McCutcheon, Donald Sutherland (Oral history)

British officer served with 3/4th Bn Gurkha Rifles in India, 1942-1943; served with No 40 Column, 3/4th Bn Gurkha Rifles, Morris Force, 3rd Indian Infantry Div during Second Chindit Expedition Operation Thursday in Burma, 3/1944-7/1944; served with 4th Gurkha Rifles Regimental Centre at Bakloh, India, 1947

REEL 1 Background in India and GB, 1918-1939: family; officer cadet training at Royal Military College Sandhurst. Aspects of period as officer with 2nd/4th Bn Gurkha Rifles at Loralai, North West Frontier, India, 9/1939: initial attachment to 2nd Bn Duke of Wellington's Regt (West Riding) at Multan, India, 1939; joining 2/4th Bn Gurkha Rifles at Loralai including column work in Baluchistan Agency. Recollections of operations as officer with 3/4th Bn Gurkha Rifles on North West Frontier, India, 1942: transfer to unit at Chaman; Pathan attack on unit at Dumdil Camp, near Razmak; counter-attack against Pathans using mortars. Aspects of period as officer with 3/4th Bn Gurkha Rifles training with 111th Indian Infantry Bde, 3rd Indian Infantry Div for prosposed Second Chindit Expedition, India, 1943-1944: joining 111th Indian Infantry Bde for jungle training; how Gurkhas coped with jungle training; question of Gurkhas accepting young Gurkha officers; conservatism of sepoys and Gurkhas; training accidents; impression of Major General Orde Wingate; morale on completion of training; move across India to North Eastern Frontier. REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of operations as officer with No 40 Column, 3/4th Bn Gurkha Rifles, Morris Force, 3rd Indian Infantry Div during Second Chindit Expedition in Burma, 3/1944-7/1944: delay to flying into Burma due to suspected sabotage of landing strip; disorganisation during crossing of River Irrawaddy; role of 40 Column; continual skirmishes with Japanese; reaction to orders that they were under command of American General Joseph Stilwell; question of failure to use Chindits as long range penetration troops; danger from Allied aircraft; what Colonel Charles Hunter of Merrill's Marauders told him of misuse of 3/4th Bn Gurkha Rifles by General Joseph Stilwell; effects of disease and fatigue on unit; remains of unit flown out from Myitkyina, 7/1944; physical condition after expedition; how commanding officer was killed and how he had subsequent brush with Japanese patrol; failure of Japanese to follow Chindits into jungle; narrow escape from Japanese bullet in head. REEL 3 Continues: performance of unit during expedition; opinion of co-operation with Burmese villagers; lack of discipline problems with Gurkhas with one exception; regularity of air dropped supplies; how complete machine gun was dropped to unit by mistake; opinion of performance of mules; memories of veterinary surgeon with 30 Column; personal view of his Chindit experience and role of Chindits during Burma Campaign; award of his Military Cross. Recollections of period as officer with 4th Gurkha Rifles Regimental Centre at Bakloh, India during Indian Partition, 1947: return to regimental centre at Bakloh, near Dalhousie in Punjab; sight of villages burning on plains below Bakloh. REEL 4 Continues: handing over of his Gurkhas to Indian officers at Bakloh; encounters with refugees in western Punjab whilst leaving India.