LAC JOE HUNTER
113 Squadron RAF

Extract of a letter from my father 1106154 LAC Joe Hunter of RAF 113 Squadron of his days spent in the Far East.
(There is also the story of the Japanese Flag - click here to read that)

Joe was born February 13^th 1920 and died at peace, in East Kilbride, Glasgow August 14^th 2004. 

I sailed from Madras in South India and arrived in Rangoon two days after Singapore had fallen (Singapore fell on 15^th February 1942).  

The Japanese were pushing up the peninsula fast and we were forced to retreat leaving all behind us as we were being overrun. So we were more or less on our own, walking and cadging lifts if possible. In fact my mates and I walked the best part of 900 miles. We finally arrived in West Assam, regrouped and were sent to the Arakan Front where we were starting from. We were there a long time and that is where some heavy fighting took place. We then found out that the Japanese were making great headway up central Burma making for Imphal. So once again we were on the move and I was in the advance party of our Squadron making for Imphal by road.  We arrived at Kohima at 12 o’clock at night. While we were having a bite to eat and unknown to us, the Japanese were man handling 25lb guns up the 9000 feet mountain. We moved on and found out that Kohima had been captured by the Japanese at 2:30 in the morning! This was a lucky escape for us and we finally arrived in Imphal early the next day.  After a few days of heavy fighting, Imphal was surrounded. Imphal lies in a valley surrounded by mountains about 5 miles round. The rest of our squadron couldn’t join us as all roads (if you can call them that) were closed. We finally got the rest of them to join us as they were flown in by air.

We were surrounded for 16 weeks and were under great pressure by day and by night. At night we went into what was called “The Box” - that was a square of barbed wire around 50 yards wide which we defended each evening.  The Japanese would crawl up at night and tie tin cans to the wire and pull a string to make a noise and draw our fire. We dug a hole in the ground wide enough to let us slide in leaving only our heads exposed. It was very tiresome as during the day we were dive bombed the whole day. Fortunately for some of us, we survived but we lost a lot of our pals. In fact 113 Squadron was 300 men at full strength and we lost around 100 men. We eventually broke out and with reinforcements coming in we pushed the Japanese back. After a few weeks we arrived at a place called Mektilla in Central Burma. There were two airstrips - there only 500 yards apart – we occupied one the Japanese the other but we soon took theirs over and a few days later the Japanese were in retreat. It was so good for us then as we were beginning to get fresh food flown in from New Zealand as we had been living on dehydrated food for three years! 

It was in Mektilla woke up one morning to find out that “my boat was in”!! a term used by the troops that your overseas tern was up and you were going home. Seven of us managed to get air lifted to Calcutta as it was easy to get a lift, the planes bringing in supplies and equipment were returning empty. We arrived in Calcutta and were sent to a dispersal camp and then we got a train to Bombay and at last we boarded our ship for home. It was HMS “City of Paris” and it was a great trip home as all the lights aboard were on at night whilst we were sailing home. We were informed that the Japanese had packed in and that the war was over!  We were the first troopship to arrive in Southampton at the end of the Far East War. 

I finally arrived back in dear old Glasgow on 7^th September 1945 after serving 4 years and two months abroad and 1 year 2 months in the Western Desert – but that is another story.. I must have been the happiest boy in the world when I got off the train at Glasgow Central – not one person there to meet me at the station – a small boy ran up to me and asked to “carry your kitbag mister?” - I knew I was home! He carried it to the Tram car stop - I gave him 2/6d (half a crown must have been a good tip as he was off like a shot!!).

I stayed in the Belgrove Hotel in Gallowgate and then was demobbed. 

By the way, 113 Squadron was part of the 14^th Army and was the second tactical Air Force, we were known as the “Forgotten Army” as we were so far away from the war in Europe. 

We were a Fighter Bomber squadron that is why we were so close to the Army in any fighting that took place. During my 4 years 2 months with 113, apart from the airmen we lost to the enemy as I said earlier we were 300 strong, 15 men committed suicide, 7 of whom I knew personally. 

Joe Hunter jnr 

My dad brought back a Japanese flag as a souvenir from Burma I had it photographed and sent the picture off for translation. 

Here is a picture of the flag followed by the translation - Click on images for larger view