The British 14th Army
Heroes Remember
Transcript
You know that the British 14th Army was, they call them the
Forgotten Army. Even in England, they’re considered the Forgotten
Army. And yet, the British 14th Army, under Field Marshall Slim,
killed 350,000 Japanese soldiers. They killed more Japanese
soldiers than any other army, Americans included. Nobody gives
them credit for that. That’s why they call it the Forgotten Army.
And until this year, the thousand Canadians that went to India,
they’re forgotten, too. They were never mentioned. You read
all the Air Force history books… never mentioned. Is it because
we were in the RAF? We were in the RAF squadrons, but they were
Canadian crews. Our officers up to squadron leader were Canadian.
The crew captains and up, the commander-in-chief was
Earl Mountbatten. But all the other higher officers were British,
I imagine. And, but there was never any mention of people in
Burma, except this year. This is the first year. And we’ve been
trying to... I know my first navigator, Ira McNaughton, he tried
to get the recognition, and he failed. He never got any. And it’s
only this year that, you know, they mention Veterans of the
Far East, they mention the soldiers in Hong Kong, and that’s
about it. That’s the only Veterans. They don’t mention the
thousand Canadians that went to Burma, or Burma Campaign.
Description
Mr. Thomarat talks about the impact that the British 14th Army had on the outcome of the Second World War and the lack of recognition that the Burma Campaign has received.
Armand E. Thomarat
Armand Thomarat was born on the 19th of February in 1922. His father was a carpenter and a highly decorated first World War Veteran who was awarded, among other medals, the Legion of Honor. Following in the footsteps of his father and four brothers, Mr. Thomarat joined the army in 1941. After serving briefly as a clerk, he transferred to the air force, becoming a bomb aimer and a gunner on the front turret. On long trips, he served as second navigator.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 1:59
- Person Interviewed:
- Armand E. Thomarat
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- Second World War
- Location/Theatre:
- Burma
- Battle/Campaign:
- Burma
- Branch:
- Air Force
- Units/Ship:
- 357 Squadron
- Rank:
- Flying Officer
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