249531 CSM. George William Biggs British Army 2nd Battalion Welch Regiment from:Edwinstoe, Notts My Grandfather, George Biggs was sent to fight with the 2nd Battalion, Welch Regiment as part of the 19th Indian Dagger Division after spending the earlier war years manning the guns at Dover against German invasion in the Somerset Light Infantry.
He told me some harsh stories when I was a youngster and this is what I remember of them.
I recall him talking about talking his shoes off after a long period on the move and the skin of his feet came away in his socks because of the continuously wet conditions.
He also mentioned the unpleasantness of drinking tea out of aluminium mess tins because they reacted with fillings.
He spoke well of the imperial Japanese whom he said often left captured POW's in bamboo cages for the British to find along the track, but of the non-Japanese soldiers (presumably Koreans and Formosans) that their cruelty to POW's was well known. Some having been buried up to their necks with ants having eaten their eyes out, others used for bayonette practice.
When he was flown out in a bomber after receiving shrapnel in his back they were transporting 2 Japanese POW's who were given blankets and cigarettes. He said when they were caught trying to light their blankets on fire, they were summarily thrown out of the plane.
He spoke of the Japanese 'surrendering' with grenades in their hands which they would throw at the British once in range.
He also mentioned coming across a platoon of women carrying military gear across a river. Thus they were considered combatants and true to take no prisoners mentality of that campaign, were all bayonetted.
Brutal events and the reasons why he didn't talk about the war at all for many years afterwards.
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