6/11 Sikh regiment in Burma

[Robin Sanderson]

I am seeking to find information about the battles in which the above regiment may have been involved.

My father, then Captain John Sanderson -see his medals including Burma star-on my website www.medalholder.com -told me that after service on the Northwest Frontier/Kyber Pass he fought in a battle where the Dokotas dropped re-supplies mostly around the position in Japanese hands and there was an almighty loss of lives on both sides with repeated charges. I suspect it was Shangshak battle as this was highlighted in a book he left-including the story of a Japanese officer with a sword who fell directly in front of him-he was one of the few survivors of his regiment-he had retrained as a Sikh Para- and helped a wounded colleague away from the battlefield and after 3 weeks was picked up by a RN river patrol.He later dropped on Thai POW camp to release our POW's.

Anybody have any info on the war history of this regiment please or can you point me in the right direction?

Robin Sanderson

[Taz]

Hello Robin,

Maybe a closer look here could help you in the right direction:

http://www.rothwell.force9.co.uk/burmaweb/ordersof.htm

And here:

http://www.sikhli.in/history/

Regards Eddie.

Edited June 22, 2008 by Taz

[Ed_Haynes]

If you can find it, F. T. Birdwood, The Sikh Regiment in the Second Worfd War (Norwich: Jarrold and Sons, {date?]) will be of value.

As you probably know (data extracted from John Gaylor, Sons of John Company, and Chris Kempton, 'Loyalty and Honour', part III), the 6/11th was raised at Nowsherah only on 7 August 1940, served in India and Burma, and was disbanded on 5 August 1946. Kempton gives a breakdown of the battalion's various assignments. If I were in Delhi now, I could check the Indian Army Lists for you with ease.