Interview with Henry Patrick Higgins

British officer served with 1st Bn North Staffordshire Regt (Prince of Wales'), 36th Indian Infantry Bde, 26th Indian Infantry Div in Arakan, Burma, 12/1942-5/1943

REEL 1 Background in Hastings and Dartmoor, GB, 1919-1938: family; education. Aspects of period as officer with British Army in GB, 1938-1939: training at Royal Military College Sandhurst, Camberley; posting to 2nd Bn North Staffordshire Regt at Aldershot Garrison. Aspects of period as officer with 1st Bn North Staffordshire Regt (Prince of Wales') in India, 1939-1942: character of voyage from GB to India, 1939; arrival in Bombay; joining unit at Poona; use of personal servants; Queen Victoria's holiday on Thursdays; move to Calcutta; role with headquarters company; contracting malaria and jaundice in Darjeeling; dealing with civil disturbances in Calcutta; Imperial Japanese Army Air Service raids on Calcutta, 1942; posting of company to Andaman Islands. Recollections of operations as officer with 1st Bn North Staffordshire Regt (Prince of Wales'), 36th Indian Infantry Bde, 26th Indian Infantry Div in Arakan, Burma, 12/1942-5/1943: move to transit camp at Chittagong, India; move into Arakan; method of transporting troops and mule to Maungdaw; attempt to infiltrate behind Imperial Japanese Army lines; wounding in head by Imperial Japanese Army sniper during withdrawal from Arakan. REEL 2 Continues: circumstances of his wounding, near Buthidaung, 3/5/1943; evacuation by Indian labourers; location where he was shot in the head; nature of fighting against Imperial Japanese Army; conditions in Arakan; lack of use of air power in Arakan; opinion of Japanese; story of recovery of wounds in and return to GB after staff work in India. Aspects of period with 2nd Bn North Staffordshire Regt (Prince of Wales'), 2nd Infantry Bde, 3rd Infantry Div in Palestine, 6/1945-1/1947: situation and role of battalion; search of kibbutz for illegal immigrants.