Bahia, B S (Oral history)

Punjabi Indian soldier served with Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers with 34 Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers Mobile Workshops in Ceylon, 1941; served with Infantry Mobile Workshop of 20th Div in India, Burma and Indo-China, 1942-1946

REEL 1 Background in Punjab, India, 1922-1940: family. Move to GB, 1963: impressions of GB; opinion of Enoch Powell. Recollection of period with REME Ceylon, India, Burma and Indo-China, 1942-1946: move to 34 REME Mobile Workshop Colombo, 1941; move to Burma with Infantry Mobile Workshop of 20th Division, 1942; duties; posting to Thobal, 2/1/1944; road building in Burma; jungle terrain; withdrawal from Thobal to Imphal, 25/3/1944; conditions in Imphal; air supply; workshop positions; story of taking bren gun carrier to front-line; story of cousin being killed while flying with 8 Sqdn Indian Airforce; movements through India and Burma; view of Mandalay; movement towards Rangoon; attachment to divisional signals; story of NCO and officer injured by grenade. REEL 2 Continues: story of hearing of end of war; move to Rangoon; opinion of Japanese; view of Japanese prisoners of war; attitude towards Indian National Liberation Army; relationship with British officers and NCOs; move to Indo China Recollections of period in India, 1946-1952: return to India, 1946; story of being stationed in Lahore during partition; refusal to return to unit in Pakistan; duties in workshop. Return to Burma, 1995; aspects of post war trips to French and Italian battlefields; Thailand and Burma; question of treatment of ex-servicemen. REEL 3 Continues: prior recollection of Japanese shelling; descriptions of Bahia's photographs of post war trips; VJ day, 1995; membership of ex-servicemen's associations; reasons for joining army.