Peace had broken out in Europe, the celebrations of VE Day were over, and families were reunited however war was still raging in Asia and the Pacific. The atomic bombs falling on Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought to an end one of the most fierce passages of World War II. This war will forever be remembered in Blaenau Gwent as part of that campaign caused one of the single largest losses for our community.
One of the key moments of the Southeast Asia campaign was the need to secure the control of the Mayu Tunnels, a supply chain for the Arakan peninsular of Burma (now Myanmar) that were being used by the Japanese as an ammunition depot.
British forces had tried to capture the tunnels before but with little success before the Welsh forces attacked. On 26th March 1944 the 6th Battalion South Wales Borderers arrived and took it by storm.
Bedwellty House, Tredegar, hosts the Burma Shrine that recognises those lost in WWI, WWII and The Battle of Tredegar Hill. To its side is a painting that shows the moment of attack with the machine guns along the ridge and the hill so steep that it was all but impossible to scale. Archie Jones, the artist, was in the battalion who took part in the battle and painted the landscape or war scape, 60 years after the battle.
On display are also two letters from the assault leaders describing the battle.
W.J. Slim General Commander-in-Chief, Allied Land Forces Southeast Asia described the ridge as being, ‘held by a tenacious and fanatical enemy who fought to the last. In its capture the officers and men of the Battalion showed, at its highest, the traditional fighting spirit and valour of Wales.’
While Lieut-General Sir A.F. Christison said he was ‘privileged to watch the assault on the 26th March by the 6th Battalion South Wales Borderers and it was with great pride that I saw with my glasses British Troops swarming over the Hill and knew that the position had been won.’
Obviously, neither were in reach of that machine gun fire and the battle cost Tredegar dear. Eleven young men from the town lost their lives and twenty-nine others were injured. Some of these can be seen in a photo to the right of the shrine. As a result of the battle won and the lives lost, the ridge was renamed Tredegar Hill.
Those who lost their lives were:
Private John Edward Ellis; Private Charles Benjamin Evans; Sergeant Charles Gwilliam; Lance Corporal Edward Holmes; Private Thomas Sims Howells; Private William Eleazer Jones; Corporal Harold Lucas; Private William Emlyn Rogers; Lieutenant Austin Noel Stephens; Private William John Tranter; Corporal Raymond Frederick Wookey.
The memorial itself was made in oak by local builder Dickenson’s . The two larger boxes contain the memorial volumes of war dead from WWI and WWII. In the centre is a box of a different colour. This is because it is made from teak. The first trunk of teak was lost when the ship carrying it was torpedoed on the way from Burma to the UK, so the soldiers returned to Tredegar Hill and found another trunk in a fox hole, and this was brough safely back to Wales where it was furnished into a beautiful casket filled with soil from Tredegar Hill. This sits as a permanent memorial to the soldiers who had fallen.
On the shrine are two small bronze lions presented by The Ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, The Honourable Kyaw Zwar Minn, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Battle. This was the first ever visit of an ambassador from Myanmar to Wales. As part of the visit, he received a casket of soil from Tredegar to take to Myanmar as a reciprocal gift and symbol of unity between the countries. The casket was made of Welsh oak by trainees at the Blaenau Gwent Training Centre and it contained inscriptions in Welsh and English along with a scroll commemorating those who lost their lives and soil from Tredegar.
Pat Evans, of Tredegar spoke about her father who served in Burma: “My father Douglas Healy served in the 2nd Battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, better known as the Chindits. They were an elite special force who often worked behind enemy lines and endured the most horrendous conditions. Although my father returned home and went on to have a family of six children, he never truly recovered from what he experienced there. He had malaria 17 times and typhoid twice. He never spoke about his experiences until we obtained his badge and medals which he wore with pride. Wherever he went and whenever he wore his badge, he was greeted and thanked by people who were fully aware of what he and his comrade went through.”
Cllr Derrick Bevan, the Armed Forces Champion for Blaenau Gwent Council says: “I knew Doug well, as children we’d love to see his tattoos and listen to his stories, but he never spoke about his time in the war. All those who served in the Southeast Asia Campaign, were real heroes. They fought in some of the most challenging conditions, through dense, insect infested forests and faced a fierce fighting opposition. Even after it was over they uncovered the horrific prisoner of war camps. It is no wonder that those who served there never spoke about it.”
There will be a series of commemorative events across Blaenau Gwent on Friday 15th August to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. All the events are open to the public and families of all service men and women who served in the Southeast Asia Campaign are especially welcome.
11am - Commemoration Services at War Memorial, Central Park, Blaina and War memorial, Libanus Road, Ebbw Vale.
11.45am - Commemoration Services at Llanhilleth War Memorial
12noon - Commemoration Services at War Memorial, Abertillery and Burma Shrine, Bedwellty House, Tredegar
2pm - Commemoration Service at Cwm War Memorial
6:30pm - Ringing out in Celebration - ringing of the church bells at St George’s Church, Tredegar
7pm - Parade from WWII Memorial Gates to Cenotaph for Commemoration Service at
Bedwellty Park Tredegar and Commemoration Service at Christ Church, Ebbw Vale.
9pm - Beacon and Lamp Lights of Peace at Aneurin Bevan Memorial Stones, Tredegar.
Please bring your own lantern or candle to join in the service.
