' for the Sunday Observer. At the time Kadigawe was residing at Police Quarters, Keppettipola Mawatha, Colombo, with his family. It all began when he told me that he liked to know the whereabouts of a Greek family that had befriended him during the war. Responding to his request, I had a short news item published on the Sunday Observer front page stating that Kadigawe wished to contact the family of Constantinades who lived in the city of Piraeus. But there was no response to it from anyone, though all details were given. This story is how Kadigawe came into contact with this Greek family. Born in the Wanni, he was one of many young Sri Lankans who had enlisted in the British Royal Army Service Corps at the outbreak of WWII. Having arrived in the Middle-East as a RASC soldier he applied to join the Red Berets. After rigorous training he earned the paratrooper's `wings' thus becoming the only `colored' combatant in the Fifth Battalion (Scottish) 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade.
On July 31, 1944, the now defunct Times of Ceylon ran the following news item under a picture of him in the uniform of the British `Red Berets.' CEYLON MAN AS PARATROOPER SERVING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN THEATRE Pte. K. Senarat Kadigawe is, if not the only Ceylonese parachutist fighting in this war, one of the few. He is the only coloured man in the 5th Battalion (Scottish) 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade,doing service with the Central Mediterranean Forces… Around this time Greece had fallen to the Germans following a Nazi `blitzkrieg' (lightening attack) in April 1941. By the middle of May, the country was under joint occupation by three Axis powers: Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria. They brought about terrible hardships for the Greek civilian population. Over 300,000 civilians died from starvation, thousands more through reprisals, and the country's economy was ruined.
In 1944 the Red Berets were ordered to go on a mission to Piraeus. Their target was a power station which supplied electricity to search lights that helped German anti-aircraft gunners to spot British and American planes over Greece. The soldiers including Private Kadigawe boarded a Dakota C-47 transport plane, which took off from their base in North Africa with its lights switched off. The night was pitch-black and the plane was now flying over the Mediterranean. Soon the aircraft was over the `drop zone' in Greece and the green light inside the plane came on. From the open side door the paratroopers dived into the darkness one by one. After landing they studied a map that showed the power station and set off separately on different paths to reach the target lest the enemy captured all of them together. Even so it was no easy task to avoid being caught by German army patrols looking for curfew violators. Destroying the power station however turned out to be easier than the Red Berets had anticipated since it was lightly guarded. Probably the enemy did not expect a ground attack on it and assumed that anti-aircraft defences were sufficient to protect the installation. Two army engineers among the paratroopers cut an opening in the high barbed fire fence and entered the premises while Kadigawe and others covered them, ready to open fire if the two German soldiers guarding the place spotted the intruders. But everything went smoothly and the engineers succeeded in planting two time bombs inside the station. They were set to go off within 24 hours giving enough time for the attackers to flee from the place – or so Kadigawe thought. He and his comrades had been ordered to reach the Greek coast and meet at a designated spot from where a British Royal Navy ship would pick them up.
The real fireworks – both literally and metaphorically – however began when the bombs went off completely destroying the power station. The enraged Germans began combing the entire area like mad dogs looking for the attackers. But the Greeks, except for Nazi collaborators, were thrilled. They were willing to give whatever assistance the British paratroopers required. And it was Kadigawe who needed it most since he was on the verge of being captured. But luck was with him. A Greek Bank official, Constantinades residing nearby came to his help and asked the Sri Lankan soldier to quickly move into his house. Kadigawe was then taken to an upstairs room where he was told to hide. The room belonged to one of Constantinades' daughters. The girl's father told her to pretend to be very sick, get into bed and cover herself with a sheet. Bottles of medicine were placed on a small table near the bed. Kadigawe was then told lie motionless on a very narrow stretch of the floor between the bed and the bedroom wall. A bed sheet fully covered both sides of the bed so well that anyone peeping under the bed could see no soldier between the bed and the wall. The Sri Lankan soldier asked Constantinades why he and his family were risking their lives to protect him. If he was captured the Germans would very likely send him to a POW camp under the Geneva Convention rather than shoot him. But the fate of a Greek civilian found giving shelter to a British soldier would be quite different. The Germans would execute the civilian and perhaps his entire family on the spot in as a `lesson' to others. But Constantinades would hear none of it. He firmly told Kadigawe that it was their patriotic duty to protect all foreigners fighting to liberate Greece from the Nazis. So the paratrooper had no alternative but to follow his instructions.
Soon the Germans were all over the place. Uttering the usual warning through loud hailers, they began searching the houses in the neighbourhood for the escapees. Kadigawe was lying motionless but the tension was unbearable. He could hear his own heart beat. His real fear was for the Greek family. Constantinades' daughter was on the bed pretending to be seriously ill and moaning in `discomfort and pain.' At the Constantinades home the Nazis first began searching every room on the ground floor. Then Kadigawe heard the sound of jackbooted feet The Germans were climbing up the stairs. After thoroughly inspecting every room on the upper floor, they came to the one where Kadigawe was hiding. As the Nazi officer in charge stepped into the room, Constantinades fervently appealed to him to avoid disturbing his very sick daughter. She was in great pain he said. For moment, the German stood there looking hard at the girl, who turned out to be a good `actress.' To her, Kadigawe and Constantinades those few seconds seem like an eternity. Then the officer turned back saying `okay' and climbed down the stairs with his men. Kadigawe did not know how to thank the Greek family.
Soon afterwards he managed to reach the coast where he joined his comrades before the British Navy ship picked them up.
A year later when Kadigawe met the Constantinades family again it was his turn to reciprocate. They were then in very dire circumstances. Following the German surrender and the end of the World War in 1945, Greece found itself in the throes of a civil war between the government and communists who resorted to terrorist acts. Hunger and starvation was widespread. The Allied occupation troops had opened soup-kitchens to serve the hungry masses. The Red Berets were called into assist the Greek authorities in dealing with terrorism. One day, Kadigawe passing one of the food queues was shocked find two very familiar faces. They were the daughters of Constantinades. Talking to them the Sri Lankan soldier learnt that the civil war had made their father bankrupt. They were given prompt assistance by Kadigawe and his comrades in a generous gesture of gratitude.
Kadigawe earned the Military Medal for an act of gallantry by killing two terrorists and maiming two others in the Greek civil war. Seven months after the end of World War II, on November 24, 1945, Lt. Colonel D.R. Hunter Commander of the 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade awarded Kadigawe a certificate for having won the confidence of his superiors and for acts of gallantry a distinguished service. But his proudest moment came when he resigned from the army and joined the Sri Lanka Police as a sub-inspector. At an inspection parade of SIs at the Police Training School the then Inspector-General W.T. Brindley, saluted Kadigawe on seeing the Oak Leaves and Military Medal on his uniform.
By Janaka Perera, Asian Tribune Sat, 2008-09-13.
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Chester Kadlubowski . United States Army Infantry Chester Kadlubowski was captured in Italy and held in Stalag 2B.
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Pte. Akilio Kadrati . British Army 1st Btn. Fiji Infantry Regiment (d.3rd November 1943) Akilio Kadrati was aged 20 when he died and is buried in the Honiara (Matanikau) Cemetery in the Solomon Islands
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Sgt. Hyman Chaim Mordecai Kahler . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 75 Squadron from Stoke Newington, London (d.19th Apr 1944) Sergeant (Flight Engineer) Hyman Kahler was the Son of Morris and Rachel Kahler, of Stoke Newington, London.
He was aged 21 when he died and is buried in a collective grave in the Gram Churchyard in Denmark.
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Pte. Thomas Kahlow . British Army Royal Berkshire Regiment from London (d.28th May 1940)
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Pte. William Kaighin . British Army 1st Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers What follows is all that I managed to get from my father, William Kaighin but it does not line up with the RSF war diary which leaves me to believe that my father did not go with the original battalion. Please can someone help me with any information or clarification or where I can get it as the regiment has been no help?
I was called up and sent to Maidstone then Inverness with the 1st Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers. Picked up the 2nd Battalion in Poona, India. Train at Bombay to Chittagong which took a week. Boat from there to Calcutta for about a day-no post. Calcutta to an island called Akkyack but cancelled at last minute and sent to northern India to Arakan which was jungle then on to Margarita-Burma-Opong.
Flew in Dakota. Yanks captured it and gave it to the Chinese who left it on fire when we got there. We were there 13 months then walked to Mandalay. Then into hospital with malaria, scrub typhus, jungle sores and dysentry, flown out by Jackie Gleeson in a Dakota, on patient per wing, Gave us mepracrin tablets every day. Young guy next to me in bed, about 22 or 23 died one night and I did not know until the morning. He had malaria of the spine which you catch from the female mosquito, the male does not bite. I went into the doctors one day and stole 500 mepracrin tablets. A friend was bending down behind a tree going to the toilet and did not know that a Jap was doing the same the other side. Friend was the first to pull up his trousers and killed the Jap.
Any prisoners taken were killed as there was not enough food for us. In any case it was too far to take them back. They treated us the same. If you discharged your rifle without coming up with a body you went on a charge of 14 days.
I was frightened on the ship going over cause you are locked below.
They gave me a week's leave then it was off to Inverness standing all the way from London. I arrived, signed in and then the sergeant took me for a 5 mile run. I was one of the oldest at 34.
Ruby Sparkes was in our lot. He was a London crook, the first man to break out of Dartmoor. He decided to get out of the Army. We all got a 48 hour pass to go to a boxing match and Ruby put his name down for one of the fights. On the way to the match he said cheerio and was never seen again.
Saw Vera Lynn in Chittagong. She moved the officers out of the front seats and put the soldiers there. Mountbatton gave us a talk. It was all bullshit but boosted our morale. He could swear worse than me.
The ship we went out on was the Wiiem Roose along with an American boat called the Maritz. The Maritz was torpedoed with about 2000 troops on board. I helped my mate called Chota Small out of the water.
We gave our underwear away to villagers for food.
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AE Kaine . British Army AE Kaine served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Thomas Kakallis . British Army Cyprus Regiment from Marathovounos, Xeros, Cyprus
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P/O Stefan Kalarus . Royal Air Force 350 Sqdn. from Poland (d.8th Jan 1942) I am researching a Polish flier, who (according to his headstone in our churchyard) was a member of 350 squadron. His name was Pilot Officer Stefan Kalarus. Has anyone any information about an air accident involving planes of 350 Squadron which occurred on 8th of January 1942 at RAF Valley? I have found one squadron history which refers to this accident but in no detail. I would be glad to hear from you.
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Mikhail Kalashnikov . Red Army from Izhevsk, Udmurtia Republic Mikhail Kalashnikov who designed the AK-47 assault rifle joined the Red Army in 1938, he began to show mechanical flair by inventing several modifications for Soviet tanks. The moment that firmly set his course was in the 1941 battle of Bryansk against Nazi forces, when a shell hit his tank. Recovering from wounds in the hospital, he brooded about the superior automatic rifles he'd seen the Nazis deploy; his rough ideas and revisions bore fruit five years later. "Blame the Nazi Germans for making me become a gun designer, I always wanted to construct agricultural machinery."
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Sgt. Maurice Kalikoff . British Army 2nd Btn. Mortar Platoon Parachute Regiment from London (d.27th Oct 1944) Maurice Kalikoff is my uncle. I know he was at Arnhem and died there. He was left with six men to guard a house and was shot, taken prisoner and died in October 1944
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Pvt. Louis John Kalil . United States Army 394th Infantry Regiment from Mishawaka, IN
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Pte. Meir Kalinski . British Army Palestine Regiment (d.21st Oct 1943) Meir Kalinski is buried in the Petah Tikvah Cemetery, Israel.
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Pte. Herbert J Kammeraad . US Army from Holland, Mi. USA Dad did not talk to much about it.The few times I could get him to talk
this is what I remeber. They were captured and moved to a guarded barn
the US was shelling the Germans he heard 1 shell go long then 1 go short
the 3rd shell hit the barn, he was on an outside wall it blew him out side
the barn. He said he could not see because of the clay forced up under his
eye lids. Not many men survived the blast. He was moved to pow camp stalag 7a from what I can obtain. He said they were forced to repair train tracks
that the allies bombed. He told about being chain bombed "he said they chain bombs together so the bombs would lay out in a line to desroy more track " Dad said the Germans would run for shelters and leave them their.
He talked about pick axeing the gages in a train engine when the germans were gone.Dad said they made them carry a bucket of grease and a stick to grease train cupplers.He talked about adding a hand full of dirt then covering it with grease.He said towards the end they starved,they fed them
hedge leaf soup and bread made from saw dust.I remember him saying they would trade uniforms with us officers so they could go on work detail. Sometimes the locals would slip the bread and food and this would allow the officers a chance to get more to eat.I think i was 25 years old before
my dad ever talked about it at all and I was born in 1955. I know it affected him deeply. He was looking for a book called Feet Of Clay, I think
it was writen by someone he was captured with.
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Barbara Kane . Timber Corps
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G Kane . British Army Royal Armoured Corps G Kane served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Signalman. Henry Kane . Royal Navy HMS Prunella (d.21st Jun 1940)
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J Kane . British Army Seaforth Highlanders J Kane served with the Seaforth Highlanders British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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J Kane . British Army J Kane served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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R Kane . British Army 1st Btn. Royal Tank Regiment R Kane served with the 1st Btn. Royal Tank Regiment British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Frmn. Robert Kane . Merchant Navy SS Empire Fusilier (d.9th Feb 1942) Robert Kane died age 54. He was born in Jarrow in 1887, son of William and Margaret Jane Kane (nee McCauley) of Jarrow. He was the husband of Florence Kane (nee Wilson) of Jarrow and is remembered on the Tower Hill Memorial. Robert is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall.
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Jozef Kania . Royal Air Force 303 Sqdn. Jozef (Joseph) Kana (or Kania) was born 26 September 1914 in Krupina Slovak Republic. He was an RAF pilot (ID 794087) in 303 Squadron. He also served in 313 Squadron and later No. 1. ACU, 587 and 631 Squadrons.
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Pte. Phillip Kanter . British Army Royal Army Medical Corps Royal Army Medical Corps from No. 90 General Hospital (d.21st October 1942) Phillip Kanter was 32 when he died and is buried in the Marsa Jewish Cemetery in Malta.
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Pte. Hannah Kantorowitz . British Army Auxiliary Territorial Service (d.23rd Jan 1944) Hannah Kantorowitz is buried in the Ramoth Hashovim Cemetery in Israel.
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