‘They were all part of the abnormal life we led throughout the Burma Campaign,’ said Madge. ‘I know it’s an odd thing to remember but one of my overriding memories is of the sheer tiredness. We all seemed to be constantly craving sleep because of the physical and emotional demands placed on us.’
‘It was impossible to lead even the semblance of a normal life because those times were anything but normal,’ said Basil. ‘We were just grateful that we managed to live day to day although we lived with a constant worry about the Japanese. We both think about the brave souls who never made it back home and we pay homage to them every year.’
‘What we all learned in those troubled times,’ said Madge, ‘was to compromise. There was no option in the Burma Campaign but to compromise. And I feel it is that ability to compromise that has really been the secret to our marriage too.’
Vivid as those memories of the past decade may have been, nothing compared to the peace of mind that Basil and Madge experienced at the end of a match in Brighton between South Africa and Japan in the Rugby World Cup. Both were on the edge of their seats in their bungalow on the south coast as the game thundered to a thrilling end. Then when New Zealand-born Karne Hesketh scored a try in the last minute for Japan to triumph 34–32 to complete the greatest upset in the history of the tournament, the Burma Campaign veterans burst into very raucous and very unified applause.
Her words were chosen with extreme care because under no circumstances would the atrocities ever be forgotten, but as they cheered the Japanese Madge suddenly realised something profound seventy years after the end of the Second World War. ‘Basil, darling, we’ve forgiven them.’
Glossary
Anna (coin) 100th of a rupee
Arakan an area in Burma
Basha bamboo-built building
Bearer servant or general worker
Bengal now in Pakistan
Bhisti an Indian water-carrier
BOR British Other Ranks
Bully Beef slang for corned beef
Burma now Myanmar
Calcutta now Kolkata
CCS Casualty Clearing Station
CO Commanding Officer
DC-3 Douglas Dakota-3
Dhobi or Dhobi-wallah servant who washes clothing etc.
Dhoti a long white loincloth worn in place of trousers
DI dangerously ill
EMS Emergency Medical Services
GSW Gun Shot Wound
Havildar Sergeant in Indian Army
HMS His Majesty’s Ship
HQ Headquarters
ID Identification Disc
IGH Indian General Hospital
IGH(C) Indian General Hospital (combined)
Jai Hind Victory to India
L.O. Hello, as spoken in London’s East End by a Cockney
Memsahib respectful word for European married woman
Mepacrine substitute for quinine, used by British troops
Miliaria Rubra prickly heat
MP Military Police
NCO Non-Commissioned Officer
NGL Nurses Gossip Line
Pegu now Bago
PSP pierced-steel planking, used to make ground firm
Punka-wallah servant who pulls large carpet-shaped fan to air room
QA Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps
Rangoon now Yangon
RASC Royal Army Service Corps
RMP Royal Military Police
RMS Royal Mail Ship, used as a troop carrier
Sahib friendly greeting to European male
Sapper Royal Corps of Engineers (similar to an Army Private)
SEAC South East Asia Command
Sepoy Indian soldier (similar to Private)
SIB Special Investigation Branch (of RMP)
Simla now known as Shimla
SS steam ship
Tender small utility vessel
Thunder Box toilet pan
VAD Voluntary Aid Detachment
VD Venereal Disease
WVS Women’s Voluntary Service
Acknowledgements
Looking back on my story of the past seventy-four years I became very conscious of the debt I owe to so many. My thanks go firstly to my husband Basil who has always supported me from the day we unexpectedly met during the Burma Campaign. Next I have to thank Bob Blair, a journalist whose intuition for a story came to the fore after a number of conversations he had with our younger daughter Angela. He spoke to us regularly over the following twelve months and wrote this fascinating story. Bob spent much time going through archives and other records to ensure that our recalled knowledge was true and accurate, before putting everything into chronological order – a massive responsibility!
During the past couple of years Carolyn and her husband Keith took a lot of the pressure off us, for which we are most grateful. The Burma Star Association through Phil Crawley MBE, and Helena Hamlyn and Tristan Nichols of the Royal British Legion, went out of their way to ensure that Basil and myself were able to attend the seventieth anniversary of the Burma Campaign on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, London, and we’re very thankful for the invitation from Strictly Come Dancing for us to be featured in a unique programme danced by professionals Chloe Hewitt and AJ Pritchard on Armistice Day 2016, which was seen by nearly 12 million BBC viewers, plus thousands on Facebook.
To all our friends who went along with our moods and the necessary changes made in their diaries, for which we are most grateful.
To Rebecca Winfield, who looked after our negotiations with Macmillan; we thank her for the understanding and kindness she showed at all times.
To Ingrid Connell, Laura Carr and Zennor Compton who looked after our mood changes with much tact, consideration and every possible help.
We sincerely hope that everyone mentioned in these acknowledgements will continue to be friends for the rest of our sunny days.
—Madge Lambert
My thanks are due to Madge Lambert; I feel privileged that she trusted me to write the story of her truly remarkable life. Thanks are also due to her husband Basil for his guidance about life in the hell that was the Burma Campaign. Their patience and hospitality, which featured tasty cakes and most delicious home-made soups, was mirrored by the kindness of daughters Carolyn Blendell and Angela Elliot. The transcription of Madge’s diaries by Angie was of immense importance.
John Giddings, MBE, chairman of the Burma Star Association, was endlessly supportive and the Rev Rana (de la Tour) Davies-James, vicar of the Magnis Group Benefice, Hereford, recounted with great pride the stories of her father Rev John Conway de la Tour Davies. He couldn’t talk about the horrors of the Burma Campaign without weeping, she said.
David Blake, curator of the Museum of Army Chaplaincy, Amport, Hampshire, gave me a major boost at a time when my spirits were low, as I struggled to find an agent and publisher.
