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Leonard Sammuel Thornton

Leonard Sammuel Thornton 8/08/1919 – 24/08/04 he was 85 years old. He was a much loved husband to Mabel, Father to Angela and Peter and father in law Angela and Cathy and a grandfather to Richard, Jonathon, Richard, Emma and Laura, and is sadly missed by all that knew him.    

He grew up in Friston Street in Ladywood, Birmingham, and then moved to Weoley Castle, Birmingham.  

At the age of 21 he was called up to serve in the Second World War, and passed his medical and was enlisted on the 15^th August 1940.  

He trained at Becketts Park in Leeds where he joined the RAMC and was sent down to Oxford for medical training.  

He set sail on the MV Britannic from Liverpool Docks on the 6^th January 1942, headed for Singapore. As Singapore fell his new destination became Burma.  

When he arrived in India his first destination was Lucknow (British pre-war barracks) giving them a chance to acclimatise. His next stop was Bareilly in the United Provinces where they received all the wounded from Burma. At this time he only just began to realise the extreme weathers he would have to endure and the insects he would have to fight off.  

His next stop was Ranikett, which he went through mountains and saw spectacular sights and wild life. Although he was in a war zone he along with his fellow travellers felt privileged that they were in places they hadn’t seen in books. He was even privileged enough to see the Taj Mahal in Agra.  

He next went to Imphal because the CO had received an urgent instruction to send twelve top tradesmen to help with the casualties from Burma. The CO wanted to uphold the name of the 14^th British General Hospital (BGH), so sent eleven first class nursing orderlies and a first class operating Theatre Technician (him).  

On a long journey that included trains and going over water and going through Dimapur and the Naga Hills by lorry, and passed through Kohima. He arrived at the 51^st rest camp at Imphal and was then posted to the 41^st Indian General Hospital at Kangletombi.  

In Imphal there were amenities and many flies and creepy crawlies that he had a number of close encounters with, including snakes in his boots!  

The men all worked as a team, building huts, working to help each other. No one had time off not even the officers.  

They were surrounded for 85 days with Japs all around them. They were bombed by Jap aircraft. Despite the atrocious conditions and the environment they lived in they were still able to keep there humour as he said “the British Soldier has the knack of making the best of things and there was always one of us cracking a joke or bringing some humour to the worst of situations.  

Although he was a medic he didn’t escape action, with one instance being a Jap patrol breaking in to the first aid area where a battle raged. They were also bombed twice a day.  

As you can imagine in wartime food was short, water scarce and conditions atrocious.  

He worked three days on the trot doing amputations, burns and cuts and wounds so snatched sleep when he could.  

He got his first leave home in 1945 and sailed home on the 19^th May 1945 out of Bombay on the Orion docking at Liverpool on the 16^th June 1945. Although he’d been to hell and back he was now used to the open space and was worried how he’d adjust to being back home.  

He didn’t return to Burma and left the Army in 1946 where he went to his pre war job working at Wrensons and later Finefare where he was manager.   

He did adjust to being back home but in his own words he still missed it. 

He was an active member of the Bromsgrove Burma Star Association and was so proud of his military life that he had his book edited and published by Robert Street ‘Another Brummie in Burma’. It told the full story of his time in Burma and inspired his family and friends to learn about The Burma Campaign.  

He had many friends and made many through the Burma Star and his book and enjoyed keeping in touch with them through letters and phone calls. He would liven up a party and always had a joke to tell you and a sweat in his pocket!!!  

He is sorely missed by all that were fortunate to know him.  

08/12/04